The standard operating procedure (SOP) for exporting frozen whole durian fruit to The Republic of China

Abstract

Malaysia received permission to export frozen whole durian to China in August 2018. The cryogenic freezing method is proposed for use as it is one of the best techniques to supply and preserve the quality of durians all year round. Since this method is newly established and still needs to be validated during simulation and export trials, a standard operating procedure (SOP) needs to be developed to ensure the quality of whole fruit durian is preserved. A procedure comprised of sanitation treatment, cryogenic freezing, low-temperature handling, and methods for thawing frozen whole durian had been developed. The proposed disinfection treatment using sodium hypochlorite is recommended in the protocol to ensure it is free from any quarantine pests of concern to China. Furthermore, cryogenic freezing between -80 °C to -110 °C was introduced in the protocol as a treatment to prolong the storage life of Malaysian durian for exporting whole fruit form to China. An export trial was performed to validate the handling of the frozen durian in a cold chain (-18 °C) maintained until it reached the retail end. The thawing technique for frozen durian was studied in the lab and during the export trial to confirm the best eating quality. All these become a standard operating procedure to ensure Malaysian durian is safe to eat, handled in a controlled condition, and served at the best eating quality as a premium product of Malaysia.