(3) Institutional cuts. Multipound, wrapped portions of cheese cut from a larger piece.

(b) With respect to flavor-(1) Slight. Detected only upon critical examination. (2) Definite. Not intense but detectable.

(3) Pronounced. So intense as to be easily identified.

(4) Objectionable flavors. Flavors, such as, fruity, sour, and yeasty.

(5) Offensive flavors. Weed flavors, such as peppergrass, french weed, wild onion, or garlic and other off-flavors such as fruity, sour, and yeasty to a pronounced degree.

(6) Fruity. A sweetish fruit flavor. (7) Sour. Strong acid flavor. (8) Yeasty. Indicating yeast fermentation.

(c) With respect to body-(1) Dry and coarse. Feels rough and sandy.

(2) Firm and smooth. Feels solid; not soft or weak; not rough.

(3) Flexible. Not dry or brittle. (4) Gassy. Undesirable gas formation.

(5) Pasty. When worked between the fingers, becomes sticky; a paste-like consistency.

(6) Resilient. Springs back to its original form when compressed.

(7) Spongy. A predominance of open eyes or holes, having characteristics of a sponge.

(8) Weak. Requires little pressure to mash, not firm.

(b) With respect to eyes and texture(1) Indicated. A whole eye or a part or fraction of an eye.

(2) Limited amount. May appear on two triers.

(3) Limited number. Appears on not more than one trier.

(4) Occasional. Not more than one on a trier.

(5) Blind. No eye formation present. (6) Checks. Small short cracks. (7) Dead eyes. Developed eyes that have completely lost their glossy or velvety appearance; may be rough.

(8) Dull glossy. Eyes that have lost some of their bright shiny luster.

(9) Glass. Sizeable cracks, usually in parallel layers and usually clean cut.

(10) Overdeveloped eyes. Large holes, commonly known as blow holes, usually in excess of 2 inches in diameter.

(11) Overset. Too many eyes. (12) Picks. Small irregular or ragged openings.

(13) Pinholes; pinholey. So-called because the holes are numerous and very small and give the appearance of pinholes.

(14) Shell. Nutshell appearance on wall surface of the eyes.

(c) With respect to finish and appearance (1) Sound rind. Free of checks or cracks that enter the body of the cheese.

(2) Wrapper or covering. Flexible material placed next to the surface of the cheese used as an enclosure or covering of the cheese.

(3) Fully envelop. Wrapper or covering properly closed and entirely covering the cheese to prevent it from contamination and desiccation.

(4) Mold under wrapper or covering. Mold spots or areas that have formed under the wrapper or on the cheese.

Subpart O-U.S. Standards for Dry

Whey

(1) Flavor and odor (applies equally to the reliquefied form): Free from nonwhey flavors and odors.

(2) Physical appearance: Has a uniform light color; free from lumps that do not break up under moderate pressure; and practically free from brown and black scorched particles.

(3) Bacterial estimate: Not more than 50,000 per gram.

(4) Butterfat content: Not more than 1.25 percent.

(5) Moisture content: Not more than 5 percent.

(6) Scorched particle content: Not more than 15 mg.

(7) Solubility index: Not more than 1.25 ml.

(8) Titratable acidity: Not more than 0.16 percent. § 58.2605

U.S. Grade not assignable.

Dry Whey shall not be assigned a U.S. Grade for one or more of the following reasons:

(a) Fails to meet the requirements for U.S. Extra Grade,

(b) The alkalinity of ash test when run at the option of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or when requested by the buyer or seller, shows a test result of more than 225 ml. of 0.1 N HCl per 100 grams.

by weight of milk fat, all tolerances having been allowed for.

§ 58.2622 Cream.

The term "cream" when used in this subpart P means cream separated from milk produced by healthy cows. The cream shall be pasteurized at a temperature of not less than 165° F. and held continuously in a vat at such temperature for not less than 30 minutes; or pasteurized at a temperature of not less than 185° F. for not less than 15 seconds; or it shall be pasteurized by other approved methods giving equivalent results.

