§ 133.10 Notice to manufacturers, packers, and distributors of pasteurized blended cheese, pasteurized process cheese, cheese food, cheese spread, and related foods.

(a) Definitions and standards of identity have recently been promulgated under the authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for a number of foods made in part from cheese, including pasteurized process cheese; pasteurized process cheese with fruits, vegetables, or meats; pasteurized blended cheese; pasteurized process cheese food; pasteurized process cheese spread, and related foods. These standards prescribe the name for each such food. The act requires that this name appear on the label. Many of these names consist of several words. In the past it has been the practice of some manufacturers to subordinate the words "pasteurized," "blended," "process,' "food," and "spread" to give undue prominence to the word "cheese" and to words naming the variety of cheese involved.

(b) When placing the names of these foods on labels so as to comply with the requirements of section 403 (a), (f), and (g) of the act, all the words forming the name specified by a definition and standard of identity should be given equal prominence. This can readily be accomplished by printing the specified name of the food in letters of the same size, color, and style of type, and with the same background.

(c) Where the names of optional ingredients are required to appear on the label, the designations of all such ingredients should be given equal

prominence. The names of the optional ingredients should appear prominently and conspicuously but should not be displayed with greater prominence than the name of the food. The word "contains" may precede the names of the optional ingredients, and when so used will not be considered as intervening printed matter between name of food and name of optional ingredients required to be placed on the label.

(d) Where a manufacturer elects to include a label statement of fat and moisture content, the declaration should be on the basis of the food as marketed. A fat declaration on a moisture-free basis is likely to be misleading, and should not be used in labeling.

Subpart B-Requirements for Specific Standardized Cheese and Related Products

§ 133.102 Asiago fresh and asiago soft cheese.

(a) Asiago fresh cheese, asiago soft cheese, is the food prepared from milk and other ingredients specified in this section, by the procedure set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, or by another procedure which produces a finished cheese having the same physical and chemical properties as the cheese produced when the procedure set forth in paragraph (b) of this section is used. It contains not more than 45 percent of moisture, and its solids contain not less than 50 percent of milk fat, as determined by the methods prescribed in § 133.113(c). It is cured for not less than 60 days.

(b) Milk which may be pasteurized or clarified or both, and which may be warmed, is subjected to the action of harmless lactic-acid producing bacteria, present in such milk or added thereto. Harmless artificial blue or green coloring in a quantity which neutralizes any natural yellow coloring in the curd may be added. Sufficient rennet, or other safe and suitable milk-clotting enzyme that produces equivalent curd formation, or both, with or without purified calcium chloride in a quantity not more than 0.02 percent (calculated as anhydrous cal

cium chloride) of the weight of the milk, is added to set the milk to a semisolid mass. The mass is cut, stirred, and heated to promote and regulate separation of the whey from the curd. The whey is drained off. When the curd is sufficiently firm it is removed from the kettle or vat, further drained for a short time, packed into hoops, and pressed. The pressed curd is salted in brine and cured in a well-ventilated room. During curing the surface of the cheese is occasionally rubbed with a vegetable oil. A harmless preparation of enzymes of animal or plant origin capable of aiding in the curing or development of flavor of asiago fresh cheese may be added during the procedure in such quantity that the weight of the solids of such preparation is not more than 0.1 percent of the weight of the milk used.

(c) (1) For the purposes of this section, the word "milk” means cow's milk, which may be adjusted by separating part of the fat therefrom or by adding thereto one or more of the following: Cream, skim milk, concentrated skim milk, nonfat dry milk, water in a quantity sufficient to reconstitute any concentrated skim milk or nonfat dry milk used.

(2) Such milk may be bleached by the use of benzoyl peroxide or a mixture of benzoyl peroxide with potassium alum, calcium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate; but the weight of the benzoyl peroxide is not more than 0.002 percent of the weight of the milk bleached, and the weight of the potassium alum, calcium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate, singly or combined, is not more than six times the weight of the benzoyl peroxide used. If milk is bleached in this manner, sufficient vitamin A is added to the curd to compensate for the vitamin A or its precursors destroyed in the bleaching process, and artificial coloring is not used.

(d) Asiago fresh cheese in the form of slices or cuts in consumer-sized packages may contain an optional mold-inhibiting ingredient consisting of sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, or any combination of two or more of these, in an amount not to exceed 0.3 percent by weight, calculated as sorbic acid.

this section is used. It is characterized by the presence of bluish-green mold throughout the cheese. It contains not more than 46 percent moisture, and its solids contain not less than 50 percent of milk fat, as determined by the methods prescribed in § 133.113(c). It is not less than 60 days old.

