Performance_Readiness_Bar_PCR-P-049__1_Jun_16.doc

SECTION C

This document covers a shelf stable performance readiness bar fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-P-049, PERFORMANCE READINESS BAR, FORTIFIED WITH CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D

Flavor.

C-2 PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

A. Product standard. A sample shall be subjected to product demonstration model (PDM) inspection as applicable, in accordance with the tests and inspections of Section E of this Product Contract Requirements (PCR) document. The approved sample shall serve as the product standard. Should the contractor at any time plan to or actually produce the product using different raw material or process methodologies from the approved product standard, which result in a product noncomparable to the product standard, the contractor shall submit a replacement PDM for approval. In any event, all product produced must meet all requirements of this document including product standard comparability.

B. Shelf life. The packaged product shall meet the minimum shelf life requirement of 6 months at 80ºF.

C. Appearance. The finished product shall be free from foreign materials.

(1) Flavor I. The bar shall be intact and shall have a medium to dark brown exterior color with a smooth to slightly rough glossy exterior surface. The interior matrix shall be a uniform medium to dark brown color with a dense and slightly porous structure. The interior matrix shall have small intact pieces of light and dark tan crisped cereal grains uniformly distributed throughout. The bar may have a semi-translucent white powdery appearance dispersed throughout the interior matrix and exterior surface.

D. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

(1) Flavor I. The bar shall have a moderately sweet baking chocolate, cocoa and toasted grain odor and flavor. The bar may have a slight to moderate bicarbonate or leavening agent odor and flavor.

E. Texture. The bar shall be chewy and slightly soft with crispy pieces of cereal grains.

F. Dimensions. The bar shall be not less than 4-1/4 inches and not greater than 5-1/4 inches in length by not less than 1-1/2 inches and not greater than 2 inches in width.

G. Net weight. The net weight of an individual bar shall be not less than 2.3 ounces (65 grams).

H. Palatability and overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or better than the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

I. Analytical requirements.

(1) Protein. The protein content shall be not less than 8 grams and not greater than 12 grams per bar.

(2) Trans fat. The trans fat content shall be not greater than 0 grams per bar.

(3) Water activity. The water activity (aw) shall be not greater than 0.55 when measured at 77ºF (25ºC).

(4) Calories. The calorie content shall be not less than 200 calories and not greater than 250 calories per bar.

(5) Carbohydrates. The carbohydrate content shall be not less than 35 grams and not greater than 43 grams per bar.

(6) Calcium. The calcium content shall be not less than 900 milligrams and not greater than 1000 milligrams per bar.

(7) Vitamin D3. The vitamin D3 content shall be not less than 1600 International Units (IU) and not greater than 2000 IU per bar.

J. Microbiological requirements.

(1) Aerobic plate count. The aerobic plate count shall be not greater than 25,000 Colony Forming Units (CFU) per gram in eight of nine samples and not greater than 50,000 CFU per gram in any individual sample.

(2) Yeast and mold. The yeast and mold count (combined) shall not exceed 100 CFU per gram.

(3) Escherichia coli (E. coli) count. E. coli shall have less than 10 CFU per gram or less than 3 Most Probable Number (MPN) per gram, where findings indicate zero colonies CFU per plate or zero tubes producing gas for MPN.

(4) Salmonella. The product shall be Salmonella negative for each of nine pouches tested per production lot.

K. Product formulation and ingredients. The following formula shall be used. Ingredient suppliers and available specific ingredients may change (companies bought out, part numbers change, ingredients no longer supplied, etc.). Any changes in formulations and ingredients shall be pre-approved by Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), Combat Feeding Directorate (CFD).

(1) Flavor I, Chocolate.

NOTE: The corn syrup and the maltodextrin percentages may be adjusted to ease process and control end item texture. No other percentage adjustments shall be made.

1/ “Fructose, glycerin, date, plum, prep, (40 percent Fructose)” from Mariani Ingredient Prod, 500 Crocker Rd., Vacaville, CA 95688.

2/ “Soy protein crisps 639” and “Crisp Rice Tiny Round 200” from Pacific Grain Products Inc., P.O. Box 2 Woodland, CA 95776.

3/ “H-365” from Wilbur Chocolate, Lititz, PA 17543.

4/ Vitamin premix shall include calcium (as calcium carbonate) and vitamin D3 (as cholecalciferol) and shall be made to ensure compliance with requirements as stated in C-2, I(6) and (7). Vendor shall use FT150302 from DSM Nutritional Products 2105 Technology Drive Schenectady, NY 12308 (or equivalent premix).

L. Preparation and processing. The following preparation and processes were used at the NSRDEC for processing the performance readiness bars fortified with calcium and vitamin D3. Industrial preparation and processing equipment may be used to produce product of the same quality as produced at NSRDEC.