U.S. GRADES

§ 58.2625 Nomenclature of U.S. grades. The nomenclature of U.S. grades is as follows:

(a) U.S. Grade AA or U.S. 93 Score. (b) U.S. Grade A or U.S. 92 Score. (c) U.S. Grade B or U.S. 90 Score. (d) U.S. Grade C or U.S. 89 Score. § 58.2626 Basis for determination of U.S. grade.

The U.S. grade of butter is determined on the basis of classifying first the flavor characteristics and then the characteristics in body, color, and salt. Flavor is the basic quality factor in grading butter and is determined organoleptically by taste and smell. The flavor characteristic is identified and together with its relative intensity is rated according to the applicable classification. When more than one flavor characteristic is discernible in a sample of butter, the flavor classification of the sample shall be established on the basis of the flavor that carries the lowest rating (see Table I). Body, color, and salt characteristics are then noted and any defects are disrated in accordance with the established classification (see Table II). The final U.S. grade for the sample is then established in accordance with the flavor classification, subject to disratings for body, color, and salt; when the disratings for body, color, and salt exceed the permitted amount for any flavor classification the final U.S. grade shall be lowered accordingly (see Table III).

§ 58.2627 Specifications for U.S. grades of butter.

The specifications for the U.S. grades of butter are as follows:

(a) U.S. Grade AA or U.S. 93 Score. U.S. Grade AA or U.S. 93 Score butter conforms to the following: Possesses a fine and highly pleasing butter flavor. May possess a slight feed and a definite cooked (fine) flavor. It is made from sweet cream of low natural acid to which a culture (starter) may or may not have been added. The permitted total disratings in body, color, and salt characteristics are limited to one-half (1⁄2). For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics see Table I, and for body, color, and salt characteristics and disratings see Table II.

(b) U.S. Grade A or U.S. 92 Score. U.S. Grade A or U.S. 92 Score butter conforms to the following: Possesses a pleasing and desirable butter flavor. May possess any of the following flavors to a slight degree: Aged, bitter, coarseacid, flat, smothered, and storage. May possess feed and cooked (coarse) flavors to a definite degree. The permitted total disratings in body, color, and salt characteristics are limited to one-half (1⁄2), except, when the flavor classification is AA, a disrating total of one (1) is permitted. For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics see Table I, and for body, color, and salt characteristics and disratings see Table II.

(c) U.S. Grade B or U.S. 90 Score. U.S. Grade B or U.S. 90 Score butter conforms to the following: Possesses a fairly pleasing butter flavor. May possess any of the following flavors to a slight degree: Lipase, malty, musty, neutralizer, scorched, utensil, weed, whey, and woody. May possess any of the following flavors to a definite degree: Aged, bitter, coarse-acid, smothered, storage, and old cream; feed flavor to a pronounced degree. The permitted total disratings in body, color, and salt characteristics are limited to one-half (1⁄2), except, when the flavor classification is AA, a disrating total of one and one-half (12) is permitted and when the flavor classification is A, a disrating total of one (1) is permitted. For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics see Table I, and for body, color, and salt characteristics and disratings see Table II.

(d) U.S. Grade C or U.S. 89 Score. U.S. Grade C or U.S. 89 Score butter conforms to the following: May possess any of the following flavors to a slight degree: Barny, sour, wild onion or garlic, and yeasty. May possess any of the following flavors to a definite degree: Lipase, malty, musty, neutralizer, scorched, stale, utensil, weed, whey, and woody. The permitted total disratings in body, color, and salt characteristics are limited to one (1), except, when the flavor classification is A, a disrating total of one and one-half (12) is permitted. For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics see Table I, and for body, color, and salt characteristics and disratings see Table II.

(e) General. Butter of all U.S. grades shall be free of foreign materials and visible mold. Butter possessing a flavor rating of AA or A and workmanship disratings in excess of one and onehalf (12) shall be given a flavor rating only; butter possessing a flavor rating of B or C and workmanship disratings in excess of one (1) shall be given a flavor rating only.