(b) Milk, which may be pasteurized or clarified or both, which may be warmed, and which may be homogenized, is subjected to the action of harmless lactic-acid producing bacteria, present in such milk or added thereto. Harmless artificial green or blue coloring in a quantity which neutralizes any natural yellow coloring in the curd may be added. Sufficient rennet, or other safe and suitable milk-clotting enzyme that produces equivalent curd formation, or both, with or without purified calcium chloride in a quantity not more than 0.02 percent (calculated as anhydrous calcium chloride) of the weight of the milk, is added to set the milk to a semisolid mass. The mass is cut into smaller portions and allowed to stand for a time. The mixed curd and whey is placed in forms permitting further drainage. While being placed in forms, spores of the mold Penicillium roquefortii are added. The forms are turned several times during drainage. When sufficiently drained, the shaped curd is removed from the forms and salted with dry salt or brine. Perforations are then made in the shaped curd, and it is held at a temperature of approximately 50° F, at 90 to 95 percent relative humidity, until the characteristic mold growth has developed. During storage the surface of the cheese may be scraped to remove surface growth of undesirable microorganisms. The rind of the cheese may be coated with a vegetable food fat or oil (which may be hydrogenated), or any combination of two or more such articles. A harmless preparation of enzymes of animal or plant origin capable of aiding in the curing or development of flavor of blue cheese may be added during the procedure, in such quantity that the weight of the solids of such preparation is not more than 0.1 percent of the weight of the milk used.

(c) For the purposes of this section:

(1) The word "milk" means cow's milk.

(2) Such milk may be bleached by the use of benzoyl peroxide or a mixture of benzoyl peroxide with potassium alum, calcium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate; but the weight of the benzoyl peroxide is not more than 0.002 percent of the weight of the milk being bleached, and the weight of the potassium alum, calcium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate, singly or combined, is not more than six times the weight of the benzoyl peroxide used. If milk is bleached in this manner, vitamin A is added to the curd in such quantity as to compensate for the vitamin A or its precursors destroyed in the bleaching process, and artificial coloring is not used.

(3) Such milk may be adjusted by separating part of the fat therefrom or by adding one or more of the following: Cream, cream which has been treated in the manner provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, concentrated skim milk, nonfat dry milk, water sufficient to reconstitute any concentrated skim milk or nonfat dry milk used.

(d) The food may have applied to its surface an optional mold-inhibiting ingredient consisting of sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, or any combination of two or more of these in an amount not to exceed 0.3 percent by weight, calculated as sorbic acid.

(e)(1) If the milk used is bleached, the label shall bear the statement "milk bleached with benzoyl peroxide".

spicuously precede or follow such name without intervening written, printed, or graphic matter.

§ 133.108 Brick cheese.

(a) Brick cheese is the food prepared from milk and other ingredients specified in this section, by the procedure set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, or by another procedure which produces a finished cheese having the same physical and chemical properties as the cheese produced when the procedure set forth in paragraph (b) of this section is used. It contains not more than 44 percent of moisture, and its solids contain not less than 50 percent of milk fat, as determined by the methods prescribed in § 133.113(c). If the milk used is not pasteurized, the cheese so made is cured at a temperature of not less than 35° F for not less than 60 days.

(b) Milk, which may be pasteurized or clarified or both, is brought to a temperature of about 88° F and subjected to the action of harmless lacticacid-producing bacteria, present in such milk or added thereto. Harmless artificial coloring may be added. Sufficient rennet, or other safe and suitable milk-clotting enzyme that produces equivalent curd formation, or both, with or without purified calcium chloride in a quantity not more than 0.02 percent (calculated as anhydrous calcium chloride) of the weight of the milk, is added to set the milk to a semisolid mass. The mass is cut into cubes with sides approximately %-inch long, and stirred and heated so that the temperature rises slowly to about 96° F. The stirring is continued until the curd is sufficiently firm. Part of the whey is then removed, and the mixture diluted with water or salt brine to control the acidity. The curd is transferred to forms, and drained. During drainage it is pressed and turned. After drainage the curd is salted, and the biological curing agents characteristic of brick cheese are applied to the surface. The cheese is then cured to develop the characteristics of brick cheese. A harmless preparation of enzymes of animal or plant origin capable of aiding in the curing or development of flavor of brick cheese may be added during the proce

dure, in such quantity that the weight of the solids of such preparation is not more than 0.1 percent of the weight of the milk used.

(c) For the purposes of this section: (1) The word "milk" means cow's milk, which may be adjusted by separating part of the fat therefrom or by adding thereto one or more of the following: Cream, skim milk, concentrated skim milk, nonfat dry milk, water in a quantity sufficient to reconstitute any concentrated skim milk or nonfat dry milk used.

(2) Milk shall be deemed to have been pasteurized if it has been held at a temperature of not less than 143° F for a period of not less than 30 minutes, or for a time and at a temperature equivalent thereto in phosphatase destruction. Brick cheese shall be deemed not to have been made from pasteurized milk if 0.25 gm. shows a phenol equivalent of more than 5 micrograms when tested by the method prescribed in § 133.113(f).

(d) Brick cheese in the form of slices or cuts in consumer-sized packages may contain an optional mold-inhibiting ingredient consisting of sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, or any combination of two or more of these, in an amount not to exceed 0.3 percent by weight, calculated as sorbic acid.