the breading is free from staleness and off-flavors and off-odors of any kind. Iodoform is not to be considered in evaluating the product for flavor and odor.

(d) Reasonably good flavor and odor. "Reasonably good flavor and odor" minimum requirements of Grade B products, means that the cooked product may be somewhat lacking in the good flavor and odor characteristics of freshly caught or well-refrigerated shrimp but is free from objectionable off-flavors and objectionable off-odors of any kind.

(e) "Dehydration" refers to the occurrence of whitish areas on the exposed ends of the shrimp (due to the drying of the affected area) and to a generally desiccated appearance of the meat after the breading is removed.

(f) "Deterioration" refers to any detectable change from the normal good quality of freshly caught shrimp. It is evaluated by noting in the thawed product deviations from the normal odor and appearance of freshly caught shrimp.

(g) "Extraneous material" consists of nonedible material such as sticks, seaweed, shrimp thorax, or other objects that may be accidently present in the package.

(h) Slight: "Slight" refers to a condition that is scarcely noticeable but does affect the appearance, desirability, and/or eating quality of breaded shrimp.

(i) Moderate: "Moderate" refers to a condition that is conspicuously noticeable but that does not seriously affect the appearance, desirability, and/or eating quality of the breaded shrimp.

(j) Marked: "Marked" refers to a condition that is conspicuously noticeable and that does seriously affect the appearance, desirability, and/or eating quality of the breaded shrimp.

(k) Excessive: "Excessive" refers to a condition that is very noticeable and is seriously objectionable and the product cannot be graded above Grade B; this is a limiting rule.

(1) Halo: "Halo" means and easily recognized fringe of excess batter and breading extending beyond the shrimp flesh and adhering around the perimeter or flat edges of a split (butterfly) breaded shrimp.

(m) Balling up: "Balling up" means the adherence of lumps of the breading material to the surface of the breaded coating, causing the coating to appear rough, uneven, and lumpy.

(n) Holidays: "Holidays" means voids in the breaded coating as evidenced by bare or naked spots.

(0) Damaged frozen raw breaded shrimp: "Damaged frozen raw breaded shrimp" means frozen raw breaded shrimp that have been separated into two or more parts or that have been crushed or otherwise mutilated to the extent that their appearance is materially affected.

(p) Black spot: "Black spot" means any blackened area that is markedly apparent on the flesh of the shrimp.

(q) Sand vein: "Sand vein" means any black or dark sand vein that has not been removed, except for that portion under the shell segment adjacent to the tail fin when present.

(r) Extra shell: "Extra shell" means any shell segment(s) or portion thereof, contained in the breaded shrimp except the first segment adjacent to the tail fin for Type I, Subtype A, and Type II, Subtype A.

(s) Net weight: Net weight is determined by use of a balance and by following steps given below:

1. Remove the overwrap.

2. Weigh carton and all contents.

3. Transfer breaded shrimp to balance and weigh.

4. Weigh carton less shrimp but including waxed separators and inserts (if used), crumbs, and frost.

5. Remove crumbs and frost from carton and separators.

6. Weigh cleaned carton and separators.

7. Net weight of the shrimp is the weight of the shrimp and of any loose breading and frost, exclusive of packaging material. The amount of loose breading and frost shall not exceed the limits of good manufacturing practices.

(t) Uniformity: "Uniformity" is determined for packs of various sizes by the ratio of the weights of the largest to the smallest breaded shrimp as outlined by the following schedule:

(u) Percent shrimp material-official end product method:

(1) Equipment needed:

(i) Two-gallon container approximately 9 inches in diameter.

(ii) Two-vaned wooden paddle, each vane measuring approximately 14 inches by 3 inches.

(iii) Stirring device capable of rotating the wooden paddle at 120 rpm.

(iv) Balance accurate to 0.01 ounce (0.1 gram).

(v) U.S. standard sieve-1/2-inch sieve opening; 12-inch diameter.

(vi) U.S. standard sieve-ASTM-No. 20, 12-inch diameter.

(vii) Forcepts, with blunt points. (viii) Shallow baking pan.

(ix) Rubber policeman to remove bits of breading from shrimp.

(2) Procedure: (i) Weigh sample (20 shrimp) to be debreaded. Fill container three-fourths full of water at 70°80° F. Suspend the paddle in the container leaving a clearance of at least 5 inches below the paddle vanes, and adjust speed to 120 rpm. Add shrimp and stir for 10 minutes. Stack the sieves, the 1⁄2-inch mesh over the No. 20 and pour contents of container onto them. Set the sieves under a faucet, preferably with spray attached, and rinse the shrimp without rubbing the flesh, being careful to keep all rinsings over the sieves and not having the stream of water hit the shrimp on the sieve directly. Use a rubber policeman to remove adhering breading. Lay the shrimp out singly on the sieve as rinsed, split side down and tails up. Remove top sieve and drain on a 45degree angle for 2 minutes, then transfer shrimp to balance. Rinse contents of the No. 20 sieve onto a shallow baking pan and collect any particles of shrimp material (flesh, tail fin), and add to shrimp on balance and weigh.

(ii) Calculate percent shrimp material.

