PCR-R-015

8 January 2013

1

SECTION C

This document covers rotini with cheese sauce, chicken, tomatoes and asparagus, cooked, 

dehydrated, packaged in a brickpack pouch for use by the Department of Defense as a 

component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-R-015, ROTINI WITH CHEESE SAUCE, CHICKEN, TOMATOES AND 

ASPARAGUS, COOKED, DEHYDRATED, PACKAGED IN A BRICKPACK 

POUCH, SHELF STABLE

C-2 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

 A. Product standard. A sample shall be subjected to first article (FA) or product 

demonstration model (PDM) inspection as applicable, in accordance with the tests and 

inspections of Section E of this Performance-based 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 FA or 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 36 

months at 80oF.

 C. Dehydrated product.

(1) Appearance.

 a. General. The finished product shall be a mixture of rotini pasta, chicken, 

tomatoes and asparagus in a white cheese sauce that has been dehydrated. The product shall 

be practically free of glazed surface areas or dark colored cores. The finished product shall be 

free from foreign materials.

 b. Pasta. The rotini pasta shall be an enriched pasta product and shall be 

approximately 1 to 1-1/2 inches in length. The pasta shall be characteristic of cooked, 

dehydrated rotini pasta and shall be an off white to light tan color.
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 c. Chicken. The chicken shall be cooked, dehydrated pieces of whole muscle white 

meat chicken and shall be an off white to light tan color.

 d. Tomato. The tomatoes shall be cooked, dehydrated pieces and shall be a dark 

orange to dark red color.

 e. Asparagus. The cooked, dehydrated asparagus pieces shall have a green to olive 

green exterior color and an off white to light tan interior color.

 f. Cheese sauce. The cooked, dehydrated cheese sauce shall be an off white color 

and shall be a free flowing powder. The cheese sauce may contain white shreds of Parmesan 

and Romano cheese.

(2) Odor. The packaged food shall have a Parmesan and Romano cheese odor. The 

product may have an odor of cooked, dehydrated pasta, chicken, tomatoes, asparagus, onion

and garlic and shall be free from foreign odors.

(3) Texture. The cooked rotini pasta with cheese sauce, chicken, tomatoes and 

asparagus shall be fully dehydrated.

(4) Net weight. No individual pouch shall have a net weight of less than 5.3 ounces 

(150 grams).

 D. Rehydrated product. The product shall rehydrate within ten minutes.

(1) Appearance.

 a. General. The rehydrated rotini pasta with cheese sauce, chicken, tomatoes and 

asparagus shall be a mixture of cooked rotini pasta, cooked chicken, cooked tomatoes and 

cooked asparagus in a cheese sauce typical of a product that has been frozen and reheated.

The rehydrated product shall be free from foreign materials.

 b. Pasta. The cooked and rehydrated rotini pasta shall be an off white to light tan

color.

 c. Chicken. The cooked and rehydrated whole muscle white meat chicken shall be 

distinct pieces typically produced by a 1/2 inch machine setting and shall be a light to

medium tan color. The chicken shall be practically free of skin, bone or bone fragments, 

cartilage, coarse connective tissue, tendons or ligaments, and discolored meat.

 d. Tomato. The cooked and rehydrated tomato pieces shall be a dark orange color. 
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 e. Asparagus. The cooked and rehydrated asparagus pieces shall have a green to 

olive green exterior color and an off white to light tan interior color. The asparagus pieces 

shall be approximately 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches in length.

 f. Cheese sauce. The cooked and rehydrated cheese sauce shall be an off white to 

light tan color and shall be moderately thin and may contain white shreds of Parmesan and 

Romano cheese.

(2) Odor and flavor. The rehydrated product shall have an odor and flavor 

characteristic of frozen and reheated cooked pasta, cooked chicken, cooked tomatoes, cooked 

asparagus, garlic and chicken broth in a Parmesan and Romano cheese sauce and shall be 

free from foreign odors and flavors.

(3) Texture. 

 a. General. The rehydrated cooked rotini with cheese sauce, chicken, tomatoes and 

asparagus shall be fully rehydrated.

 b. Pasta. The rotini pasta shall be slightly soft to slightly firm.

 c. Chicken. The chicken shall be moist and tender.

 d. Tomato. The tomato pieces shall be tender and may have slightly firm skins.

 e. Asparagus. The asparagus pieces shall be slightly firm and fibrous.

 f. Cheese sauce. The cheese sauce shall be moderately thin.

 E. Palatability and overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or better than 

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 F. Analytical requirements.

(1) Protein. The protein content of the dehydrated product shall be not less than 25.0

percent.

(2) Fat. The fat content of the dehydrated product shall be not greater than 15.0

percent.

(3) Sodium. The sodium content of the dehydrated product shall be not greater than 

800 mg per 100 grams.
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G. Moisture content. The moisture content of the dehydrated product shall be not greater 

than 2.5 percent.

