Indonesian Vegetables: IQF Glazing 2025 Buyer Guide

A practical, no-nonsense playbook for verifying IQF glaze percentage, protecting net weight, and writing enforceable specs and contracts for Indonesian frozen vegetables in 2025.

If you buy IQF vegetables, you already know glaze can make or break your yield. Too little glaze and you risk dehydration and frost damage. Too much and you are literally paying for water. In our experience exporting Indonesian IQF vegetables, the difference between a smooth arrival and a short weight claim is having a clear spec and a simple, repeatable test. Here is the 2025 buyer’s toolkit we use and recommend.

What exactly is protective ice glazing and does more always mean better?

Protective glazing is a thin ice layer applied after IQF to protect the surface from dehydration during storage. It is not water added to increase mass. It should melt off quickly. Higher glaze beyond what the surface needs does not improve protection. It only drags down solids and yield. We see optimal protection in most vegetables at 3 to 6 percent glaze. Thick coats crack, re-freeze, and create ice build-up in the bag. That is another red flag.

Is glaze included in the net weight on labels?

Most import markets require the declared net weight to exclude protective glaze. In practice, your label net weight should reflect edible solids after deglazing. If your market allows glazed net weight, it needs to be clearly stated and most retailers will still ask for drained net verification. When in doubt, state in the contract that net weight excludes glaze and define the deglazing method you will use for checks. That prevents arguments later.

How to test IQF glaze percentage on arrival without a lab

You do not need a lab. You need a scale and a consistent method.

Tools we recommend:

Calibrated digital scale with 1 g resolution.
Room temperature water at 18 to 22°C. Use a thermometer.
Stainless sieve or perforated colander plus a drip tray.
Timer. A phone is fine.
Clean towel, record sheet, and camera for photos.

Step by step deglazing test method:

Select units. Pull your sample per the sampling plan below. Keep units frozen until testing.
Weigh glazed unit. Remove outer ice from the pack. Weigh content as Glazed Weight (GW).
Deglaze. Pour contents into a sieve. Rinse with potable water at 18 to 22°C for 45 to 60 seconds while gently stirring by hand. Stop when no visible surface ice remains. Do not thaw the vegetable itself.
Drain. Let it drain in the sieve for 120 seconds at a slight angle. Do not press or shake aggressively.
Weigh deglazed unit. Record as Deglazed Weight (DW). Keep timing consistent between all tests.

Formula you will actually use: Glaze percentage = (GW − DW) ÷ GW × 100

Example. A 1,000 g bag of IQF sweet corn tests at GW 1,040 g. After deglazing and 2 minutes draining, DW is 1,000 g. Glaze is 3.8 percent. If label net is 1,000 g excluding glaze, solids meet label. If DW is 960 g, glaze is 7.7 percent and solids are short by 40 g.

Two practical tips you will not get in a manual:

Keep rinse water within the stated temperature range. Colder water leaves micro ice. Warmer water accelerates thawing. Both skew results.
Work fast. From pour to final weigh should be under 4 minutes. The longer you hold in ambient conditions, the more the core thaws and drips, which reads as fake glaze.

If you want a one page SOP template you can adapt to your warehouse, reach out and we will share ours. Need help tailoring it to your products and market rules. You can Contact us on whatsapp.

How many cartons should I sample and what constitutes pass or fail

There is the textbook and then there is what works on a busy dock.

Practical receiving plan for a full container:

Carton selection. Use a random pattern across front, middle, and rear pallets. Pull 13 retail units total for large lots and 8 units for smaller partials. This mirrors ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 General Level II logic without paralyzing your team.
Test each unit individually. Do not composite. Record GW, DW, glaze percent, and water temperature.
Decision rule. Compare the average glaze to your spec and look at dispersion. We recommend pass if the average is within spec and no more than one unit exceeds spec by over 2 percentage points. If the average is high by more than 1 percentage point or you have multiple outliers, treat as overglazed.

What glaze percentage should I specify for 2025

These ranges are what we run on Indonesian IQF lines and what holds up in transit.

