La. Admin. Code tit. 51 § VII-955

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section VII-955 - Cooling of Dairy Products

A. All raw milk and milk products shall be received and maintained at 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less until processed, except that acid-type whey with a titratable acidity of 0.40% or above, or a pH of 4.6 or below, is exempted from these temperature requirements. Provided, that all balance or surge tanks (continuous flow with a retention time not to exceed one hour) for raw milk and milk products, pasteurized milk and milk products and whey and whey products may be maintained at any temperature for up to 24 hours.

B. All whey and whey products for condensing and/or drying are maintained at a temperature of 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less; or 57 ° C (135 ° F) or greater until processed. Storage tanks containing whey and whey product above 7 ° C (45 ° F) and below 57 ° C (135 ° F) shall be emptied, cleaned and sanitized after each 4 hours of use or less. (Nothing shall be construed as barring other time and temperature relationships, which have been recognized to be equally efficient and which are approved by the state health officer).

C. All pasteurized milk and milk products, except the following, are cooled immediately in approved equipment prior to filling or packaging to a temperature of 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less, unless drying is commenced immediately after condensing:

1. those to be cultured;

2. cultured sour cream at all milkfat levels with a pH of 4.70 or below. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a ph variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer);

3. acidified sour cream at all milkfat levels with a pH of 4.60 or below. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a ph variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer);

4. all yogurt products at all milkfat levels with an initial pH of 4.80 or below at filling. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a ph variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer);

5. cultured buttermilk at all milkfat levels with a pH of 4.60 or below. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a pH variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer); and

6. all condensed whey and whey products shall be cooled during the crystallization process to 10 ° C (50 ° F) or less within 72 hours of condensing, including the filling and emptying time, unless filling occurs above 57 ° C (135 ° F), in which case, the 72 hour time period begins when cooling is started. (Nothing shall be construed as barring other time and temperature relationships, which have been recognized to be equally efficient and which are approved by the state health officer).

D. All pasteurized milk and milk products, except the following, shall be stored at a temperature of 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less and be maintained thereat following filling or until further processed:

1. Cultured sour cream at all milkfat levels with a pH of 4.70 or below. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a pH variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer) and cooled to 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less within 168 hours of filling. (Temperature monitored at the slowest cooling portion, i.e., middle of the container, of the slowest cooling container, i.e., in the middle of the pallet).

2. Acidified sour cream at all milkfat levels with a pH of 4.60 or below. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a pH variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer) and cooled to 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less within 168 hours of filling (Temperature monitored at the slowest cooling portion, i.e., middle of the container, of the slowest cooling container, i.e., in the middle of the pallet).

3. All yogurt products at all milkfat levels with an initial pH of 4.80 or below. (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a pH variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer) at filling, with a pH of 4.60 or below within 24 hours of filling (critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a pH variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer) and cooled to 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less within 168 hours of filling (Temperature monitored at the slowest cooling portion, i.e., middle of the container, of the slowest cooling container, i.e., in the middle of the pallet).

4. Cultured buttermilk at all milkfat levels with a pH of 4.60 or below (Critical factors including, but not limited to, pH and cooling time and temperature shall be monitored and documented by the processing facility for verification by the state health officer. pH limit with a pH variance of +0.05 units to account for reproducibility and inaccuracies in pH measurements. Formulation or processing changes that affect critical factors shall be communicated to the state health officer) and cooled to 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less with 24 hours of filling (Temperature monitored at the slowest cooling portion, i.e., middle of the container, of the slowest cooling container, i.e., in the middle of the pallet).

E. All pasteurized milk and milk products to be condensed and/or dried, shall be stored at a temperature of 10 ° C (50 ° F) or less and be maintained thereat until further processed. If storage tanks are used between the condenser and dryer, any such storage tank(s) containing pasteurized milk or milk products stored above 10 ° C (50 ° F) and below 57 ° C (135 ° F) shall be completely emptied and cleaned after each six hours of operation or less (Nothing shall be construed as barring other time and temperature relationships, which have been recognized to be equally efficient and which are approved by the state health officer).

F. Each refrigerated room in which milk and milk products are stored, except aseptically processed milk and milk products, is equipped with an indicating thermometer that complies with the applicable specifications of Appendix H, Subsection IV (Indicating thermometers used in refrigerated rooms where milk and milk products are stored) of the PMO. Such thermometer shall be located in the warmest zone of the refrigerated room.

G. Each storage tank shall be equipped with an indicating thermometer, the sensor of which shall be located to permit the registering of the temperature of the contents when the tank contains no more than 20 percent of its calibrated capacity. Such thermometer shall comply with the applicable specifications of Appendix H, Subsection IV (Indicating thermometer used in storage tanks) of the PMO. See §943. A.2 of this Part for recording device requirements in certain circumstances.

H. On delivery vehicles, the temperature of milk and milk products shall not exceed 7 ° C (45 ° F).

I. All surface coolers comply with the following specifications:

1. The sections of open-surface coolers shall be so installed as to leave a gap of at least 6.4 millimeters (0.25 inches) between the header sections to permit easy cleaning.

2. Where header ends are not completely enclosed within the cooler covers, condensation or leakage from the headers shall be prevented from entering the milk or milk product by so shaping the exposed header faces, above and below all gaps, that condensation is directed away from the tubes, and by using deflectors at the bottom of the headers, or by shortening the bottom trough, or by some other approved method.

