New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 1 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS
Chapter I - Milk Control
Subchapter B - Milk Control Orders
Part 34 - Grades For Cheddar Cheese, Washed Curd Cheese And Colby Cheese
Section 34.6 - Definition of terms
Universal Citation: 1 NY Comp Codes Rules and Regs ยง 34.6
Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 12, March 20, 2024
(a) With respect to packaging:
(1) Paraffin.
Refined paraffin, amorphous wax, microscrystalline wax or any combination of
such or any other suitable substance.
(2) Rindless. Cheese which has not formed a
rind due to the impervious type of wrapper, covering or container, enclosing
the cheese, or by any other means of handling.
(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) Feed. Feed flavors (such as alfalfa,
sweet clover, silage, or similar feed) in milk carried through into the
cheese.
(5) Acid. Sharp and puckery
to the taste, characteristic of lactic acid.
(6) Bitter. Distasteful, similar to taste of
quinine. Most frequently found in aged cheese.
(7) Fruity. A sweet fruit-like flavor
resembling apples; generally increasing in intensity as the cheese
ages.
(8) Whey-taint. A slightly
acid flavor and odor characteristic of fermented whey caused by too slow
expulsion of whey from the curd.
(9) Old milk. Lacks freshness.
(10) Lipase. A flavor suggestive of rancidity
or butyric acid, sometimes associated with a bitterness.
(11) Sulfide. An objectionable flavor of
hydrogen sulfide similar to the flavor of water with a high sulfur
content.
(12) Foreign. Flavors not
normally associated with cheese, such as contaminants.
(c) With respect to body and texture:
(1) Smooth. Feels silky; not dry and coarse
or rough.
(2) Reasonably firm.
Somewhat less firm but not to the extent of materially injuring the keeping
quality of the cheese.
(3) Open.
Mechanical openings that are irregular in shape and are caused by workmanship
and not gas fermentation.
(4) Sweet
holes. Spherical gas holes, glossy in appearance; usually about the size of BB
shots; also referred to as shot or Swiss holes.
(5) Weak. Requires little pressure to crush,
is soft but is not necessarily sticky like a pasty cheese.
(6) Pasty. Usually weak body and when the
cheese is rubbed between the thumb and fingers it becomes sticky and
smeary.
(7) Crumbly. Loosely knit
and tends to fall apart when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.
(8) Gassy. Gas holes of various sizes and may
be scattered.
(9) Pinny. Numerous
very small gas holes.
(10)
Practically free of gas. Limited gas or sweet holes are acceptable, provided
that the body or flavor is commensurate with standards set forth in section
34.4(a)(1) and
(2) of this Part.
(11) Slits. Narrow or elongated openings
generally associated with cheese that is gassy or yeasty.
(d) With respect to color:
(1) Uncolored. Absence of artificial
coloring.
(2) Seamy. White
thread-like lines that form if the pieces of curd are not properly joined
together.
(3) Wavy. Unevenness of
color which appears as layers or waves.
(4) Acid cut. Bleached or faded appearance
which sometimes varies throughout the cheese, appearing most often around
mechanical openings.
(5) Tiny white
specks. Specks resembling grains of salt scattered throughout the cheese. They
are generally associated with aged cheese.
(e) With respect to finish and appearance:
(1) Wax or paraffin that adheres firmly to
the surface of the cheese. Thin or thick coating with no indication of
cracking, breaking or loosening.
(2) Rind. Hard coating caused by the
desiccation of the surface of the cheese.
(3) Firm sound rind. Possessing a firmness
and thickness (not easily dented or damaged) consistent with the size of the
cheese and which is dry, smooth, and closely knit, sufficient to protect the
interior quality from external defects; free from checks, cracks, breaks, or
soft spots.
(4) Burst or torn
bandage. A severance of the bandage usually occurring at the side seam or is
otherwise snagged or broken.
(5)
Wrapper or covering. Transparent or opaque material (plastic film type or foil)
next to the surface of the cheese, used as an enclosure or covering of the
cheese.
(6) Adequately and securely
enveloped. Wrapper or covering properly sealed, and entirely enclosing the
cheese, with sufficient adherence for ample protection and prevention of
mold.
(7) Smooth bright surface.
Clean, glossy surface.
(8) Soiled
surface. Milkstone, rust spots or other discoloration on the surface of the
cheese.
(9) Smooth surface. Not
rough or uneven.
(10) Surface mold.
Mold on the paraffin or the exterior of the cheese.
(11) Mold under bandage and paraffin. Mold
spots or areas that have formed under the paraffin or mold that has penetrated
from the surface and continued to develop.
(12) Mold under wrapper or covering. Mold
spots or areas that have formed under the wrapper or on the cheese.
(13) Rough surface. Lacks
smoothness.
(14) Bandage evenly
placed. Overlapping the edges evenly about one inch.
(15) Irregular bandaging. Bandage improperly
placed in the hoop resulting in too much bandage on one end and insufficient on
the other causing overlapping; wrinkled and loose fitting.
(16) Lopsided. One side of the cheese is
higher than the other side.
(17)
High edge. A rim or ridge on the follower side of the cheese, which is raised
in varying degrees. In extreme cases it may bend over.
(18) Defective coating. Brittle coating of
paraffin that breaks and peels off in the form of scales or flakes; flat or
raised blisters or bubbles under the surface of the paraffin; checked paraffin,
including cracks, breaks or hairline checks in the paraffin or coating of the
cheese.
(19) Cracks in the rind.
Openings or breaks in the rind.
(20) Checked rind. Numerous small cracks or
breaks in the rind, sometimes following the outline of curd particles sometimes
referred to as "curd openings."
(21) Soft spots. Soft to the touch and the
spots are usually faded and moist.
(22) Huffed cheese. Swollen because of gas
fermentation. The cheese becomes rounded or oval in shape instead of being
flat.
(23) Weak rind. Thin and
possessing little or no resistance to pressure.
(24) Sour rind. A fermented rind condition,
usually confined to the faces of the cheese.
(25) Wet rind. A wet rind is one in which the
moisture adheres to the surface of the rind and which may or may not soften the
rind or cause discoloration.
(26)
Rind rot. Soft spots on the rind that have become discolored and have decayed
or decomposed.
(f) With respect to degree of cure:
(1) Fresh,
current, mild or any other equivalent term shall mean cheese lacking in flavor
development and may possess only slight cheddar cheese flavor. Its texture may
be only partially broken down.
(2)
Medium cured or any other equivalent term shall mean cheese possessing only
moderate degree of characteristic cheddar cheese flavor. Its texture may or may
not be entirely broken down.
(3)
Cured, sharp, aged or any other equivalent term shall mean moderate to well
developed degree of flavor and sharpness. Its texture shall be entirely free
from curdiness.
(4) Extra sharp,
very sharp, old, tangy or any other equivalent term shall mean well developed
degrees of flavor and aroma so that its sharpness is clearly discernible to
taste and smell. Its texture shall be entirely free from curdiness.
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