Tiane Walnuts

Tiane Walnuts

　　Tiane walnuts are a specialty of Tiane County in Hechi, Guangxi.

　　The cultivation of walnuts in Tiane County has a history of nearly 200 years. Old walnut trees are scattered sporadically in front of and behind houses in various villages. The main variety is the local late-bearing Tiane peachleaf walnut. According to surveys, there are over 1,200 walnut trees in Tiane County that are more than 30 years old, with 1,568 of these trees generating an annual income of over 1,000 yuan per tree. The oldest walnut tree is over 130 years old and still bears abundant fruit every year. The Tiane County Annals record that from 1956 to 1988, walnut production fluctuated between 5,600 and 17,000 kilograms. A 1988 document from the Tiane County Agricultural Zoning Office titled Comprehensive Report on the Investigation and Zoning of Tiane County Fruit Resources indicated that there were 1,030 walnut trees planted in Tiane County in 1988. In 1993, Tiane walnuts passed the preliminary selection for high-quality fruits and superior individual plants in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as documented in the Notice on the Announcement of the 1993 High-Quality Fruits and Superior Individual Plants Selection Results (Gui Guo Ban Zi [1994] No. 05).

　　Region: Guangxi

　　Applicant: Tiane County Pollution-Free Fruit Association

　　Year of designation: 2014

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographic area for Tiane walnuts, a geographical indication agricultural product, is located within Tiane County, Hechi City, Guangxi. These are mountainous regions at elevations ranging from 205 to 1,200 meters, sporadically distributed across nine townships: Liupai Town, Bamu Township, Baluo Township, Nazhi Township, Gengxin Township, Xiangyang Town, Xialao Township, Pojie Township, and Sanbao Township. The geographical coordinates are between 106°34′ to 107°20′ east longitude and 24°36′ to 25°28′ north latitude. The production area covers 11,250 hectares, with an annual output of 8,500 metric tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: Tiane walnuts are oblong-flat in shape, medium to large in size, with an average single fruit weight of 9.03g and a maximum single fruit weight of 17.8g. The average of the three diameters is 3.53cm. The suture line is flat at the base and slightly raised in the middle to upper part, with a pointed tip that is tight and narrow. The shell is 1.1mm thick, with a grayish-white color and a reticulated wrinkle surface. The kernel is grayish-white, plump, with septa, and leathery in texture; the kernel rate is 51.5%. It has a sweet and fragrant flavor, indicating high quality. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Tiane walnuts contain 9.8g–15.8g of protein per 100g, 48.28%–58.86% fat, 45.68g–52.39g of unsaturated fatty acids per 100g, and 4.16g–7.15g of saturated fatty acids per 100g. (3) Hygiene and Safety Requirements: Tiane walnuts comply with the standards outlined in the Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture on Issuing the Testing Catalogue for 55 Types of Pollution-Free Agricultural Products Including Solanaceous Vegetables (Nong Ban Zhi [2013] No. 17). (4) Packaging: Tiane walnuts must be packaged for sale. They are categorized into first-grade, second-grade, and third-grade based on fruit shape, color, and single fruit weight, and are packed in cartons. (5) Labeling: Users of the mark shall uniformly use the geographical indication (a combined labeling format of the Tiane walnut name and the public identification pattern) on their products or packaging. (6) Transportation: Transport vehicles must be clean, hygienic, and free of contamination. Transport with toxic, harmful, corrosive, or odorous items is strictly prohibited. (7) Storage: Store in clean, hygienic, light-proof, ambient temperature, dry conditions, with moisture-proof and rodent-proof facilities. Mixing with other toxic, harmful, corrosive, or odorous substances is strictly prohibited.