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SECTION C

This document covers thermostabilized pork sausage links in brine packaged in a No. 10 

metal can (603 x 700) for use by the Department of Defense as a component of operational 

rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-P-035, PORK SAUSAGE LINKS IN BRINE, PACKAGED IN A No. 10 METAL CAN (603 x 700), 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 non 

comparable to the Product Standard, the contractor shall arrange for a new or alternate 

FA or PDM approval. In any event, all product produced must meet all requirements of this 

document including Product Standard comparability.

 B. Commercial sterility. The packaged food shall be processed until commercially 

sterile.

 C. Shelf life. The packaged product shall meet the minimum shelf life requirement of 

24 months at 80oF.

 D. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product shall be pork sausage links in brine. Each 

individual can shall contain not less than 75 intact sausage links. The packaged food 

shall be free from foreign materials.

(2) Pork sausage links. The pork sausage links shall be intact, shall be uniform in 

diameter and length after cooking, and shall be practically free of bone or bone 

fragments, cartilage, coarse connective tissue, tendons or ligaments, and glandular 

material. The links shall possess a light brown to dark brown surface color. 

 E. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall have a well blended, slightly spicy odor 

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

 F. Texture. The texture of the pork sausage links shall be moist and moderately firm.

 G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 106 ounces. No individual 

can shall have a net weight of less than 104 ounces.

 H. Drained weight. The average drained weight shall be not less than 47.0 ounces. The 

drained weight of 75 intact sausage links in an individual can shall be not less than 

45.0 ounces.

 I. Palatability and overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or 

better than the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 J. Analytical requirements.

(1) Fat content. The fat content shall be not greater than 35.0 percent. 
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(2) Salt content. The salt content shall be not less than 1.0 percent and not 

greater than 2.5 percent.

C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION ONLY TO PROVIDE THE BENEFIT OF PAST GOVERNMENT 

EXPERIENCE. THIS IS NOT A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients/formulation. Ingredients and formulation percentages for the pork 

sausage links may be as follows: 

Ingredients Percent by weight

Ground pork 1/ 93.43

Water or ice 2.80

Salt 2/ 1.64

Dextrose 0.82

Granulated white sugar 0.82

Ground white pepper 0.23

Ground sage 0.18

Ground black pepper 0.06

Ground ginger 0.02

1/ The pork shall be chopped or ground to a moderately or slightly coarse texture.

2/ The total amount of salt in the formula may be adjusted, as necessary, to produce a 

product that complies with the finished product salt requirements.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING 

 A. Commercial packaging. Seventy-five intact sausage links shall be packaged in a No. 

10 metal can (603 x 700) in accordance with good commercial practice. The filled can 

shall be hermetically sealed under a vacuum of not less than 20 inches (50.8 cm) of 

mercury. The filled, sealed, and processed can shall conform to the United States 

Standards for Condition of Food Containers.

 B. Export packaging. Seventy-five intact sausage links shall be packaged in a No. 10 

metal can (603 x 700) in accordance with good commercial practice. The filled can shall 

be hermetically sealed under a vacuum of not less than 20 inches (50.8 cm) of mercury. 

The can shall be an open-top style, round metal can, with welded side seam and 

compound-lined, double-seamed ends. The can shall be made throughout from not less than 

0.25 pound per base box electrolytic tin plate. Alternatively, the cans may be fabricated 

from ECCS plate, fully enameled both inside and out. In addition, the cans shall be 

beaded to provide paneling resistance. The entire inside area of the can shall be coated 

with enamel.

D-2 LABELING

 A. Labeling of metal cans. Labeling of metal cans shall be as specified in DSCP FORM 

2997, Labeling of Metal Cans for Subsistence.

