CHEESE codex - LeafConAgro

DESCRIPTION
· CHEESE IS THE RIPENED OR UNRIPENED SOFT, SEMI-HARD, HARD, OR EXTRA-HARD PRODUCT, WHICH MAY BE COATED, AND IN WHICH THE WHEY PROTEIN/CASEIN RATIO DOES NOT EXCEED THAT OFMILK, OBTAINED BY: o COAGULATING WHOLLY OR PARTLY THE PROTEIN OF MILK, SKIMMED MILK, PARTLY SKIMMED MILK, CREAM, WHEY CREAM OR BUTTERMILK, OR ANY COMBINATION OF THESE MATERIALS, THROUGH THE ACTION OF RENNET OR OTHER SUITABLE COAGULATING AGENTS, AND BY PARTIALLY DRAINING THE WHEY RESULTING FROM THE COAGULATION, WHILE RESPECTING THE PRINCIPLE THAT CHEESE-MAKING RESULTS IN A CONCENTRATION OF MILK PROTEIN (IN PARTICULAR, THE CASEIN PORTION), AND THAT CONSEQUENTLY, THE PROTEIN CONTENT OF THE CHEESE WILL BE DISTINCTLY HIGHER THAN THE PROTEIN LEVEL OF THE BLEND OF THE ABOVE MILK MATERIALS FROM WHICH THE CHEESE WAS MADE; o PROCESSING TECHNIQUES INVOLVING COAGULATION OF THE PROTEIN OF MILK AND/OR PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM MILK WHICH GIVE AN END-PRODUCT WITH SIMILAR PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS AS THE PRODUCT DEFINED UNDER (A).
· RIPENED CHEESE IS CHEESE WHICH IS NOT READY FOR CONSUMPTION SHORTLY AFTER MANUFACTURE BUT WHICH MUST BE HELD FOR SUCH TIME, AT SUCH TEMPERATURE, AND UNDER SUCH OTHER CONDITIONS AS WILL RESULT IN THE NECESSARY BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHANGES CHARACTERIZING THE CHEESE IN QUESTION.
· MOULD RIPENED CHEESE IS A RIPENED CHEESE IN WHICH THE RIPENING HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED PRIMARILY BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTERISTIC MOULD GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE INTERIOR AND/OR ON THE SURFACE OF THE CHEESE.
· UNRIPENED CHEESE INCLUDING FRESH CHEESE IS CHEESE WHICH IS READY FOR CONSUMPTION SHORTLY AFTER MANUFACTURE.
ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS
· RAW MATERIALS MILK AND/OR PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM MILK.
· PERMITTED INGREDIENTS o STARTER CULTURES OF HARMLESS LACTIC ACID AND/OR FLAVOUR PRODUCING BACTERIA AND CULTURES OF OTHER HARMLESS MICROORGANISMS o SAFE AND SUITABLE ENZYMES o SODIUM CHLORIDE AND POTASSIUM CHLORIDE AS A SALT SUBSTITUTE o POTABLE WATER
FOOD ADDITIVES
· UNRIPENED CHEESES AS LISTED IN THE GROUP STANDARD FOR UNRIPENED CHEESE INCLUDING FRESH CHEESE (CXS 221-2001).
· CHEESES IN BRINE AS LISTED IN THE STANDARD FOR CHEESES IN BRINE (CXS 208-1999).
· RIPENED CHEESES, INCLUDING MOULD RIPENED CHEESES o ADDITIVES NOT LISTED BELOW BUT PROVIDED FOR IN CODEX INDIVIDUAL STANDARDS FOR VARIETIES OF RIPENED CHEESES MAY ALSO BE USED FOR SIMILAR TYPES OF CHEESE WITHIN THE LIMITS SPECIFIED WITHIN THOSE STANDARDS. ONLY THOSE ADDITIVE CLASSES INDICATED AS JUSTIFIED IN THE TABLE BELOW MAY BE USED FOR THE PRODUCT CATEGORIES SPECIFIED. ACIDITY REGULATORS, COLOURS AND PRESERVATIVES USED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR FOOD ADDITIVES (CXS 192-1995) IN FOOD CATEGORY 01.6.2.1 (RIPENED CHEESE, INCLUDES RIND) AND ONLY CERTAIN ACIDITY REGULATORS, ANTICAKING AGENTS, COLOURS AND PRESERVATIVES 3 ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR USE IN FOODS CONFORMING TO THIS STANDARD.
