LOT COMPLIANCE

$52.1797 Ascertaining the grade of a let.

The grade of a lot of canned plums covered by these standards is deter

mined by the procedures set forth in the Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification of Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Certain Other Processed Food Products (§§ 62.1 through 62.87),

(b) Slices or sliced consist of peeled whole white potatoes cut into slices of substantially uniform thickness.

(c) Dice or diced consist of peeled whole white potatoes cut into slices of substantially uniform thickness.

(d) Shoestring, french style, or julienne consists of peeled whole white potatoes cut into rectangular units having length measurements which are three (3) or more times the width measurements.

(e) Pieces consist of peeled whole white potatoes of random size and/or shape, or potatoes that have been cut into approximate quarters or wedgeshaped units.

(f) Any combination of two (2) or more of the foregoing styles constitutes a style and shall be considered as a mixture of the individual styles that comprise the combination.

§ 52.1813 Definitions of terms.

As used in these U.S. standards, unless otherwise required by the context, the following terms shall be construed, respectively, to mean:

(a) Blemished means units affected by brown or black internal or external discoloration, discolored or unpeeled eyes, hollow heart, scab, or units blemished by other means to such an extent that the appearance or eating quality of the unit is materially affected.

(b) Seriously blemished means units affected by brown or black internal or external discoloration, pathological or insect injury or units blemished by other means to such an extent that the appearance or eating quality of the unit is seriously affected.

(c) Color (1) Good color means that the units, exclusive of blemished areas, are practically free from oxidation or light greenish coloration, and have a bright, practically uniform, light color, typical of canned white potatoes processed from potatoes of similar varietal characteristics.

(2) Reasonably good color means that the units possess a reasonably good color, and the units individually or collectively may be variable in color, dull, slightly oxidized, or otherwise discolored but not to the extent that the appearance of the product is seriously affected.

(3) Poor color means the units fail to meet the requirements for reasonably good color.

(d) Defects—(1) Practically free from defects means the defects present do not materially affect the appearance or edibility of the product.

(2) Reasonably free from defects means the defects present do not seriously affect the appearance or edibility of the product.

(e) Diameter: (1) Of elongated whole potatoes means the greatest measurement at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the units.

(2) of round or nearly round whole potatoes means the greatest measurement across the center of the unit.

(3) of sliced style potatoes means the shortest measurement of the larger cut surface of the slice.

(f) Extraneous vegetable material (EVM) means harmless plant material such as leaves, stems, or roots.

(g) Flavor and Odor-(1) Good flavor and odor means a good, distinctive flavor and odor which is characteristic of properly prepared and properly processed canned white potatoes, (including any permitted safe and suitable optional ingredient(s)), that are free from objectionable flavors or odors.

(2) Reasonably good flavor and odor means that the canned white potatoes, (including any permitted safe and suitable optional ingredient(s)), may be lacking in good flavor and odor but are free from objectionable flavors or odors.

(h) Mechanical damage means damage incurred during harvesting or processing such as broken, crushed or cracked units, and units that are excessively trimmed.

(1) Pathological or insect injury means damage caused by disease or insects.

(j) Peel means the outer layer of the potato that is normally removed during processing.

(k) Potato unit means one whole, slice, dice, shoestring, or piece of potato as applicable for the style.

(1) Sample unit size means the amount of product to be used for grading. It may be:

(1) The entire contents of a container;

(2) A portion of the contents of a container;

(3) A combination of the contents of two (2) or more containers;

(4) A portion of unpacked product. (m) Texture. The factor of texture refers to the tenderness of the canned white potatoes and to the degree of freedom from sloughing and from hard or objectionably coarse grained units.

(1) Good texture means the texture of the potatoes is practically uniform and is typical of properly prepared and properly processed potatoes and that the potatoes are firm and tender and have a fine and even grain. There may be sloughing to a degree that does not more than slightly affect the appearance of the product.

(2) Reasonably good texture means the potatoes are reasonably tender, and may be variable in texture, ranging from somewhat soft to firm, but are not tough, hard or mushy. There may be a moderate amount of sloughing that does not seriously affect the appearance of the product.

(3) Poor texture means the potato units fail to meet the requirements for reasonably good texture.

§ 52.1814 Recommended fill of container.

(a) The fill of container is not incorporated in the grades of the finished product since fill of container, as such, is not a factor of quality for the purposes of these grades. Each container shall be filled with white potatoes as full as practicable without impairment of quality and the product and packing medium shall occupy not less than 90 percent of the total capacity of the container.

(b) Total capacity of the container means the maximum weight of distilled water, at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), which the sealed container will hold.

157-010 0-95-13

toes after the canned product has been allowed to equalize for 15 or more days after the product has been canned.

(b) Method of determining drained weight. (1) The drained weight of canned white potatoes is determined by emptying the contents of the container upon a U.S. Standard No. 8 circular sieve (or equivalent) of the proper diameter containing 8 meshes to the inch (0.0937-inch (2.4 mm), ±3 percent, square openings) so as to distribute the product evenly. Without shifting the product, incline the sieve to a 17 to 20 degree angle to facilitate drainage and allow to drain for two (2) minutes.

(2) The drained weight is the weight of the sieve and white potatoes less the weight of the dry sieve. The diameter of the sieve shall be 8 inches (20.3 cm), or equivalent, if the water capacity of the container is less than 3 pounds (1.36 kg), or 12 inches (30.5 cm), or equivalent, if such capacity is 3 pounds (1.36 kg) or more.

(c) Compliance with minimum drained weight values. Compliance with the minimum drained weight values in Table I is determined by averaging the drained weights from all the containers in the sample which represent a specific lot. Such lot is considered as meeting the minimum drained weight values if the following criteria are met:

(1) The sample average (average of all the containers in the sample) meets the minimum average drained weight value (designated as "X" in Table I); and

(2) The number of sample units which fail to meet the minimum drained weight value for individual containers (designated as "LL" in Table I and IA) does not exceed the applicable acceptance number specified in the applicable single sampling plans of the "Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification of Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Certain Other Processed Food Products" (7 CFR 52.1 through 52.83).

TABLE IA.-MINIMUM DRAINED WEIGHTS FOR CANNED WHITE POTATOES METRIC SYSTEM (SYSTEME INTERNATIONAL)

1"X" means the minimum average drained weight from all the containers in the sample. 2 "LL" means the minimum drained weight for individual containers.