(1) Liquid mix. The liquid mix may be prepared as follows using a steam-jacketed kettle equipped with swept surface agitator.

a. Add corn syrup and glycerin and heat to 180-200(F (82-93(C).

b. Add shortening, lecithin, mixed tocopherols, ascorbyl palmitate; mix until shortening is melted completely. Allow the product temperature to drop to 160(F (71(C).

c. Add date plum fruit paste and mix thoroughly 5-10 minutes or until uniformly mixed and maintain temperature at 150-160(F (66-71(C).

d. Add chocolate liquor and mix thoroughly for 5 minutes until uniform and maintain temperature at 140(F (60(C).

e. Maintain product under low agitation at a temperature not to exceed 140(F

(60(C). Temperature may be lowered using cold water in kettle jacket if necessary to obtain suitable viscosity of final dough for extrusion.

f. The liquid mix is drawn according to batch size. The liquid mix may be held in the kettle under low agitation up to 4 hours.

(2) Dough mix. The dough mix may be prepared as follows using an 80 quart Hobart Mixer with standard paddle.

a. Add liquid mix and mix 30 seconds on setting #3 (medium-high speed 183 revolutions per minute (RPM)).

b. Add dry ingredients (dextrose, maltodextrin, cocoa, dry vanilla) and mix 2 to 4 minutes on setting #1 (low speed 55 RPM) or until mix appears homogeneous.

c. Pre-blend Fructose and vitamin D3/calcium premix until uniform and then add to batch. Mix on setting #1 or #2 (low to medium speed 55-120 RPM) until uniformly distributed throughout the dough.

d. Add cereal crisps and mix for 1 - 2 minutes on setting #1 (low speed 55 RPM) until crisps are uniformly dispersed throughout matrix.

NOTE: Caution needs to be taken throughout mixing process to minimize breaking of the crisps.

(3) Bar forming. The bar may be formed as follows using a Hosokawa BEPEX GmhH Model F 97 265 – 266. Other types of bar forming such as: sheeting and/or slab forming equipment are also acceptable. Any type of high shear bar forming shall be avoided to maintain rice crisp integrity.

a. Product shall be extruded through a nozzle or sheeted/formed and cut to produce a bar with nominal dimensions as stated in C-2, F.

b. Finished product is cooled to less than 90(F (32(C) prior to handling and packaging.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

A. Packaging. One bar shall be commercially packaged in a foil or metalized laminate pouch that will provide an effective light, moisture and oxygen barrier.

D-2 LABELING

A. Packaged bar. Each packaged bar shall be labeled in accordance with all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laws and regulations for commercially produced food products. In addition the commercially packaged product shall be labeled with the following:

(1) Name and flavor of product (letters not less than 1/8 inch high)

(2) Ingredients

(3) Date 1/

(4) Net weight

(5) Name and address of packer

(6) “Nutrition Facts” label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA regulations

(7) DO NOT CONSUME MORE THAN 1 BAR WITHIN A 15 HOUR TIME PERIOD AND NO MORE THAN 2 BARS WITHIN A 24 HOUR TIME PERIOD

1/ Each pouch shall have the date of pack noted by using a four digit code beginning with the final digit of the current year followed by the three digit Julian day code. For example, 14 February 2017 would be coded as 7045. The Julian day code shall represent the day the product was packaged into the pouch.

D-3 PACKING

A. Packing. No more than 40 pounds of packaged bars shall be packed in a snug-fitting shipping container and closed in accordance with good commercial practices.

D-5 MARKING

A. Shipping containers. Shipping containers shall be marked in accordance with Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Troop Support Form 3556, Marking Instructions for Boxes, Sacks, and Unit Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence.

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The following quality assurance criteria, utilizing ANSI/ASQ Z1.4, Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes, are required. Unless otherwise specified, single sampling plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 will be utilized.

A. Definitions.

(1) Critical defect. A critical defect is a defect that judgment and experience indicate would result in hazardous or unsafe conditions for individuals using, maintaining, or depending on the item; or a defect that judgment and experience indicate is likely to prevent the consumption of the product.

(2) Major defect. A major defect is a defect, other than critical, that is likely to result in failure, or to reduce materially the usability of the unit of product for its intended purpose.

(3) Minor defect. A minor defect is a defect that is not likely to reduce materially the usability of the unit of product for its intended purpose, or is a departure from established standards having little bearing on the effective use or operation of the unit.

B. Classification of inspections. The inspection requirements specified herein are classified as follows:

(1) Product standard inspection. The PDM shall be inspected in accordance with the provisions of this document and evaluated for overall appearance and palatability.

