24.1.2015

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 25/18

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Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2015/C 25/08)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application, pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘ARROZ CAROLINO DO BAIXO MONDEGO’

EU No: PT-PGI-0005-0966-21.2.2012

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

1.   Name

2.   Member State or Third Country

Portugal

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Product type

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ means the hulled caryopsis of different varieties (such as Ariete, Eurosis, Augusto, Vasco and Luna) of the Japonica subspecies of Oryza sativa L. species which, due to its cultivation in the Baixo Mondego region, after husking and milling, has a moisture content of 13 % or less and the following characteristics:

Varietal characteristics of the raw, milled grain

The biometrics of ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ place it in the category of type ‘A’ long-grain rice. White in colour, the grain has a vitreous crystalline appearance.

Chemical characteristics of the raw grain

Parameters	Minimum values	Maximum values
Apparent amylose (% dry matter.)	17,5	22,5
Protein (% dry matter.)	6,1	7,2
Fat (% dry matter.)	0,54	0,95
Total ash (% dry matter.)	0,30	0,45

Physical characteristics

Parameters	Minimum values	Maximum values
Whole grains (%)	60	68

Rheological characteristics

Parameters	Minimum values	Maximum values
Viscosity (cP)	2 900	3 700
Retrogradation (cP)	50	500

Cooking characteristics

Parameters	Minimum values	Maximum values
Firmness* (kg/cm2)	0,9	1,2
Cooking time (minutes)	10	12
Quantity of water absorbed (%)	13	20
Increase in volume (No of times)	2,09	2,49
Disintegration (%)	1	2

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

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3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ is produced, from the sowing of the seed to harvesting, in the geographical area defined and described in point 4.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

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3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The specific labelling must include the following:

the name and certification mark of the inspection and certification body, and serial number;

the ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ logo shown below:

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of production of ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ comprises the parishes of: Ançã in the municipality of Cantanhede; Ameal, Antuzede, Arzila, Ribeira de Frades, São João do Campo, S. Martinho do Bispo and Taveiro in the municipality of Coimbra; Anobra in the municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova; Alqueidão, Lavos, Paião, Borda do Campo, Maiorca, Ferreira-a-Nova, Santana and Vila Verde in the municipality of Figueira da Foz; Tentúgal, Meãs do Campo, Carapinheira, Montemor-o-Velho, Gatões, Abrunheira, Liceia, Verride, Ereira, Vila Nova da Barca, Pereira and Santo Varão in the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho; Louriçal in the municipality of Pombal; Alfarelos, Brunhós, Gesteira, Granja do Ulmeiro, Samuel, Soure, Vila Nova de Anços and Vinha da Rainha in the municipality of Soure.

5.   Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

In terms of climate, the Baixo Mondego’s geographical location distinguishes it from all the other rice-producing regions, particularly the Sado and Tagus valleys. For the entire rice-growing cycle, and particularly in the phase from the formation to maturation or harvesting of the grain, the Baixo Mondego differs from the other regions in the following aspects: (1) fewer hours of daylight (1 627 hours of light during the entire growing cycle, of which around 500 hours are concentrated in the period from the formation to maturation of the grain); (2) milder average temperatures, a narrower temperature range, and high relative air humidity; (3) less total irradiance (approximately 29 kcal/cm2, during the months of August and September).

Specificity of the product

The low temperatures and weak sunshine during the pre-harvest or crop maturation period are the specific agri-environmental features that contribute to the slow maturation of the rice, and consequently, to its different chemical composition.

‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ is distinguished by its slow and specific maturation phase, due to the marked decline in total irradiance during this period, which makes the maturation process longer but more consistent.

The ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ is type ‘A’ long-grain rice, with homogeneous biometrics and colour, with an average amylose level (17,5 % to 22,5 % of dry matter), low cooking time (10-12 minutes), average texture (0,9-1,2 kg/cm2) and stability to retrogradation.

Analysis of data from the same varieties revealed that the amylose level of samples from the geographical area of Baixo Mondego was 2 % higher, and that their viscosity and taste characteristics (aromas and flavours) are factors which distinguish the rice from rice produced in other rice-growing regions. It is very pure and uniform in colour.

These specific features linked to the cultivation of rice in the Baixo Mondego region result from the agri-ecological factors mentioned above, and lead to the slow maturation of the grains in the rice fields, thus endowing ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ with its culinary properties.

A panel of testers performed a taste test of grains of ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’ boiled in water, which revealed loose, creamy, tender grains, characterised by their smooth and oily surface, more pronounced than in common ‘Carolino’ rice.

Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The climate characteristics of Baixo Mondego are responsible for the slower formation and maturation of ‘Arroz Carolino do Baixo Mondego’, which reinforce the physiological mechanisms that affect the quality of the rice, namely:

—	tendency towards higher amylose levels,

—	higher percentage of whole grains, due to a lower incidence of cracks at the end of the growing cycle or during the maturation phase of the grain.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

http://www.dgadr.mamaot.pt/images/docs/val/dop_igp_etg/Valor/CE_Arroz_Carolino_B.Mondego.pdf

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

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