 H. Microbiological requirements.

(1) Aerobic plate count. The aerobic plate count shall be not greater than 75,000

Colony Forming Units (CFU) per gram in four of five samples and not greater than 150,000 

CFU per gram in any individual sample. 

(2) E. coli. Eschericia coli count shall have less than 10 CFU per gram, where this 

finding indicates zero CFU observed.

(3) Salmonella. The Rotini with Cheese Sauce, Chicken, Tomatoes and Asparagus 

shall be Salmonella negative, where this finding indicates zero CFU observed.

C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A MANDATORY 

CONTRACT REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients. Pasta [durum semolina (enriched with niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine

mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid)], Cooked Freeze-Dried Diced Chicken, Romano 

Cheese Powder [Romano Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), 

Disodium Phosphate], Sour Cream Powder [Sour Cream (Cream Solid, Cultured Nonfat 

Milk), Citric Acid], Parmesan Cheese Powder [Parmesan Cheese Powder (Partially Skim 

Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Disodium Phosphate], Potato Starch, Whey Powder, Tomato 

Flakes, Freeze-Dried Asparagus, Nonfat Milk, Onion Granules, Sea Salt, Natural Butter 

Flavor, Garlic Granules, and White Pepper.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING 

A net weight of 5.3 ounces (150 grams) of dehydrated product shall be filled into pouches in 

accordance with the PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE 

PROVISIONS FOR DEHYDRATED PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH.

D-2 LABELING

 
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(1) Each pouch shall be labeled in accordance with the PACKAGING 

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR DEHYDRATED 

PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH.

(2) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all USDA 

labeling regulations and policies. The pouches shall be labeled with the following product 

name.

ROTINI WITH CHEESE SAUCE, CHICKEN, TOMATOES AND ASPARAGUS

D-3 PACKING

Packing for shipment to ration assembler shall be in accordance with the PACKAGING 

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR DEHYDRATED 

PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH.

 

D-5 MARKING

Marking of shipping containers shall be in accordance with the PACKAGING 

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR DEHYDRATED 

PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH.

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. When required, the manufacturer shall

provide the Certificate(s) of Conformance to the appropriate inspection activity. 

Certificate(s) of Conformance not provided shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 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 performance of the major end item, i.e., the consumption of the ration.

(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. 
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(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 first article or product demonstration model shall 

be inspected in accordance with the provisions of this document and evaluated for

appearance, odor, flavor, and texture. Any failure to conform to the performance 

requirements or any appearance or palatability failure shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

The approved first article or product demonstration model shall be used as the product 

standard for periodic review evaluations. All food components that are inspected by the 

USDA shall be subject to periodic review sampling and evaluation. The USDA shall select 

sample units during production of contracts and submit them to the following address for 

evaluation:

US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center

RDNS-CFF

15 Kansas Street

Natick, MA 01760-5056

One lot shall be randomly selected during each calendar month of production or as otherwise 

specified in the contract. Three (3) sample units shall be randomly selected from that one 

production lot. The three (3) sample units shall be shipped to Natick within five (5) working 

days from the end of the production month from which they are randomly selected and upon 

completion of all USDA inspection requirements. The sample units will be evaluated for 

overall quality against the current first article or product demonstration model.

(2) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the 

examinations/tests and the methods of inspection cited in this section and in PACKAGING 

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR DEHYDRATED 

PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH.

 

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 Performance-based Contract 

Requirements document utilizing the double sampling plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. 

The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The sample unit shall be the contents of one
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pouch. 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/ 3/

Category Defect

Major Minor

Dehydrated product

Net weight

201 Net weight of an individual pouch less than 5.3 ounces (150 

grams).

Appearance

101 Product not a mixture of rotini pasta, chicken, tomatoes, and 

asparagus in a white cheese sauce that has been dehydrated.

202 Rotini pasta not approximately 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches in length. 4/

203 Rotini pasta not an off white to light tan color.

204 Chicken not cooked, dehydrated pieces of whole muscle white meat 

chicken or not an off white to light tan color. 5/

102 Glazed surface area measuring more than 0.5 inch in any 

dimension. 6/

103 Dark colored core in any dimension. 6/

205 Tomatoes not cooked, dehydrated pieces or not a dark orange to 

dark red color.

206 Cooked, dehydrated asparagus pieces not a green to olive green 

exterior color or not an off white to light tan interior color.

207 Dehydrated cheese sauce not an off white color or not a free 

flowing powder.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Odor

104 Product does not have an odor of Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Texture

105 Wet or soft spots. 6/

Rehydrated product 8/

Appearance

106 Product not a mixture of cooked rotini pasta, cooked chicken, 

cooked tomatoes and cooked asparagus in a cheese sauce typical of 

a product that has been frozen and reheated.

208 Cooked and rehydrated rotini pasta not an off white to light tan 

color.

209 Cooked and rehydrated whole muscle white meat chicken not 

distinct pieces or not a light to medium tan color.

107 Bone or bone fragment measuring more than 0.3 inch in any 

dimension.

