Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 15 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE › Subtitle 03 - WEIGHTS AND MEASURES › Chapter 15.03.06 - Calibration and Operation of Automated Testing Used to Determine Fat Content of Raw Unhomogenized Milk › Section 15.03.06.06 - Calibration of Equipment

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A.
				Initial Calibration. Any person seeking to use automated testing equipment for
				measuring milk fat content in raw, unhomogenized milk as a basis of payment to
				producers shall first cause the equipment to be calibrated in accordance with
				these regulations. The Department shall be notified at least 10 State working
				days before initial calibration is to be conducted. The initial calibration may
				be performed only after the equipment has been installed and stabilized as
				approved by the Secretary. The initial calibration shall be performed by the
				equipment operator under the supervision of the Secretary, in accordance with
				the procedures approved by the Secretary. Subsequent calibrations shall be
				performed by the equipment operator in accordance with procedures approved by
				the Secretary, but need not be under the supervision of the
				Secretary.
B. Method of
				Calibration.
(1) The equipment operator shall
				obtain 20 representative samples of natural herd milk which have not been
				adjusted with skim milk, cream, or any other substance. Each sample shall be a
				representative mixture of the milk from any herd containing at least 20 cows
				milking.
(2) The collection and
				handling of the 20 representative samples shall be uniform and in accordance
				with milk sample handling procedures as set forth in the regulations of the
				Department.
(3) The milk fat
				content of the samples to be used as the natural herd milk samples shall be
				distributed within the ranges of 3 percent to 6 percent of milk fat and, if
				possible, reflect the expected milk fat content of the milk to be tested by the
				equipment.
(4) The samples shall be
				first tested for milk fat content using the reference method. Each sample shall
				be tested in triplicate. These samples shall then immediately be tested using
				the automated testing equipment and shall be tested in triplicate, using the
				automated testing equipment. All testing of the samples for purposes of
				calibration shall be completed within 24 hours from the time the samples were
				collected from the producer.
(5)
				The milk fat content for each sample as measured by the reference method shall
				be determined by taking the average of the three tests by that method. The
				three tests conducted using the automated testing equipment shall be averaged
				for each sample to determine its milk fat content as measured by that method.
				All averages shall be computed to the nearest 0.01 percent.
(6) Any sample, in which the fat content as
				measured by either method varies more than 0.10 percent during the course of
				being tested three times, may not be used in calculating the standard deviation
				of difference (Sd).
(7) The
				standard deviation of difference (Sd) shall be computed by using the averages
				of at least 18 of the 20 samples tested and applying the (Sd) formula used by
				the AOAC.
(8) The maximum allowable
				average difference (D) and the standard deviation of difference (Sd) between
				the results obtained by using the reference method and the results obtained by
				using the automated testing equipment may not exceed those established by the
				AOAC for the make and model of automated testing equipment used. Only automated
				testing equipment meeting these standards may be used to measure the milk fat
				in milk as a basis of determining the payment to producers.