Peas and corn. 3 to 5 percent. Our Premium Frozen Sweet Corn ships at 4 percent target with ±1 percent tolerance.
Mixed vegetables. 3 to 6 percent depending on cut size. Our Frozen Mixed Vegetables default is 4 to 5 percent to balance protection across components.
Okra, sliced or whole. 2 to 5 percent. Higher than 5 percent tends to interlock slices.
Bell peppers. 2 to 4 percent. See our Frozen Paprika (Bell Peppers).
Edamame. 3 to 7 percent depending on pod thickness. Our Premium Frozen Edamame runs 5 percent target for export to humid markets.

If your market has long ambient breaks during distribution, add 1 percentage point to the target. If you are running high turnover retail in temperate climates, you can tighten by 1 point. That is the nuance most specs miss.

What simple contract wording prevents overglazing and short weight

We have seen this clause resolve more disputes than any other. Copy and adapt.

Product shall be IQF with protective ice glaze of X percent ±1 percent by weight. Declared net weight excludes glaze.
Verification method. Deglazing test at 18 to 22°C water for 60 seconds, 120 seconds drain, per buyer SOP. Sample size minimum 8 units per lot.
Tolerances. Lot passes if average glaze is within spec and not more than one unit exceeds spec by more than 2 percentage points.
Remedies. If average glaze exceeds spec by more than 1 percentage point or net solids per bag are short of declared net by more than 0.5 percent, buyer may deduct the value of the short solids plus reasonable handling costs or request replacement.
Documentation. Supplier to provide COA with measured glaze percentage for each lot and retain in process records for 12 months.

Add a pictures or video requirement at loading for extra assurance. That speeds up claims if something goes sideways.

How to request glaze information on the COA from Indonesian suppliers

Ask for three line items on the COA and for them to attach the in process sheet.

Target and actual glaze percentage with method described.
Water temperature used and drain time.
Number of units tested and the individual readings, not just the average.

We do this by default for our IQF lines in East Java. It takes our team five extra minutes and gives buyers real traceability.

What happens if the shipment is overglazed or short weight

First, document within 48 hours.

Run the standardized test on your original sample plan. Photograph each step.
Calculate short solids. Example. Spec 4 percent on a 1,000 g bag but you measure average 8 percent. Solids at 92 percent versus 96 percent intended. Deduct 40 g per bag. Multiply by the unit price to get the credit.
Communicate with the supplier with your worksheet and photos. Propose either a credit or rework if feasible.

If there is a dispute, invite joint retesting on retained samples. In 2024 and into 2025, we see more buyers putting the method on the PO. That is lowering friction and keeping relationships intact.

Arrival inspection checklist you can train in 30 minutes

Verify label net weight states net excludes glaze or label declares glazed weight plus drained net.
Measure product core temperature on first opened carton.
Test glaze per SOP on at least 8 units.
Check for ice build up, clumping, and broken pieces that signal thaw refreeze.
Record water temperature, times, and all weights on a single sheet. Snap photos of each unit pre and post deglaze.

Record sheet template fields we use:

Product, lot, production date, container, pallet, carton location.
Unit ID, GW, DW, glaze percent, water temperature, drain time.
Tester, date, time, pass or fail, remarks, photos reference.

Common mistakes we still see and how to avoid them

Running warm water. Anything above 22°C starts to soften the surface and fakes a lower glaze. Use a thermometer.
Shaking the sieve. Aggressive shaking throws off yield. Let gravity do the work for 120 seconds.
Compositing before the test. You lose visibility of outliers. Test units individually.
No spec on the PO. If it is not written, it is not enforceable. Put the method on the PO.

Pre shipment controls in Indonesia that make arrivals boring in a good way

We recommend a simple pre shipment inspection routine.

Line check. Confirm the glazing machine setting, water temperature, and belt speed match spec.
Factory test. The QC team runs your deglaze method on 5 units from the actual packed lot.
COA with photos. We video one unit from rinse to weigh. That is how we handle Frozen Mixed Vegetables and Premium Frozen Okra for most retail buyers.

Questions about adapting this to your warehouse or adding glaze clauses into your 2025 contracts. View our products to see the IQF lines we run, and if you want a quick review of your spec, just Contact us on whatsapp. Our team can walk you through it in 10 minutes.

Takeaway. Keep glazing simple. Specify a tight range. Define the method. Sample enough units. Document everything. In our experience, that is how you protect yield and avoid 90 percent of short weight headaches on Indonesian IQF vegetables.