PROCESSING AIDS
	JUSTIFIED USE
ADDITIVE FUNCTIONAL CLASS	CHEESE MASS	SURFACE/RIND TREATMENT
COLOURS:	X	X (B)
BLEACHING AGENTS:	–	–
ACIDITY REGULATORS:	X	–
STABILIZERS:	–	–
THICKENERS:	–	–
EMULSIFIERS:	–	–
ANTIOXIDANTS:	–	–
PRESERVATIVES:	X	X
FOAMING AGENTS:	–	–
ANTICAKING AGENTS:	–	X (A)
PACKAGING GAS	–	–
· X THE USE OF ADDITIVES BELONGING TO THE CLASS IS TECHNOLOGICALLY JUSTIFIED.
· – THE USE OF ADDITIVES BELONGING TO THE CLASS IS NOT TECHNOLOGICALLY JUSTIFIED.
CONTAMINANTS
· THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THIS STANDARD SHALL COMPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM LEVELS FOR CONTAMINANTS THAT ARE SPECIFIED FOR THE PRODUCT IN THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR CONTAMINANTS AND TOXINS IN FOOD AND FEED (CXS 1931995).
· THE MILK USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THIS STANDARD SHALL COMPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM LEVELS FOR CONTAMINANTS AND TOXINS SPECIFIED FOR MILK BY THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR CONTAMINANTS AND TOXINS IN FOOD AND FEED (CXS 193-1995) AND WITH THE MAXIMUM RESIDUE LIMITS FOR VETERINARY DRUG RESIDUES AND PESTICIDES ESTABLISHED FOR MILK BY THE CAC.
HYGIENE
· IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THIS STANDARD BE PREPARED AND HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPROPRIATE SECTIONS OF THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FOOD HYGIENE (CXC 1-1969), THE CODE OF HYGIENIC PRACTICE FOR MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS (CXC 57-2004) AND OTHER RELEVANT CODEX TEXTS SUCH AS CODES OF HYGIENIC PRACTICE AND CODES OF PRACTICE. THE PRODUCTS SHOULD COMPLY WITH ANY MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND APPLICATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA RELATED TO FOODS (CXG 21-1997).
LABELLING
· IN ADDITION TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR THE LABELLING OF PREPACKAGED FOODS (CXS 1-1985) AND THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR THE USE OF DAIRY TERMS (CXS 206-1999), THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC PROVISIONS APPLY:
· NAME OF THE FOOD o THE NAME OF THE FOOD SHALL BE CHEESE. HOWEVER, THE WORD “CHEESE” MAY BE OMITTED IN THE DESIGNATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL CHEESE VARIETY RESERVED BY A CODEX STANDARD FOR INDIVIDUAL CHEESES, AND, IN THE ABSENCE THEREOF, A VARIETY NAME SPECIFIED IN THE NATIONAL LEGISLATION OF THE COUNTRY IN WHICH THE PRODUCT IS SOLD, PROVIDED THAT THE OMISSION DOES NOT CREATE AN ERRONEOUS IMPRESSION REGARDING THE CHARACTER OF THE FOOD.
· DECLARATION OF MILK FAT CONTENT o THE MILK FAT CONTENT SHALL BE DECLARED IN A MANNER FOUND ACCEPTABLE IN THE COUNTRY OF SALE TO THE FINAL CONSUMER, EITHER (I) AS A PERCENTAGE BY MASS, (II) AS A PERCENTAGE OF FAT IN DRY MATTER, OR (III) IN GRAMS PER SERVING AS QUANTIFIED IN THE LABEL PROVIDED THAT THE NUMBER OF SERVINGS IS STATED. § HIGH FAT (IF THE CONTENT OF FDM IS ABOVE OR EQUAL TO 60%); § FULL FAT (IF THE CONTENT OF FDM IS ABOVE OR EQUAL TO 45% AND LESS THAN 60%) § MEDIUM FAT (IF THE CONTENT OF FDM IS ABOVE OR EQUAL TO 25% AND LESS THAN 45%) § PARTIALLY SKIMMED (IF THE CONTENT OF FDM IS ABOVE OR EQUAL TO 10% AND LESS THAN 25%) § SKIM (IF THE CONTENT OF FDM IS LESS THAN 10%)
DATE MARKING · NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR THE LABELLING OF PREPACKAGED FOODS (CXS 1-1985), THE DATE OF MINIMUM DURABILITY NEED NOT BE DECLARED IN THE LABELLING OF FIRM, HARD AND EXTRA HARD CHEESE WHICH ARE NOT MOULD/SOFT-RIPENED AND NOT INTENDED TO BE PURCHASED AS SUCH BY THE FINAL CONSUMER: IN SUCH CASES THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHALL BE DECLARED.
METHODS OF SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS
· FOR CHECKING THE COMPLIANCE WITH THIS STANDARD, THE METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING CONTAINED IN THE RECOMMENDED METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING (CXS 234-1999) RELEVANT TO THE PROVISIONS IN THIS STANDARD, SHALL BE USED.