(2) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the product examination and the methods of inspection cited in this section. The contractor shall submit (36) sample bars during the first large scale lot of production as first article samples to be evaluated for conformance and comparability to the initial PDM. The selected bars shall be submitted to the following address for evaluation:

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

RDNS-SEC-EMR

NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

NATICK, MA 01760

E-5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PRODUCT)

A. Product examination. The finished product shall be examined for compliance with the performance requirements specified in Section C of this Product Contract Requirements document utilizing the double sampling plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. The sample unit shall be one bar. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the acceptable quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 1.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor defects. Defects and defect classifications are listed in table I.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/

Category

Defect

General

Product not performance readiness bar.

Flavor I – Chocolate Appearance

Bar not intact. 3/ Bar not a medium to dark brown exterior color.

Bar does not have a smooth to slightly rough glossy exterior surface.

Interior matrix not a uniform medium to dark brown color.

Interior matrix does not have small intact pieces of light or dark tan crisped cereal grains. 4/

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category

Defect

Odor and flavor

Bar not a moderately sweet baking chocolate or cocoa or toasted grain odor or flavor.

Texture

Dimensions

Net weight

Net weight of an individual bar less than 2.3 ounces (65 grams).

1/ Presence of any foreign materials such as, but not limited to dirt, insect parts, hair, glass, wood, or metal, or any foreign odors or flavors such as, but not limited to burnt, scorched, rancid, sour, stale, musty or moldy shall be cause for rejection.

2/ The protein, trans fat, calories and carbohydrate content shall be verified by the NLEA “Nutrition Facts” label. Product not conforming to the protein, trans fat, calories and carbohydrate content requirements as specified in Section C-2, I of this document shall be cause for rejection.

3/ A bar that is not intact is broken into two or more pieces.

4/ At least 50 percent of the crisped cereal grain pieces shall be intact upon visual examination of a cross section of bar.

B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Shelf life. The contractor shall provide a Certificate of Conformance (CoC) that the product has a 6 month shelf life when stored at 80(F.

(2) Net weight. The net weight of the bars shall be determined by weighing each sample unit on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty pouch. Results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram.

(3) Nutrient content. The contractor shall provide a CoC for the lot including the production formula and premix source formula. Product not conforming to the ingredients, including vitamin premix and percentages as specified in Section C of this Product Contract Requirements document shall be cause for rejection.

(4) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a composite of eight filled and sealed pouches which have been selected at random from the lot. The composite sample shall be prepared and analyzed in accordance with the following methods of the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International.

Verification will be conducted through actual testing by a third party certified analytical laboratory or NSRDEC. Test results shall be reported to the nearest milligram, or IU, as applicable. Any result not conforming to the vitamin and mineral requirement shall be cause for rejection.

2/ Tests will be conducted for calcium and vitamin D3 on the PDMs. If the formula is changed then another set of tests shall be conducted by a third party certified analytical laboratory or NSRDEC, for calcium and vitamin D3, and NSRDEC will be provided a copy of the formulation.

(5) Water activity (aw) testing. Eight filled and sealed pouches shall be randomly selected from one production lot and tested for aw in accordance with the latest edition of the OMA of AOAC International, method 978.18, using an electric hygrometer system self-temperature controlled (at 25(C) or an equivalent instrument. Water activity shall be determined not less than 48 hours after packaging to allow moisture equilibration in the product. The sample unit shall be a specimen from the center of the product. Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.01. Verification will be conducted through actual testing by a third party certified analytical laboratory or NSRDEC. Any nonconforming aw result shall be cause for rejection.

(6) Microbiological testing. Nine filled and sealed pouches shall be randomly selected from the lot regardless of lot size (recommend selecting three bars each from the beginning, middle and end of production). The pouched product shall be individually tested for microbiological levels in accordance with the latest edition of the OMA of AOAC International or the FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM). For aerobic plate count the average result for all pouched product tested must comply as provided in C-2, J(1). For yeast and mold, results for each pouched product must comply as provided respectively in C-2, J(2). For E. coli and Salmonella, results for pouch must comply as provided respectively in C-2, J(3) and (4). Verification will be conducted through actual testing by a third party certified analytical laboratory or NSRDEC. Any result not conforming to the microbiological requirements shall be cause for rejection.

E.coli

991.14, 2005.03 Salmonella 994.04, 967.26, 996.08, 2003.09, 2004.03

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Unless otherwise specified, the applicable version of these documents is that which is active on the date of the solicitation or contract.

DLA Troop Support Form

Form 3556 Marking Instructions for Boxes, Sacks, and Unit Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) http://www.fda.gov/food/foodscienceresearch/laboratorymethods/ucm2006949.htm

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ) www.asq.org

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International

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