[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 9, Volume 2]

[Revised as of January 1, 2007]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 9CFR318.304]



[Page 287]

 

                  TITLE 9--ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS

 

     CHAPTER III--FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF 

                               AGRICULTURE

 

PART 318_ENTRY INTO OFFICIAL ESTABLISHMENTS; REINSPECTION AND

PREPARATION OF PRODUCTS--Table of Contents

 

                  Subpart G_Canning and Canned Products

 

Sec. 318.304  Operations in the thermal processing area.



    (a) Posting of processes. Process schedules (or operating process 

schedules) for daily production, including minimum initial temperatures 

and operating procedures for thermal processing equipment, shall be 

posted in a conspicuous place near the thermal processing equipment. 

Alternatively, such information shall be available to the thermal 

processing system operator and the inspector.

    (b) Process indicators and retort traffic control. A system for 

product traffic control shall be established to prevent product from 

bypassing the thermal processing operation. Each basket, crate or 

similar vehicle containing unprocessed product, or at least one visible 

container in each vehicle, shall be plainly and conspicuously marked 

with a heat sensitive indicator that will visually indicate whether such 

unit has been thermally processed. Exposed heat sensitive indicators 

attached to container vehicles shall be removed before such vehicles are 

refilled with unprocessed product. Container loading systems for 

crateless retorts shall be designed to prevent unprocessed product from 

bypassing the thermal processing operation.

    (c) Initial temperature. The initial temperature of the contents of 

the coldest container to be processed shall be determined and recorded 

by the establishment at the time the processing cycle begins to assure 

that the temperature of the contents of every container to be processed 

is not lower than the minimum initial temperature specified in the 

process schedule. Thermal processing systems which subject the filled 

and sealed containers to water at any time before process timing begins 

shall be operated to assure that such water will not lower the 

temperature of the product below the minimum initial temperature 

specified in the process schedule.

    (d) Timing devices. Devices used to time applicable thermal 

processing operation functions or events, such as process schedule time, 

come-up time and retort venting, shall be accurate to assure that all 

such functions or events are achieved. Pocket watches and wrist watches 

are not considered acceptable timing devices. Analog and digital clocks 

are considered acceptable. If such clocks do not display seconds, all 

required timed functions or events shall have at least a 1-minute safety 

factor over the specified thermal processing operation times. 

Temperature/time recording devices shall correspond within 15 minutes to 

the time of the day recorded on written records required by Sec. 

318.306.

    (e) Measurement of pH. Unless other methods are approved by the 

Administrator, potentiometric methods using electronic instruments (pH 

meters) shall be used for making pH determinations when a maximum pH 

value is specified as a critical factor in a process schedule.



(Approved by Office of Management and Budget under control number 0583-

0015)