(a) “Slight” refers to a defect that is scarcely noticeable and may not affect the appearance, the desirability, and/ or eating quality of the steaks.

(b) "Moderate" refers to a defect that is conspicuously noticeable (not seriously objectionable) and does not seriously affect the appearance, desirability and/or eating quality of the steaks.

(c) "Excessive" refers to a defect that is conspicuously noticeable (seriously objectionable) and seriously affects the appearance, desirability, and/or eating quality of the steaks.

(d) "Occurrence" is defined as each incidence of the same or different types of defects.

(e) "Cooked state" means that the thawed, unseasoned product has been heated within a boilable film-type pouch by immersing the pouch with product in boiling water for 10 minutes. Steaks cooked from the frozen state may require about two additional minutes of cooking.

(f) "Actual net weight" means the weight of the salmon steaks within the package after removal of all packaging material, ice glaze or other protective coatings.

(g) "Scored factors" (Table I):

(1) "General appearance defects" refer to poor arrangement of steaks, distortion of steaks, wide variation in shape, between steaks greater than normal number of head and/or tail pieces, imbedding of packaging material into fish flesh, inside condition of package, frost deposit, excessive or non-uniform skin glaze, and undesirable level of natural color.

(2) "Dehydration" refers to the appearance of a whitish area on the surface of a steak due to the evaporation of water or drying of the affected area.

(3) "Uniformity of thickness" means that steak thickness is within the allowed 8-inch manufacturing tolerance between the thickest and thinnest parts of the steaks within a package or sample unit.

(4) "Uniformity of weight and minimum weight" is defined in Table I. (Portions are designated by "weight range" or "specified weight." The "weight range" of portions bearing "specified weight" designation on containers shall be taken as the "specifed weight" plus or minus 0.5 ounces unless otherwise specified.)

(5) "Workmanship defects" refers to appearance defects that were not eliminated during processing and are considered objectionable or poor commercial practice. They include the following: Blood spots, bruises, cleaning (refers to inadequate cleaning of the visceral cavity from blood, viscera and loose or attached appendages), cutting (refers to irregular, inadequate, unnecessary, or improper cuts and/or trimmings), fins, foreign material (refers to any loose parts, of fish or other than fish origin), collar bone, girdle (refers to bony structure adjacent to fin), loose skin, pugh marks, sawdust and scales.

(6) "Color defects": (i) "Discoloration of fat portion" means that the normal color of the fat shows increasing degrees of yellowing due to oxidation.

(ii) "Discoloration of lean portion" means that the normal surface flesh color has faded or changed due to deteriorative influences.

(iii) "Nonuniformity of color" refers to noticeable differences in surface flesh color on a single steak or be

tween adjacent steaks in the same package or sample unit. It also includes color variation of the visceral cavity and skin watermarking.

(7) "Honeycombing" refers to the visible appearance on the steak surface of numerous discrete holes or openings of varying size.

(8) "Texture defect" refers to an undersirable increase in toughness and/ or dryness, fibrousness, and watery nature of salmon examined in the cooked state.

(9) "Odor" and "flavor”: (i) "Good flavor and odor" (essential requirement for Grade A) means that the fish flesh has the good flavor and odor characteristic of the indicated species of salmon, and is free from rancidity and from off-flavors and off-odors.

(ii) "Reasonably good flavor and odor" (minimum requirement for Grade B) means that the fish flesh may be somewhat lacking in the good flavor and odor characteristics of the indicated species of salmon, is reasonably free of rancidity, and is free from objectionable off-flavors and off-odors.

(iii) "Substandard flavor and odor" (substandard grade) means that the flavor and odor fail to meet the requirements of "reasonably good flavor and odor."

[42 FR 52753, Sept. 30, 1977, as amended at 51 FR 34990, Oct. 1, 1986]

§ 262.225 Tolerances for certification of officially drawn samples.

The sample rate and grades of specific lots shall be certified on the basis of Part 260 Subpart A of this chapter, (Regulations Governing Processed Fishery Products).

§ 262.231 Score sheet for frozen salmon steaks.

Label

Size and kind of container..
Container mark or identification
Size of lot...

Number of packages per master carton.
Size of sample..

Number of steaks per container
Product style...

Actual net weight.........(ounces).... ..(lb.).

Subpart A-United States General Standards for Grades of Fish Fillets

SOURCE: 44 FR 32386, June 6, 1979, unless otherwise noted.

§ 263.101 Scope and product description.

(a) This standard shall apply to fresh or frozen fillets of fish of any species that are suitable for use as human food and processed and maintained in accordance with good manufacturing procedures. It does not apply to products covered by Subparts B, C, D, and E of Part 263.

(b) Fillets are slices of practically boneless fish flesh of irregular size and shape, which are removed from the carcass by cuts made parallel to the backbone and sections of such fillets cut so as to facilitate packing. § 263.102

Product forms.

(a) Types: (1) Fresh.

(2) Frozen individually (IQF); glazed or unglazed.

(3) Frozen solid packs; glazed or unglazed.

(b) Styles: (1) Single.

(i) Skin-on.

(ii) Skin-on scaled.

(a) U.S. Grade A. Fish fillets shall: (1) Possess good flavor and odor characteristic of the species; and

(2) Comply with the limits for defects for U.S. Grade A quality as outlined in § 263.104.

