butter

Product:    Salted Sweetcream Butter

Scope:     Manufacture packing and storage.

Processing operation :

Manufactured from fresh pasteurised cream derived from whole cows milk, chilled and aged aged prior to churning and salting on a continuous buttermaker to give a finished product of not less than 80% fat and a salt content not exceeding 2.0%

Product Appearance:

The product is a solid emulsion of water in oil, pale yellow, creamy and homogenous with no streakiness or evident free moisture

Organoleptic Standard:

Characteristic of salted butter produced from fresh cream, with no foreign taints or odours.

Physical and Compositional Standard:
                                        Typical
Butterfat:                80% minimum                  80.5
Moisture Content            16% maximum              15.8
Milk Solids (non-fat):            2%   maximum                1.5
Salt                    2.0% maximum                1.8
Free Fatty Acids:            1.2 mmole / 100 g fat               
Lipase                    Not detectable in 1 gram
Peroxidase value                                 0.3 max meq oxygen / 1000 g fat
Non milk fat                                        Not detectable

Microbiological Standard:

Total viable count            10,000 / gram maximum               <5000/gm
Coliforms                Not detectable in 1 g                              ABS
E.Coli                    Absent in 1 gram           
Salmonella                Absent in 25 grams
Coagulase +ve Staphylococci        Absent in 1 gram
Yeasts                            100 / gram maximum            <50 / gm
 Moulds                       100 / gram maximum            <50 / gm
Listeria                Absent in 25 grams   

Chilled  (+1oC to +5oC):      3 months from date of manufacture
Frozen  (colder than -18oC):    12 months from date of manufacture
Storage cold in dry conditions away from direct sunlight and odours.

Packaging:
Unless otherwise contractually agreed, packaging will be in sealed or folded coloured polyethythene liners within an outer corrugated board case, to give a 25 Kg net weight block. Filled boxes are sealed with tape, metal detected, stacked 40 per pallet and stretch wrapped prior to cold storage.

Coding:

Each box shall be marked in such a way that identifies as minimum:   

i)    Product / weight
ii)        Manufacturing location / Factory ID
iii)       Date of manufacture (including shift if appropriate)
iv)       Individual box number
v)        Lot Number if appropriate
vi)    Pallet No.

Environmental

A formal, recorded cleaning schedule and pest control procedure is in place

Quality Assurance:

A formal documented quality system is in place using the principles of  HACCP and ISO 9000