What Does a Freeze-Dried Mango COA Cover, and Which Lab Tests Should You Add for Your Market?
Freeze-dried mango testing works in three layers. Every full container ships with a third-party lot COA for moisture, water activity, total plate count, yeasts and moulds, E. coli and Salmonella. Lead, arsenic and aflatoxins are covered by periodic baseline surveillance, with reports available on request. Market panels such as pesticide multi-residue, Listeria or a nutrition panel are added for your destination and run before stuffing. Knowing which layer a result belongs to tells your QA team what each document proves, and what to ask for when a retailer or border authority wants more.
What does the lot COA cover on every full container?
The six results that decide whether the mango is crisp and safe on arrival. Each full-container lot is tested by an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited third-party laboratory, and the COA carries the lot code printed on your cartons.
| Parameter | FruitBuys release limit | Method | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture | 3–5% | Vacuum oven, 70 °C (AOAC 934.06) | Total water in the product |
| Water activity | ≤0.30 | ISO 18787, 25 °C | Whether pieces stay crisp; measured on the same sample as moisture |
| Total plate count | ≤10,000 CFU/g | ISO 4833-1 | General hygiene of handling and packing |
| Yeasts and moulds | ≤100 CFU/g | ISO 21527-2 | Hygiene and dry handling after drying |
| E. coli | <10 CFU/g | ISO 16649-2 | Faecal hygiene indicator |
| Salmonella | Not detected in 25 g | ISO 6579-1 | Ready-to-eat safety |
Moisture and water activity are read on the same sample, and a lot that fails either does not ship. Sulphite is not added at any stage; FruitBuys releases at SO₂ <10 ppm, and for EU programmes the Optimized Monier-Williams test runs before stuffing as part of the market panel.
What it means for you: the lot COA is the document your QA team files against each container. If the lot code on the COA does not match the cartons, it is not your COA.
What is tested periodically, and what does the latest baseline show?
Lead, arsenic and aflatoxins, on periodic batches rather than every lot. These hazards come from the growing area and the fruit, not from day-to-day processing, so surveillance on a regular cycle is how long-term control is shown.
The most recent baseline report from an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory, on 2025 production, found:
- Aflatoxins: total not detected (LOQ 2 µg/kg), B1 not detected (LOQ 0.5 µg/kg)
- Lead: not detected (LOQ 0.05 mg/kg)
- Arsenic: not detected (LOQ 0.03 mg/kg)
- E. coli <10 CFU/g and Salmonella not detected in 25 g on the same sample
For context, EU limits for dried fruit eaten directly are 4.0 µg/kg total aflatoxins and 2.0 µg/kg aflatoxin B1, so the detection limits used sit well below the legal ceiling. Lead limits are set on fresh fruit and applied to dried fruit through the drying factor. Baseline reports are available on request for your technical file.
What it means for you: a baseline report shows the supply base is under control; it is not a result for your lot. If your retailer requires heavy metals or aflatoxins on every container, add them as a lot panel (below).
Which extra tests should you add for your market?
The ones your destination or customer checks, arranged before the container is stuffed. FruitBuys coordinates these with an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory in Vietnam as part of the release dossier for full containers; allow 3–5 working days.
- Pesticide multi-residue (EU, UK and retail programmes). EU limits are set on fresh mango, with 0.01 mg/kg as the default where no specific limit exists. A result on freeze-dried mango is converted back with the processing factor: (100 − 4) ÷ (100 − 83.5) ≈ 5.8, so 0.03 mg/kg on the dried product equals about 0.005 mg/kg on fresh fruit. Send the moisture figure with the residue report so the conversion can be shown at the border.
- Listeria and Enterobacteriaceae. Common in retail and ready-to-eat specifications for dairy toppings and children’s snacks.
- Nutrition panel. For label artwork on a new SKU or a private-label launch. The FruitBuys baseline from Eurofins gives 401 kcal, 59 g natural sugars, 5.6 g fibre and 634 mg potassium per 100 g; the lot panel confirms your printed figures.
- Sulphite. Already released below 10 ppm; add it to the COA where your market wants the number on paper.
- Heavy metals and aflatoxins per lot. Where a retailer wants them on every container rather than on the baseline cycle.
Market panels are paid by the buyer or shared by agreement depending on volume. Which tests each market expects, and the documents that go with them, are in the import documentation guide.
How do trial and LCL orders work?
Lighter paperwork, same release standard. A trial or LCL order ships with the QC release log for its batch (moisture and water activity readings, sensory) plus the latest baseline reports. If your QA needs third-party testing on a smaller lot, FruitBuys arranges it at lab cost, typically in 3–5 working days, and refunds that cost in full on your first container. You see real lab numbers before you commit to volume, without paying twice.
How do you read a COA in five minutes?
Check seven things, in this order.
- Laboratory. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, with the tests you need inside its accredited scope.
- Lot code. It matches the carton labels and the commercial invoice.
- Dates. Sampling date after the production date and before shipment.
- Method for each result. A moisture figure without a method cannot be compared with another lab’s figure.
- Unit and limit of quantification. “Not detected” means little without the LOQ beside it.
- Moisture and water activity on the same sample. One without the other hides the risk of soft arrival.
- Result against your limit. Your contract limit, not just the lab’s general reference.
Three things should prompt a question to any supplier, including FruitBuys: a COA with no lot code, the same COA reused across several shipments, or a “not detected” result with no LOQ. A good supplier answers each with a document, not an explanation.
What if your lab and the release lab disagree?
Go back to the retained sample and one named referee laboratory. Moisture and water activity readings move quickly once a bag is opened in humid air, and different methods give different results on the same sample. Write into the contract which accredited laboratory settles a difference, keep the dual-signed retained sample from release, and test within the standard window: 14 days from unloading for physical attributes and water activity, 30 days for laboratory results. How retained samples and tolerances are set is covered in the RFQ and sample approval checklist; why a lot can arrive soft when its COA passed is in the moisture and QA guide.
When is more testing not the answer?
When the problem is texture, not safety. A container that opens soft usually lost its crispness after release, through a seal, a humid packing room or a long hot voyage, and another lab test will only confirm the higher moisture. The fix sits in packing and loading: foil bags sealed in a room below 35% RH, cartons floor-loaded with desiccant poles and a top cover, as set out in the packaging and shelf-life guide. FruitBuys will point your team to the right control before adding cost to the test plan.
Get the COA pack for your programme
Tell FruitBuys your destination market and any retailer test list. We send a sample COA, the latest baseline reports and the market panel plan for your first container, together with a sample from stock in 3–5 working days. Specifications are on the freeze-dried mango product page; how FruitBuys runs the chain is in the freeze-dried mango supplier guide.
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FAQ
What is on a freeze-dried mango COA?
Moisture, water activity, total plate count, yeasts and moulds, E. coli and Salmonella for every full container, tied to the lot code on your cartons.
Are heavy metals and aflatoxins tested on every lot?
They are covered by periodic baseline surveillance. If your market requires them on every container, they are added as a lot panel before stuffing.
Does FruitBuys test for pesticide residues?
Yes, as a market panel for your destination, arranged with an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory before stuffing.
Who pays for extra tests?
Market panels are paid by the buyer or shared by agreement depending on volume. Third-party testing on trial orders is refunded in full on your first container.
Which lab tests the product?
An independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited third-party laboratory. The nutrition baseline was analysed by Eurofins.