TABLE I-CLASSIFICATION OF FLAVOR CHARACTERISTICS

§ 58.2629 U.S. Grade not assignable. (a) Butter which fails to meet the requirements for U.S. Grade C or U.S. 89 Score shall not be given a U.S. grade.

(b) Butter, when tested, which does not comply with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including minimum milk fat requirements of 80.0 percent, shall not be assigned a U.S. grade.

(c) Butter produced in a plant found on inspection to be using unsatisfactory manufacturing practices, equipment or facilities, or to be operating under unsanitary plant conditions shall not be assigned a U.S. grade.

§ 58.2635 Explanation of terms.

De

(a) With respect to flavor intensity and characteristics—(1) Slight. tected only upon critical examination. (2) Definite. Detectable but not intense.

(3) Pronounced. Readily detectable and intense.

(4) Aged. Characterized by lack of freshness.

(5) Barny. A flavor associated with cow or stable odors.

(6) Bitter. Astringent, similar to taste of quinine and produces a puckery sensation.

(7) Coarse-acid. Lacks a delicate flavor or aroma and is associated with an acid condition but there is no indication of sourness.

(8) Cooked (fine). Smooth, nuttylike character resembling a custard flavor.

(9) Cooked (coarse). Lacks a fine, delicate, smooth flavor.

(10) Feed. Aromatic flavor characteristic of the feeds eaten by cows.

(11) Flat. Lacks natural butter flavor. (12) Lipase. Suggestive of butyric acid, sometimes associated with bitter

ness.

(13) Malty. A distinctive, harsh flavor suggestive of malt.

(14) Metallic. A flavor suggestive of metal, imparting a puckery sensation.

(15) Musty. Suggestive of the aroma of a damp vegetable cellar.

(16) Neutralizer. Suggestive of a bicarbonate of soda flavor or the flavor of similar compounds.

(17) Old Cream. Aged cream characterized by lack of freshness and imparts a rough aftertaste on the tongue.

(18) Scorched. A more intensified flavor than cooked (coarse) and imparts a harsh aftertaste.

(19) Sour. Characterized by an acid flavor and aroma.

Suggestive of im

(20) Smothered. properly cooled cream.

(21) Stale. Characterized by aged cream of poor quality.

(22) Storage. Characterized by a lack of freshness and more intensified than "aged" flavor.

(23) Utensil. A flavor suggestive of unclean cans, utensils and equipment.

(24) Weed. Aromatic flavor characteristic of the weeds eaten by cows. (25) Whey. A flavor and aroma characteristic of cheese whey.

(26) Wild onion or garlic. A flavor and aroma characteristic of onion or garlic.

(27) Woody. Resembles the odor of wood.

(28) Yeasty. A flavor indicating yeast. fermentation.

(b) With respect to body—(1) Crumbly. When a "crumbly" body is present the particles lack cohesion. The intensity is described as "slight" when the trier plug tends to break and the butter lacks plasticity; and "definite" when the butter breaks roughly or crumbles.

(2) Gummy. Gummy-bodied-butter does not melt readily and is inclined to stick to the roof of the mouth. The intensity is described as "slight" when the butter tends to become chewy and "definite" when it imparts a gum-like impression in the mouth.

(3) Leaky. A "leaky" body is present when on visual examination there are beads of moisture on the surface of the trier plug and on the back of the trier or when slight pressure is applied to the butter on the trier plug. The intensity is described as "slight" when the droplets or beads of moisture are barely visible and about the size of a pinhead; "definite" when the moisture drops are somewhat larger or the droplets are more numerous and tend to run together; and "pronounced" when the leaky condition is so evident that drops of water drip from the trier plug.

(4) Mealy or grainy. A "mealy" or "grainy" condition imparts a granular consistency when the butter is melted on the tongue. The intensity is described as "slight" when the mealiness or graininess is barely detectable on the tongue and "definite" when the mealiness or graininess is readily detectable.

(5) Ragged boring. A “ragged boring" body, in contrast to solid boring, is when a sticky-crumbly condition is present to