3. The location of supports of cooler sections shall prevent condensation and leakage from entering the milk or milk product.

4. All open-surface coolers shall be provided with tight-fitting shields that protect the milk and milk product from contamination by insects, dust, drip, splash or manual contact.

J. Recirculated cooling water, which is used in coolers and heat exchangers, including those systems in which a freezing point depressant is used, is from a safe source and protected from contamination. Such water shall be tested semiannually and shall comply with the bacteriological standards of Appendix G, Section I of the PMO. Samples shall be taken by the state health officer and examination shall be conducted in an DHH-OPH Certified Bacteriological/Drinking Water Laboratory. Recirculated cooling water systems, which become contaminated through repair work or otherwise, shall be properly disinfected and tested before being returned to use. Freezing point depressants and other chemical additives, when used in recirculating systems, shall be non-toxic under conditions of use. Recirculated cooling water contained in corrosion resistant, continuous piping, with no joints or welds, which fail to meet applicable American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) or equivalent standards in the non-potable water contact areas, may be considered to be protected from contamination, as required above, when cooled by non-potable water flowing over the exterior of the piping, within open evaporative type cooling tower. In these systems, the recirculated cooling water piping shall be properly maintained and shall be installed so that it is at least 2 pipe diameters above the flood rim of the cooling tower.

K. Water from an open, evaporative cooling tower may be used to cool water in an intermediate cooling media loop that will subsequently be used to cool product, provided that the water in the intermediate cooling media loop is effectively protected against infiltration and contamination by tower water at all times. If a plate type or double/triple tube type heat exchanger is used to exchange heat between the water from the open tower and the water in the intermediate cooling media loop it must be protected by an Isolation System to assure that there is no possibility of contamination of the intermediate cooling media loop water by the tower water. The isolation system shall include:

1. tower water heat exchangers shall be constructed, installed and operated so that the intermediate cooling media water in the heat exchanger will automatically be under greater pressure than the open tower water in the heat exchanger at all times;

2. the tower water heat exchanger shall be effectively isolated from the tower water system and the tower water side of the heat exchanger shall drain during shut down;

3. the Isolation System shall be controlled with a pressure differential controller set to a minimum of 6.9 kPa (1 psi). Pressure sensors shall be installed at the tower water inlet to the heat exchanger and intermediate cooling water outlet of the heat exchanger. The differential pressure controller will be interwired with the related supply valves and/or pumps to automatically shut down all supply pumps and return valves in the Isolation System to a fail-safe position to isolate the heat exchanger from the open tower water system, as would occur in a shut down or power failure;

4. the intermediate cooling water shall rise to a vertical elevation of at least 30.5 centimeters (12 inches) above the highest tower water heat exchanger Isolation System, and shall be open to the atmosphere at this elevation. During a shut down the intermediate cooling water shall not drain from the tower water heat exchanger;

5. the Isolation System shall meet one of the following:

a. in a system with tower water supplied directly from the tower water distribution line without a balance tank, or with a balance tank higher than the lowest water level in the tower water heat exchanger, refer to Figures 8, 9, and 10 in Appendix D, Section VII of the PMO. In this application, the Isolation System shall begin at the normally closed tower water supply stop "block" valve and ends at the check-valve in the line returning to the open cooling tower. Isolation is accomplished by meeting all of the following:

i. closing the tower water supply valve. This tower water supply valve shall be a normally closed (spring-to-close) valve;

ii. opening a full port vent valve on the supply side of the tower water heat exchanger and a full port drain valve prior to a check-valve in the tower water return line. This drain valve shall be normally open (spring-to-open);

iii. the drain valve and any pipes or pumps located between the drain valve and the heat exchanger must be lower than the lowest liquid level in the heat exchanger;

iv. de-energize any dedicated tower water supply pump, if present, located between the tower water reservoir and the tower water heat exchanger; and

v. if a tower water return pump is used, a bypass line may be used to flood the dry pump at start up;

b. in a system with the overflow of an atmospheric balance tank lower than the lowest water level in the heat exchanger, refer to Figures 11 and 12 in Appendix D, Section VII of the PMO. In this application, the Isolation System shall begin at the tower water balance tank and end at the check-valve in the line returning to the open cooling tower. Isolation is accomplished by meeting all of the following:

i. de-energizing the "local tower water supply pump", if present;

ii. opening a full port vent valve on the supply side of the tower water heat exchanger;

iii. open a full port drain valve prior to a check-valve in the tower water return line. This drain valve must be normally open (spring-to-open); and

iv. the drain valve and any pipes or pumps located between it and the heat exchanger must be lower than the lowest liquid level in the heat exchanger;

c. variations from the above isolation systems may be individually evaluated and found to also be acceptable by the state health officer, if the level of protection required by this Subsection is not compromised.

6. A means to test the response of this isolation system must be developed and available at the milk plant. The accuracy of the required differential pressure controller shall be checked by the state health officer on installation; every six months thereafter; and following repair or replacement.

La. Admin. Code tit. 51, § VII-955

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, LR 37:2679 (September 2011).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 40:4(A)(1)(a). Also see R.S. 40:5(2)(3)(5)(7)(15)(17) and R.S. 40:922.