Sultanas

Turkish Type 9 & 10 dipped sultanas by colour standard

A sultana is its own product with its own grading language, not a synonym for a raisin. It is made from the seedless white Sultana grape, dipped in an oil-and-potassium-carbonate emulsion that cracks the waxy cuticle so water leaves the berry in days instead of weeks, then sun-dried and usually lightly sulphured. The result is a smaller, softer, sweeter, tangier berry that rehydrates faster in a dough than a golden or black raisin does — which is why plant bakeries and cereal lines specify it by name. CBIL arranges Turkish sultanas from the Aegean (Manisa and İzmir) graded against the official Turkish colour standard — Type 8 through Type 10, where a higher number means a lighter, more uniform berry and a materially higher price — alongside Iranian and Afghan sultana supply. Beyond colour type, the contract turns on berry count (roughly 220–280 per 100 g for the bolder grades), moisture at 13–16%, sugar at 68–74% dry basis, capstem count, and Sortex class. SO₂ is arranged at ≤ 1,000 ppm for general trade, ≤ 500 ppm for tighter retail programmes, or SO₂-free where clean-label demands it — accepting that unsulphured sultanas darken toward Type 8 and below across shelf-life.

Pick sultanas over golden raisins when texture and behaviour matter more than a bright amber colour: the berry's thinner skin and lower firmness mean better mouthfeel in fruited loaves, hot cross buns, scones, muesli, granola and cereal, and less risk of the hard nuggets a low-moisture golden leaves in a bake. Pick golden instead when you need that specific bright tunnel-dried colour on a visible berry, or green when berry length is the selling point, or black when nothing needs to be seen at all. Turkey dominates world sultana supply and the Aegean crop sets the price curve for the entire raisin complex, so forward-contracting ahead of the August–September harvest usually beats buying spot into a short year. Lots ship against SGS or Intertek certification of colour type, moisture, SO₂ ppm, sugar, foreign matter, capstems, mould and damage and pesticide residue to destination MRLs, with phytosanitary documentation, in 10 kg and 12.5 kg lined cartons or 14 kg bags, dry or reefer container, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.