Chapter ATCP 81

ATCP 81.91   Baby Swiss cheese; product description and preparation.

ATCP 81.92   Ingredients.

ATCP 81.93   Nomenclature and label declaration.

Ch. ATCP 81 Note Note: Chapter Ag 81 as it existed on June 30, 1978 was repealed and a new chapter Ag 81 was created effective July 1, 1978. Chapters Ag 81 to 84 as they existed on April, 30, 1993 were repealed and a new chapter ATCP 81 was created effective May 1, 1993.

subch. I of ch. ATCP 81 Subchapter I — Definitions and General Provisions

ATCP 81.01 ATCP 81.01 Definitions. As used in this chapter:

ATCP 81.01(2) (2) “Body and texture characteristics” for purposes of grading cheese under this chapter include the following traits:

ATCP 81.01(2)(a) (a) “Broken down” means the condition of the cheese has changed from a firm, smooth or coarse, curdy or rubbery condition to a waxy condition similar to that of cold butter, or to a mealy or pasty condition.

ATCP 81.01(2)(b) (b) “Coarse” means a cheese is rough, dry and sandy to the touch.

ATCP 81.01(2)(c) (c) “Corky” means a cheese texture that is hard, tough and overly firm and is characterized by failure of the cheese to readily break down when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.

ATCP 81.01(2)(d) (d) “Crumbly” means that cheese is loosely knit and tends to fall apart when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.

ATCP 81.01(2)(e) (e) “Curdy” means a cheese is smooth but firm, and when worked between the fingers, is rubbery and not waxy.

ATCP 81.01(2)(f) (f) “Firm” means the body of the cheese feels solid and is not soft or weak.

ATCP 81.01(2)(g) (g) “Gassy” means that cheese contains gas holes of various sizes which may be scattered or unevenly distributed throughout the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(2)(h) (h) “Mealy” means cheese has a short body texture, does not mold well, and looks and feels like corn meal when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.

ATCP 81.01(2)(i) (i) “Open” means that irregularly shaped mechanical openings, caused by workmanship and not gas fermentation, are present.

ATCP 81.01(2)(j) (j) “Pasty” means that cheese has a weak body, and that it becomes sticky and smeary when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.

ATCP 81.01(2)(k) (k) “Pinny” means the presence of numerous and very small gas holes in a cheese.

ATCP 81.01(2)(L) (L) “Reasonably firm” means the body of the cheese is somewhat less than firm, but not to the extent of materially injuring the keeping quality of the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(2)(m) (m) “Short” means that there is no elasticity to the cheese plug removed by means of a grading trier, and that the plug tends toward mealiness when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.

ATCP 81.01(2)(n) (n) “Slitty” means that cheese contains narrow, elongated slits which are generally associated with a cheese that is“gassy” or “yeasty”. Slits in cheese having this characteristic may sometimes be referred to as “fish eyes”.

ATCP 81.01(2)(o) (o) “Smooth” means the surface of the cheese feels silky, and is not dry, coarse or rough.

ATCP 81.01(2)(p) (p) “Solid, compact and close” means the texture of the cheese has practically no openings of any kind.

ATCP 81.01(2)(q) (q) “Sweet holes” means that small spherical gas holes, approximately the size of BB shots, are present. Sweet holes may also be referred to as “shot” or “Swiss holes”.

ATCP 81.01(2)(r) (r) “Translucent” means a cheese has the appearance of being partially transparent.

ATCP 81.01(2)(s) (s) “Waxy” means that a cheese, when worked between the fingers, molds well like wax or cold butter.

ATCP 81.01(2)(t) (t) “Weak” means a cheese requires little pressure to crush and is soft but not necessarily sticky like a pasty cheese.

ATCP 81.01(3) (3) “Cheese” means a dairy product prepared from the pressed curd of milk and includes the following varieties with or without rind formation:

ATCP 81.01(3)(a) (a) Brick or muenster cheese.

ATCP 81.01(3)(b) (b) Cheddar.

ATCP 81.01(3)(c) (c) Colby.

ATCP 81.01(3)(d) (d) Granular.

ATCP 81.01(3)(e) (e) Monterey (Jack) cheese.

ATCP 81.01(3)(f) (f) Swiss cheese.

ATCP 81.01(3)(g) (g) Washed curd.

ATCP 81.01(4) (4) “Cheese box” means any wood, fiber, corrugated metal, plastic, fiberglass, or veneer container used as a receptacle for cheese.

ATCP 81.01(5) (5) “Cheese hoop” means a form used to mold any of the various styles of cheese described under s. ATCP 81.30.

ATCP 81.01(6) (6) “Cheese style” means the shape, size and weight of a manufactured unit of cheese which conforms to the standards for the particular style under s. ATCP 81.30.

ATCP 81.01(7) (7) “Code number 55” means the code number, established as part of the uniform national coding system under P. L. 89-306, which indicates that a particular lot of cheese was manufactured at a dairy plant in Wisconsin.

ATCP 81.01 Note Note: The numerical national uniform coding system was developed under P. L. 89-306 and is recommended for use by the Ninth National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments.

ATCP 81.01(8) (8) “Color characteristics” for purposes of grading cheese under this chapter include the following traits:

ATCP 81.01(8)(a) (a) “Acid-cut” means a bleached or faded appearance which sometimes varies throughout the cheese but is present most often around mechanical openings.