% shrimp material=Weight of debreaded sample (20 shrimp)/Weight of sample (20 shrimp)×100+2

(v) Percent shrimp material-on-line method: Percent shrimp material determined by the on-line method refers to the percent by weight of shrimp material in a sample as described below:

(1) Equipment needed:

(i) Water bath (a container with a 3to 4-liter capacity).

(ii) Balance accurate to 0.1 gram or 0.01 ounce.

(iii) Stop-watch or regular watch readable to a second.

(iv) U.S. Standard sieve-1/2-inch sieve opening; 12-inch diameter.

(v) U.S. Standard sieve ASTM No. 20, 12-inch diameter.

(vi) Thermometer (immersion type accurate to ±2° F.).

(vii) Forceps, with blunt points.
(viii) Shallow pan.

(ix) Rubber policeman to remove bits of breading from shrimp.

(2) Procedure: (i) Select in a random manner, a composite sample of 20 unfrozen raw breaded shrimp from production line(s). Weigh the composite sample on a scale, determining the weight of the sample to the nearest 0.1 gram or 0.01 ounce. Place the sample in a water bath filled to three-fourths capacity and in a container maintained at 60° F.-85° F. After shrimp are submerged in water and breading becomes soft, a "gentle" swirling action with hands may be applied to the shrimp to speed up the removal of the breading. Stack the sieves, the 1/2inch mesh over the No. 20 and pour contents of container into them. Remove top sieve and drain on 45degree angle for 2 minutes then transfer shrimp to balance. Rinse contents of No. 20 sieve onto a shallow pan and collect any particles of shrimp material (flesh, tail fin, etc.), and add to the shrimp on the balance and then weigh.

(ii) Calculate percent shrimp material:

% shrimp material=Weight of debreaded sample/Weight of sample x 100

(iii) Frequency of on-line shrimp material content determination. A minimum of three determinations of shrimp material content shall be carried out for small production runs or lots of the same style product, i.e., 3 x (20 unfrozen raw breaded shrimp). For larger production runs or lots of the same style product, a minimum of one determination, i.e., 1 x (20 unfrozen raw breaded shrimp) shall be carried out for every hour of production of product of the same style.

(w) Cooked in a suitable manner: "Cooked in a suitable manner” means cooked in accordance with the instructions accompanying the product. If, however, specific instructions are lacking, the product for inspection is cooked as follows:

(1) Transfer the breaded shrimp, while still frozen, in a wire mesh deep fry basket sufficiently large to hold the shrimp in a single layer without touching one another.

(2) Lower the basket into a suitable liquid oil or hydrogenated vegetable oil at 350°-375° F. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the shrimp attain a pleasing golden brown color.

(3) Remove basket from the oil and allow the shrimp to drain for 15 seconds. Place the cooked shrimp on a paper towel or napkin to absorb the excess oil.

§ 265.172 Use of alternate methods of shrimp material determination.

(a) The official end product method in § 265.171(u) for determining shrimp material content shall be used for lot inspection, appeal inspection, and inspection for verification in official establishments when the on-line method is used.

(b) The on-line method in § 265.171(v)(2) for determining shrimp material content may be used during processing operations.

§ 265.175 Tolerances for certification of officially drawn samples.

The sample rate and grades of specific lots shall be certified in accordance with Part 260 of this chapter.

Ded.

Factor

Quality description

allow.

Points

3

(a) "U.S. Grade A" is the quality of frozen raw scallops that: (1) Possess good flavor and odor and that (2) for those factors that are rated in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this part, have a total score of 85 to 100 points.

(b) "U.S. Grade B" is the quality of frozen raw scallops that: (1) Possess at least reasonably good flavor and odor, and that (2) rate a total score of not less than 70 points for these factors of quality that are rated in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this part.

(c) "Substandard" is the quality of frozen raw scallops that meets the requirements of § 266.101, Description of the product, but otherwise fails to

meet the requirements of "U.S. Grade B."

§ 266.111 Determination of the grade.

In a plant under Contract USDC Inspection, the grade is determined by examining the product for factors 1-5 in the fresh or thawed state and Factor 6 in the cooked state. For lot inspection, examination of the product for Factor 1 is carried out in the frozen state and 2-5 in the thawed state. Factor 6 is examined in the cooked state.

(a) Factors rated by score points. Points are deducted for variation in the quality of each factor in accordance with the schedule in Table 1. The total of points deducted is subtracted from 100 to obtain the score. The maximum score is 100, the minimum score is 0.

(b) Factors not rated by score points. The factor of "Flavor and odor" is evaluated organoleptically by smelling and tasting the product in the cooked state.

(1) Good flavor and odor (essential requirements for a U.S. Grade A product) means that the product has the typical flavor and odor of the species and is free from bitterness, staleness, and off-flavor and off-odors of any kind.

(2) Reasonably good flavor and odor (minimum requirements for a U.S. Grade B product) means the product is lacking in good flavor and odor but is free from objectionable off-flavors and off-odors of any kind.

§ 266.121 Definitions and methods.

(a) Selection of the sample unit. The sample unit shall consist of the primary container and its entire contents. The number and size of sample units to be examined shall be as indicated in § 273.25.

(b) Examination of sample, frozen state. When this product is examined under Contract USDC Inspection, the samples are examined for Factor 1 in Table 1 in the fresh or thawed state. When the product is lot inspected, the samples are examined for Factor 1, in Table 1 in the frozen state.