210 Total weight of skin, cartilage, coarse connective tissue, tendons or 

ligaments, and discolored meat more than 0.2 ounce.

211 Cooked and rehydrated tomatoes pieces not a dark orange color.

212 Cooked and rehydrated asparagus pieces do not have a green to 

olive green exterior color or do not have an off white to light tan 

interior color. 

213 Asparagus pieces not approximately 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches in length.

214 Cooked and rehydrated cheese sauce not an off white to light tan 

color.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Odor and flavor

108 Rehydrated product does not have an odor and flavor characteristic 

of frozen and rehydrated cooked pasta, or cooked chicken, or 

cooked tomatoes, or cooked asparagus, or garlic, or chicken broth

in a Parmesan or Romano cheese sauce.

Texture

215 Rotini pasta not slightly soft to slightly firm. 

216 Chicken not moist or not tender.

217 Tomato pieces not tender.

218 Asparagus pieces not slightly firm or not fibrous.

219 Cheese sauce not moderately thin.

1/ Presence of any foreign materials such as, but not limited to dirt, insect parts, hair, glass, 

wood, plastic, 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 of the lot. Foreign 

flavor is not applicable to dehydrated product.

2/ Finished product not equal to or better than the approved product standard in palatability 

and overall appearance shall be cause for rejection of the lot. Palatability not applicable to 

dehydrated product.

3/ Verification of pasta as enriched shall be with a statement of ingredients on the label or 

verified by producer’s Certificate of Conformance (CoC). Any nonconforming result shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot.

4/ Length of rotini pasta shall be verified by the producer’s CoC.

5/ Machine setting requirement for whole muscle white meat chicken pieces shall be verified 

by the producer’s CoC.
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6/ Evidence of faulty or incomplete dehydration.

7/ Prior to conducting the rehydrated product examination, the rotini pasta with cheese sauce,

chicken, tomatoes and asparagus shall be reconstituted per pouch instructions. Product that 

does not rehydrate within ten minutes shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Shelf life. The contractor shall provide a Certificate of Conformance that the 

product has a 36 month shelf life when stored at 80oF. Government verification may include 

storage for 6 months at 100o

F or 36 months at 80oF. Upon completion of either storage 

period, the product will be subjected to a sensory evaluation panel for appearance and 

palatability and must receive an overall score of 5 or higher based on a 9 point quality scale 

to be considered acceptable.

(2) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed pouches 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) 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 Official Methods of Analysis 

(OMA) of AOAC International:

Test Method Number

Protein 988.05, 992.15

Fat 985.15, 991.36, 2007.04 or 2008.06

Sodium 985.35, 984.27

Test results for protein and fat shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Test results for 

sodium shall be reported to the nearest 1 milligram per 100 grams. Government verification 

will be conducted through actual testing by a Government laboratory. Any nonconforming 

results shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

(4) Moisture content testing. Eight filled and sealed pouches shall be selected at 

random from the lot regardless of lot size. The contents of each pouch shall be blended to 

uniformity using a blender or food processor. The blending must be rapid and conducted in 

such a way that minimum heat is transferred to the product and that the product has minimum 

exposure to atmospheric moisture. Each sample shall be tested for moisture content in 

accordance with the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International, method 

926.08 (except the temperature-time cycle for moisture analysis shall be modified by using a 
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temperature of 70°C for 16 hours at a pressure of not more than 100 mm of mercury), 

method 985.14, or 2008.06. Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. 

Government verification will be conducted through actual testing by a Government 

laboratory. Any nonconforming results shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

(5) Microbiological testing. Sixty filled and sealed pouches shall be selected at 

random from the lot regardless of lot size. Six composite samples, each composed of ten 

pouches shall be prepared. Each of the composite samples shall be tested for microbiological 

activity in accordance with the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of the AOAC 

International or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bacteriological Analytical Manual 

(BAM). For aerobic plate count, the average result for all composites tested must comply as 

provided in C-2, H (1). For E. coli and Salmonella, results for each composite must comply 

as provided respectively in C-2, H (2) and (3). Any nonconforming results shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

Test Method Number

Aerobic plate count 990.12, 966.23, or 2008.10, or BAM Ch3

E. coli 991.14, 992.30, 966.24, or BAM Ch4 

Salmonella 2003.09, 2004.03, 2011.03, or BAM Ch5

NOTE: The following condition applies for Salmonella and microbiological testing: USDA 

Salmonella and additional microbiological testing is required for each end item lot and shall 

be the basis for lot acceptance with respect to Salmonella and other microbiological testing 

requirements.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

Inspection for packaging, labeling, packing, and marking shall be in accordance with the 

PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR 

DEHYDRATED PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH.
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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.

SPECIFICATIONS

PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS 

FOR DEHYDRATED PRODUCT IN A BRICKPACK POUCH

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM)

www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/Labor

atoryMethods/BacteriologicalAnalyticalMa

nualBAM/default.htm

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

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

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of the AOAC International