D-3 PACKING

 A. Commercial packing. Six cans of product shall be packed in a shipping container 

complying with the National Motor Freight Classification or the Uniform Freight 

Classification.
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 B. Export packing. Six cans of product shall be packed in a snug-fitting fiberboard 

shipping container conforming to style RSC, grade W5c or W5s of ASTM D5118/D5118M-95 

(2001), Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The cans shall be 

arranged three in length and two in width within the container. Each shipping container 

shall be closed and reinforced with nonmetallic strapping or pressure-sensitive adhesive 

filament-reinforced tape in accordance with ASTM D1974-98, Standard Practice for Methods 

of Closing, Sealing, and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes.

D-4 UNITIZATION

 A. Unit loads. Unit loads shall be as specified in DSCP FORM 3507, Loads, Unit: 

Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items. 

D-5 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers and unit loads. Marking of shipping containers and unit loads 

shall be as specified in DSCP FORM 3556 Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks 

and Palletized/Containerized Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence.

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The following quality assurance criteria, utilizing ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993, Sampling 

Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes, are required. Unless otherwise 

specified, Single Sampling Plans indicated in ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993 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. 

(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 

overall appearance and palatability. 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 
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address for evaluation:

US Army Soldier & Biological Chemical Command

Soldiers System Ctr., Natick Soldier Center

Attn: AMSSB-RCF-F(N)

15 Kansas Street

Natick, MA 01760-5018

One lot shall be randomly selected during each calendar month of production. 

Two (2) sample units of each item produced shall be randomly selected from that one 

production lot. The two (2) sample units shall be shipped to Natick within five working 

days from the end of the production month and upon completion of all USDA inspection 

requirements. The sample units will be evaluated for the characteristics of appearance, 

odor, flavor, texture and overall quality.

(2) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the examinations 

and the methods of inspection cited in this section.

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/ASQC Z1.4 -

1993. The lot size shall be expressed in cans. The sample unit shall be the contents of 

one can. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the acceptable quality level (AQL), 

expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 for major defects and 6.5 

for minor defects. Defects and defect classifications are listed in table I below. The 

samples for drained weight inspection shall be selected using the same sampling criteria 

as above.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

Appearance

101 Product not pork sausage links in brine.

102 Bone or bone fragment measuring more than 0.3 inch in any dimension.

103 More than three sausage links per sample can not intact.

201 Surface color not light to dark brown.

202 Sausage links not of uniform diameter or length.

203 Total weight of cartilage, coarse connective tissue, tendons or 

ligaments, and glandular material is more than 1.0 ounces.

Odor and flavor

104 The packaged food does not have an odor or flavor of cooked, well 

blended, slightly spicy sausage.

Texture

204 Sausages not moist or not moderately firm.

Net weight

205 Net weight of an individual can less than 104 ounces. 4/

Drained weight

206 Drained weight of 75 intact pork sausage links in an individual can 

less than 45.0 ounces. 5/

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

wood, glass, metal, or mold, or any foreign odors or flavors such as, but not limited to 

burnt, scorched, rancid, sour, or stale shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

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.

3/ The finding of any individual can containing less than 75 intact sausage links shall 

be cause for rejection of the lot.

4/ Sample average net weight less than 106 ounces shall be cause for rejection of the 

lot.

5/ Sample average drained weight of less than 47.0 ounces shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot.
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 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Commercial sterility. Commercial sterility shall be verified in accordance with 

USDA/FSIS regulations. 

(2) Shelf life. The contractor shall provide a certificate of conformance that the 

product has a 24 month shelf life when stored at 800F. Government verification may include 

storage for 6 months at 1000F or 24 months at 800F. 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 hedonic 

scale to be considered acceptable.

(3) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed can shall be determined by 

weighing each sample unit on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty can and 

lid. Results shall be reported to the nearest 1 ounce. 

(4) Drained weight. The can contents shall be poured into a flat-bottom container. 

