Its colour, smell, grain structure or general appearance give a first impression of the product. But especially for agricultural products bought and sold on a commercial scale, this first impression alone is not enough to understand the product’s real quality.
Because a product looking good from the outside does not mean it meets all quality criteria.
Appearance matters, but it is not enough on its own
For grains, pulses, oilseeds and other agricultural products, physical appearance is an important element of assessment.
Factors such as the proportion of broken grains, colour changes, foreign matter, insect damage or signs of spoilage can give important clues about the product.
But some quality characteristics cannot be seen with the eye.
Parameters such as moisture, protein, fat, microbiological status or certain residues may require analysis.
The same product can come in different qualities
Even if a product has the same name, its commercial characteristics may not be the same.
For example, the same product from two different sources may differ in moisture, protein, grain quality, purity or other specifications.
That is why, in trade, “the product’s name” and “the product’s specification” are not the same thing.
Which characteristics matter should be defined at the outset according to the buyer’s needs.
The product’s history is also part of its quality
Assessing a product’s quality only by its condition at the moment of delivery can be incomplete.
Where the product came from, how it was processed, how long it was stored and under what conditions it was transported also matter.
Especially with agricultural products, storage and logistics play an important role in preserving the product’s physical characteristics.
That is why a good product assessment starts not only with seeing the product, but also with knowing its history.
How important is the analysis result?
Analyses are important for revealing characteristics that cannot be seen or determined by physical inspection alone.
But an analysis result does not tell the whole picture on its own either.
A product giving a good result for one parameter does not automatically mean its other quality criteria are also suitable.
That is why analysis results should be assessed together with the product’s source, physical condition, intended use and customer specifications.
Organic products have one more criterion
For organic products, the product’s organic status is added to the quality assessment.
A product may be of good physical quality, but that does not automatically make it an organic product.
In organic trade, the product’s relevant certification scope and the required documents should also be assessed.
At Biosmyrna, when assessing products we consider physical quality, analysis results, source, organic status and the characteristics requested by the customer together.
A good product assessment starts with the right questions
When assessing an agricultural product, rather than only asking:
“Does it look good?”
we need to look at questions such as these together:
Where does it come from?
What characteristics does it have?
What do the analysis results say?
How was it stored and transported?
Is it suitable for the intended use?
If it is organic, what is its certification scope?
Because the real quality of agricultural products is not just what is visible to the eye; it is the value that emerges when the whole product is considered.
