Whole dry garlic and fresh peeled cloves are not the same product line. One travels as cured bulbs in ambient mesh bags; the other is a chilled, ready-to-use ingredient with a short remaining shelf life and packing that must be written into the purchase order. Buyers who quote “garlic” without naming the form usually discover the mismatch at sampling or at the cold dock. This guide lists the specification fields that actually decide quality for peeled cloves — and what to lock before the first container.
Peeled cloves are not whole dry bulbs
Fresh garlic bulbs are graded by bulb diameter (for example 4.5–6.5 cm), skin appearance, curing condition and sprouting limits. Typical export packing is 10 kg or 20 kg mesh bags or cartons, handled as ambient produce with ventilation and humidity control.
Fresh peeled garlic cloves are a prepared product: roots and tops trimmed, skins removed, packed for chilled storage. Logistics, shelf life, and defect definitions all change once the skin is gone. Treating a peeled-clove quotation as “just garlic without the peel” is how residual peel, soft cloves and short remaining life become disputes instead of acceptance criteria.
- Product form: whole peeled cloves (not minced, paste or dehydrated unless separately named).
- Cold chain: chilled throughout packing, storage and transit — not the ambient chain used for dry bulbs.
- Commercial unit: inner net weight and packs per carton matter as much as total tonnage.
Key specification fields for peeled cloves
A usable specification sheet states numbers or grades, not adjectives. Use the table below as a checklist when you read a supplier sheet or write an RFQ. Exact tolerances are agreed per order and destination market — the sheet should still name each field.
| Field | What to state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Clove size / count grade | Size band or count grade agreed for the lot (e.g. large / medium / small, or mm / count definition) | Drives yield on peeling and processing lines; “mixed” without a definition is not a grade |
| Residual peel % | Maximum share of cloves with residual skin (by weight or by count — name which) | Main visible complaint from kitchens and processors |
| Trim standard | Root and top trim: clean cut, no long roots, no excessive stem | Affects usable weight and appearance in trays |
| Defects | Limits for soft / watery cloves, sprouts, bruising, discoloration, mechanical damage | Peeled product shows defects that skins used to hide |
| Foreign matter | Tolerance for soil, husk fragments, stem pieces, other vegetable matter | Food-safety and customer-audit line; state a real limit, not “none” |
| Aroma / taste note | Typical pungency for the variety / season; confirm in the buyer’s recipe, not only raw | Raw aroma can mislead; cook or process as the line will |
| Remaining shelf life at delivery | Minimum days of chilled life remaining on arrival (from production / pack date on the label) | Prevents short-dated stock being treated as full-life product |
| Packing | Inner net weight (e.g. 500 g or 1 kg packs), packs per carton, carton type; jar formats if used | Price, handling labor and cold-room stacking all depend on inner pack |
| Storage temperature | Validated chilled range for the packed product (confirm on the sheet and on arrival) | Temperature abuse softens cloves and shortens life faster than for dry bulbs |
Typical reference packing for peeled cloves in our export offering includes chilled 500 g or 1 kg inner packs, with carton (and jar) formats available for quotation. Whole-bulb programs remain on the separate fresh garlic / garlic product lines — do not mix packing assumptions across the two.
Documents and certificates buyers usually ask for
Certificates relate to the named facility and stated scope. Confirm the producing site, exact product and destination requirements with the quotation — a logo on a brochure is not a certificate for your lot.
- Agreed product specification sheet (version and date)
- Ingredients / allergen information as required by the destination market
- Lot-level documents available on request (e.g. packing list, quality records relevant to the shipment)
- Site certificates within scope, where applicable: BRCGS A, ISO 22000, HACCP, HALAL, OU (from our own factory — confirm issuing body, validity and product scope)
We do not treat ISO 9001 as part of this product’s standard claim set. If your market requires a specific certificate or test report, name it in the RFQ so scope can be checked before sampling.
Red flags on a peeled-garlic quotation
- Quote says “garlic” with no form (bulb vs peeled vs minced).
- No residual peel %, trim standard or defect limits — only “high quality peeled.”
- Shelf life stated from shipment date only, with no production / pack date reference.
- Ambient packing or dry-bulb carton weights used for a chilled peeled product.
- Certificates listed without facility name, scope or validity.
PO checklist: lock these before the first container
- Product form: fresh whole peeled cloves (chilled).
- Clove size / count grade and how it is measured.
- Residual peel % and trim standard.
- Defect and foreign-matter tolerances.
- Inner net weight, packs per carton, label language / mark requirements.
- Storage temperature and minimum remaining shelf life at delivery.
- Quantity, Incoterms, destination port, and delivery window.
- Pre-shipment sample from the offered lot, accepted against the same sheet.
- Documents and certificates required for customs and your buyer audit (scope confirmed).
Name the form, the residual peel limit and the remaining shelf life on arrival — those three lines prevent most peeled-garlic disputes before the container closes.
For formats, packing options and sample requests, see our fresh peeled garlic product page, or contact us with your target specification for a quote or sample.