A minimum of three times the can's volume of 180oF to 190oF water shall be added to the 

container so as to cover the contents. The contents and water shall be gently agitated so 

as to liquefy rendered fat without breaking the sausage links. The contents shall then be 

poured into a U.S. Standard 1/4 inch sieve in a manner that will distribute the product 

over the sieve without breaking the sausage links. The sieve area shall be such that the 

distributed product does not completely cover all the openings of the sieve. The sieve 

shall be tilted at such an angle so as to assure complete drainage of all liquid from the 

product. The product shall be drained for 2 minutes before determining the drained 

weight. Determine the drained weight by subtracting the sieve tare weight from the gross 

weight. The drained weight shall be reported to the nearest 0.5 ounce.

(5) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a one-pound composite of pork 

sausage links from three thoroughly drained cans that have been selected at random from 

one production lot. The composite sample shall be prepared and analyzed in accordance 

with the following Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International (OMA).

Test Method Number

Fat 925.12, 985.15 or 2008.06

Salt 935.47 or 971.27

Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Verification will be conducted 

through actual testing by a Government laboratory. Any result not conforming to the 

analytical requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING MATERIALS, 603 x 700 METAL CAN)

 A. Packaging.

(1) Can condition examination. Examination of filled and sealed cans shall be in 

accordance with the United States Standards for Condition of Food Containers. In 

addition, scratches, scuffs or abrasions that occur on the outside coating as a result of 

the filling, sealing, and processing of the cans shall not be scored as a defect.

(2) Can closure examination. Can closures shall be examined visually and by 

teardowns in accordance with the can manufacturer's requirement and 21 CFR, Part 113, 

Subpart D, or 9 CFR, Part 318, Subpart G, as applicable. Any nonconformance based on 

observation of can seam teardowns or on record of can seam teardowns shall be classified 

as a major defect and shall be cause for rejection of any involved product.
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(3) Can vacuum examination. The filled and sealed cans selected for the product 

examination shall be examined for vacuum. The cans and contents shall be allowed to reach 

70° to 80°F. The vacuum reading shall be taken with a puncture-type vacuum gauge making 

the puncture as near as possible to the double seam to minimize error due to distortion 

of the end. A correction of 1 inch of vacuum shall be added to the gauge reading for each 

1000 feet above sea level at which the determination is made. Failure of any can to meet 

the vacuum requirement of 5 inches shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 B. Labeling.

(1) Can labeling examination. The can labeling shall be examined in accordance with 

the requirements of DSCP FORM 2997, Labeling of Metal Cans for Subsistence.

 C. Packing.

(1) Shipping container and marking examination. The filled and sealed shipping 

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table II below. The lot size shall 

be expressed in shipping containers. The sample unit shall be one shipping container 

fully packed. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the AQL, expressed in terms of 

defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 for major defects and 10.0 for total defects.

TABLE II. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Marking omitted, incorrect, illegible, or improper size, location 

sequence or method of application.

102 Inadequate workmanship. 1/

201 Arrangement or number of cans not as specified.

1/ Inadequate workmanship is defined as, but not limited to, incomplete closure of 

container flaps, loose strapping, inadequate stapling, improper taping, or bulged or 

distorted container.

 D. Unitization.

(1) Unit load examination. The unit load shall be examined in accordance with the 

requirements of DSCP FORM 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence 

Items. Any nonconformance shall be classified as a major defect.

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

DSCP FORMS

DSCP FORM 2997 Labeling of Metal Cans for Subsistence

DSCP FORM 3507 Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items

DSCP FORM 3556 Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks and

Palletized/Containerized Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable 

Subsistence

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulations promulgated thereunder 

(21 CFR Parts 1-199) and (9 CFR Parts 1-391)

U.S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS
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AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ)

ANSI/ASQCZ1.4-1993 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes

NATIONAL MOTOR FREIGHT TRAFFIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

UNIFORM FREIGHT CLASSIFICATION COMMITTEE

ASTM INTERNATIONAL

D1974-98 Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D5118/D5118M-95 (2001) Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard 

Shipping Boxes

AOAC INTERNATIONAL Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International (OMA)