ATCP 81.01(8)(b) (b) “Bleached surface” means that a faded color begins at the surface of the cheese and progresses inward.

ATCP 81.01(8)(c) (c) “Dull or faded” means that the color of the cheese lacks lustre or translucency.

ATCP 81.01(8)(d) (d) “ Mottled” means the presence of irregular shaped spots or blotches in which portions of the cheese are light colored and others are darker in color, or an unevenness of color due to mixing or combining the curd from 2 different vats.

ATCP 81.01(8)(e) (e) “Salt spots” means the presence of large light-colored spots or areas.

ATCP 81.01(8)(f) (f) “Seamy” means the presence of white thread-like lines that form if the pieces of curd are not properly joined together.

ATCP 81.01(8)(g) (g) “Tiny white specks” means that specks resembling grains of salt, and generally associated with aged cheese, are scattered throughout the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(8)(h) (h) “Unattractive” means an abnormal or unappetizing appearance.

ATCP 81.01(8)(i) (i) “Uncolored” means the absence of any artificial coloring.

ATCP 81.01(8)(j) (j) “Unnatural” means the presence of a deep orange or reddish color.

ATCP 81.01(8)(k) (k) “Wavy” means an unevenness of color which appears as layers or waves in the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(9) (9) “Department” means the state of Wisconsin department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection.

ATCP 81.01(10) (10) “Diameter” means the measurement of the diameter at the larger end of cylindrically shaped cheese.

ATCP 81.01(10m) (10m) “Eye and texture characteristics” includes the following traits, for purposes of Swiss cheese grading under this chapter:

ATCP 81.01(10m)(a) (a) “Afterset” means that there are small eyes caused by secondary fermentation.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(b) (b) “Blind” means that no eyes are formed.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(c) (c) “Cabbage” means that there are so many eyes in most of the cheese that the eyes crowd each other and leave only a paper-thin layer of cheese between eyes, causing the cheese to have a cabbage appearance and very irregular eyes.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(d) (d) “Checks” means that there are small, short cracks within the body of the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(e) (e) “Collapsed” means that eyes are improperly formed, so that they appear flattened or buckled rather than round or slightly oval.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(f) (f) “Dead” means that eyes have completely lost their glossy or velvety appearance.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(g) (g) “Dull” means that eyes have lost some of their bright shiny luster.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(h) (h) “Frog mouth” means that eyes are lenticular or spindle-shaped.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(i) (i) “Irregular” means that eyes are not properly formed as round or slightly oval openings, but are not accurately described by other terms under this subsection.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(j) (j) “Large eyed” means that a majority of eyes are more than 13/16 inch in diameter. “Large eyed” includes all the following:

ATCP 81.01(10m)(j)1. 1. “Slight large eyed” means that a majority of eyes are more than 13/16 inch but less than one inch in diameter.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(j)2. 2. “Definite large eyed” means that a majority of eyes are more than one inch in diameter.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(k) (k) “Nesty” means that, in localized areas, there are too many small eyes.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(L) (L) “One sided” means that eyes are reasonably developed on one side of the cheese and underdeveloped on the other.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(m) (m) “Overset” means that there are too many eyes.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(n) (n) “Picks” means that there are small irregular or ragged openings in the body of the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(o) (o) “Relatively uniform eye size” means that the majority of eyes are within the size range specified in s. ATCP 81.70 (3), and that the difference in diameter between the smallest and largest of that majority of eyes is not more than ¼ inch.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(p) (p) “Rough” means that eyes do not have smooth, even walls.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(q) (q) “Shell” means that eyes have wall surfaces that look like rough-shelled nuts.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(r) (r) “Small eyed” means that a majority of eyes are less than 3/8 inch in diameter. “Small eyed” includes all the following:

ATCP 81.01(10m)(r)1. 1. “Slight small eyed” means that a majority of eyes are less than 3/8 inch but more than 1/8 inch in diameter.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(r)2. 2. “Definite small eyed” means that a majority of eyes are less than 1/8 inch in diameter.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(s) (s) “Splits” means that the body of the cheese contains sizable cracks, usually in parallel layers and usually clean cut.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(t) (t) “Streuble” means that there are too many small eyes just under the surface of the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(u) (u) “Underset” means that there are too few eyes in the cheese.

ATCP 81.01(10m)(v) (v) “Uneven” means eyes are reasonably developed in some areas and underdeveloped in others.

ATCP 81.01(11) (11) “Finish and appearance characteristics” for purposes of grading cheese under this chapter include the following traits:

ATCP 81.01(11)(a) (a) “Bandage evenly placed” means that a cheese is uniformly wrapped in cheesecloth with approximately one inch overlapping of the edges.

ATCP 81.01(11)(b) (b) “Burst or torn bandage” means a severance or other snag or break in the cheese cloth wrap used in the manufacture of certain cheese styles, usually occurring at the side seam.

ATCP 81.01(11)(c) (c) “Checked rind” or “curd openings” means the presence of numerous small cracks or breaks in the rind, sometimes following the outline of curd particles.

ATCP 81.01(11)(d) (d) “Cracks in the rind” means the presence of openings or breaks in the cheese rind.

ATCP 81.01(11)(e) (e) “Defective coating” means any of the following conditions in the wax or paraffin coating:

ATCP 81.01(11)(e)1. 1. Brittle coating of paraffin that breaks and peels off in the form of scales or flakes.