(b) U.S. Grade B. Fish fillets shall: (1) Possess reasonably good flavor and odor characteristic of the species; and

(2) Comply with the limits for defects for U.S. Grade B quality in accordance with § 263.104.

(c) U.S. Grade C. Fish fillets shall: (1) Possess minimal acceptable flavor and odor characteristic of the species with no objectionable off-flavors or off-odors; and

(2) Comply with the limits for defects for U.S. Grade C quality in accordance with § 263.104.

(d) "Substandard". Fish fillets shall:

§ 263.104 Grade determination.

(a) Procedures for grade determination: The grade shall be determined by evaluating the product in the frozen, and/or thawed, and cooked states. Each defect is classified as to its relative severity as minor, major, or serious in accordance with paragraphs (d), (e), and (f) of this section. Odor and flavor are evaluated in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section. Tolerances for the various defects are set for each grade classification according to group species.

(b) Sampling. Sampling is to be done in accordance with the Regulations Governing Processed Fishery Products, Title 50, Chapter II, Subchapter G, Part 260.61, Tables II, V, or VI, where applicable. The sample unit shall be the container and its entire contents for containers up to 10 pounds. A representative 3 pound sample unit for containers over 10 pounds shall be used.

(c) Evaluation of flavor and odor. (1) Evaluation of flavor and odor on each of the sample units shall be carried out only by those trained to do so. For evaluation of the odor of raw fillets, the thawed fillets should be broken and the broken flesh held close to the nose immediately to detect off-odor.

(2) If raw odor evaluation indicates any noncharacteristic and/or offodors, the sample unit or parts thereof shall be cooked by any of the following methods for verification of results of raw odor evaluation:

(i) Baked method. Package the product in aluminum foil. Place the packaged product on a flat cookie sheet or shallow flat-bottom pan of sufficient size so that the packages can be evenly spread on the sheet or pan. Place the pan and frozen contents in a properly ventilated oven preheated to 400° F until the internal temperature of the product reaches 160° F.

(ii) Boil in bag method. Insert the thawed unseasoned sample into a boilable film-type pouch. Fold open end of the pouch over a suspension bar. Clamp in place to provide a loose seal after evacuating the air by immersing the pouch into boiling water. Cook the contents until the internal temperature of the product reaches 160°F.

(iii) Steam method. Wrap the sample in a single layer of aluminum foil and place on a wire rack suspended over boiling water in a covered container. Steam the packaged product until the internal temperature of the product reaches 160°F.

(d) Examination for physical defects: Each sample unit shall be examined for defects using the list of defect definitions that follow. Defects will be categorized as minor, major, and serious according to Table 1 of this standard.

(e) Definition of defects in fillets: (1) "Abnormal condition" means that the normal physical and/or chemical structure of the fish flesh has been sufficiently changed so that the usability and/or desirability of the flesh is adversely affected. It includes but is not limited to the following:

(i) Jellied-refers to the abnormal condition wherein a fish fillet is partly or wholly characterized by a gelatinous, glossy, translucent appearance.

(ii) Milky-refers to the abnormal condition wherein a fish fillet is partly or wholly characterized by a milkywhite, excessively mushy, pasty, or fluidized appearance.

(iii) Chalky-refers to an abnormal condition wherein a fish fillet is partly or wholly characterized by a dry, chalky, granular appearance, and fiberless structure.

The intensity of abnormal conditions is defined as follows:

(A) Moderate-refers to a condition that is distinctly noticeable but does not seriously affect the appearance, desirability, and/or the eating quality of the product.

(B) Excessive-refers to a condition which is both distinctly noticeable and seriously objectionable.

(2) Appearance defect-refers to the color of the fish flesh and to the degree of surface dehydration of the product.

(i) Color defect-refers to any readily discernable abnormal coloration including bruises, blood spots, browning, yellowing, and melanin spotting. Each square inch (6.5 cm2) of affected area is counted as one instance as determined by a transparent grid of 1 inch squares.

The extent of appearance defects is defined as follows:

(A) Slight-2-4 instances.
(B) Moderate-5-6 instances.
(C) Excessive-over 6 instances.

(ii) Dehydration-refers to loss of moisture from fish fillet surfaces during frozen storage.

(A) Slight dehydration—is surface color masking affecting more than 5 percent of surface area which can be readily removed by scraping with a blunt instrument.

(B) Moderate dehydration-is deep color masking penetrating the flesh affecting less than 5 percent, but more than 1 percent of surface area and requiring a knife or other sharp instrument to remove.

(C) Excessive dehydration-is deep color masking penetrating the flesh affecting more than 5 percent of surface area and requiring a knife or other sharp instrument to remove.

(3) Workmanship defects refer to:

(i) Cutting and trimming imperfections, ragged edges, holes, tears, and improper or misplaced cuts. Each square inch (6.5 cm2) of affected area is counted as one instance whether it is full or fractional. "Ragged edges" refers to the irregular or shredded appearance of the fillet edge.

(ii) Scales, fins, or pieces of fins or extraneous material.

(A) Scales (skin-off) scaled filletsAn occurrence of attached or loose scales in any sample unit up to 1 square inch (6.5 cm2) is counted as one instance. Each additional 1 square inch (6.5 cm2) is an additional instance.

(B) Fins-Any fin or parts of any fin up to 1 square inch (6.5 cm2) in area shall be considered one instance of fin.

(C) Extraneous material means any piece of foreign matter on the fillet or elsewhere in the package. Each occurrence is considered one instance.

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