§ 59.791. Equipment and utensils.

 (a)  General construction, repair, and installation. The equipment and utensils used for processing and packaging evaporated and condensed milk shall be as specified in §  59.704 (relating to equipment and utensils). All requirements for low acid can food products shall be met. For other equipment, the requirements of this section shall be met.

 (b)  Evaporators and vacuum pans. Equipment used in the removal of moisture from milk or milk products for the purpose of concentrating the solids shall meet the requirements of the 3-A Sanitary Standards for Milk and Milk Products Evaporators and Vacuum Pans. All new or used replacements for this type of equipment shall meet the appropriate 3-A Sanitary Standards.

 (c)  Fillers. Both gravity and vacuum type fillers shall be of sanitary design and all product contact surfaces, if metal, shall be made of stainless steel or equally corrosion resistant material. Certain evaporated milk fillers having brass parts may be approved if free from corroded surfaces and kept in good repair. Nonmetallic product contact surfaces shall meet the requirements for 3-A Sanitary Standards for Rubber and Rubber-Like Materials or for Multiple-Use Plastic Materials. Fillers shall be designed so that they in no way will contaminate or detract from the quality of the product being packaged.

 (d)  Batch or continuous incontainer sterilizers. Batch or continuous incontainer sterilizers shall be equipped with accurate temperature controls and effective valves for regulating the sterilization process. The equipment shall be maintained to assure control of the length of time of processing and to minimize the number of damaged containers.

 (e)  Homogenizers. Homogenizers, where applicable, shall be used to reduce the size of the fat particles and to evenly disperse them in the product. New homogenizers shall meet the applicable 3-A Sanitary Standards.