Microbiological, chemical, and physical analysis of liquid, frozen, and dried egg products is performed under authority of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031-1056).

Words used in the regulations in this subpart in the singular form will import the plural, and vice versa, as the case may demand. As used throughout the regulations in this subpart, unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms will be construed to mean:

Egg. The shell egg of the domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or guinea. Some of the terms applicable to shell eggs are defined by the AMS Poultry Programs in 7 CFR 57.5.

Egg product. Any dried, frozen, or liquid eggs, with or without added ingredients. However, products which contain eggs only in a relatively small proportion or historically have not been, in the judgment of the Secretary, considered by consumers as products of the egg food industry may be exempted by the Secretary under such conditions as may be prescribed to assure that the egg ingredients are not adulterated and such products are not represented as egg products. Some of the products exempted as not being egg products are specified by the AMS Poultry Programs in 7 CFR 57.5.

Mandatory sample. An official sample of egg product(s) taken for testing under authority of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031-1056) for analysis by a United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Science and Technology laboratory at government expense. A mandatory sample shall include an egg product sample to be analyzed for microbiological, chemical, or physical attributes. A mandatory egg product sample analyzed for the presence of Salmonella is also referred to as a confirmation sample as specified by the Food Safety and Inspection Service agency of USDA in 9 CFR 590.580, paragraph (d).

Official plant. Any plant, as determined by the Secretary, at which the U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains inspection of the processing of egg products under the authority of the Egg Products Inspection Act.

Pasteurize. The subjecting of each particle of egg products to heat or other treatments to destroy harmful viable microorganisms by such processes as may be prescribed by the regulations in the EPIA.

Pesticide chemical, food additive, color additive, and raw agricultural commodity. These terms shall have the same meaning for purposes of this subpart as under sections 408, 409, and 706 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Plant. Any place of business where egg products are processed.

Processing. Manufacturing of egg products, including breaking eggs or filtering, mixing, blending, pasteurizing, stabilizing, cooling, freezing, drying, or packaging egg products at official plants.

(a) Samples drawn by a USDA egg products inspector will be analyzed by AMS Science and Technology (S&T) personnel for microbiological, chemical, and physical attributes. The analytical results of these samples will be reported to the resident egg products inspector at the applicable plant on the official certificate.

(b) Mandatory egg product samples for Salmonella are required and are analyzed in S&T laboratories to spot check and confirm the adequacy of USDA approved and recognized laboratories for analyzing routine egg product samples for Salmonella.

(c) Mandatory egg product samples for chlorinated hydrocarbons are required and are submitted by the plant inspectors on a random basis. These samples screen for pesticide residues and industrial chemical contaminants in egg products.

(d) Samples are drawn by a USDA egg products inspector to determine potential adulteration. These egg product samples may be analyzed for extraneous material, color, color additive, pesticide, heavy metal, microorganism, dextrin, or other substance.

(e) The AMS Science and Technology's Eastern Laboratory shall conduct the majority of laboratory analyses for egg products. The analyses for mandatory egg product samples are performed at the following USDA location: USDA, AMS, Science & Technology, Eastern Laboratory (Microbiology), 2311-B Aberdeen Boulevard, Gastonia, NC 28054-0614.

The majority of analytical methods used by the USDA laboratories to perform mandatory analyses for egg products are listed as follows:

(a) Compendium Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods, Carl Vanderzant and Don Splittstoesser (Editors), American Public Health Association, 1015 Fifteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

(b) Edwards, P.R. and W.H. Ewing, Edwards and Ewing's Identification of Enterobacteriaceae, Elsevier Science, Inc., Regional Sales Office, 655 Avenue of the Americas, P.O. Box 945, New York, NY 10159-0945.

(c) FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM), AOAC INTERNATIONAL, 481 North Frederick Avenue, Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2417.

(d) Manual of Analytical Methods for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Human and Environmental Samples, EPA 600/9-80-038, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Exposure Research Branch, EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD), 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268.

(e) Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, Volumes I & II, AOAC INTERNATIONAL, 481 North Frederick Avenue, Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2417.

(f) Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products, American Public Health Association, 1015 Fifteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

(g) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Pollution Control Federation, AWWA Bookstore, 6666 West Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235.

(h) Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste Physical/Chemical Methods, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste, SW-846 Integrated Manual (available from National Technical Information Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161).

(i) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Pesticide Analytical Manuals (PAM), Volumes I and II, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), 200 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20204 (available from National Technical Information Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161).

The costs for analysis of mandatory egg product samples at Science and Technology Division laboratories shall be paid by annually appropriated and designated funds allocated to the egg products inspection program. The costs for any other mandatory laboratory analyses and testing of an egg product's identity and condition, necessitated by the Egg Products Inspection Act, shall also be paid by such program funding.