DEAS 1078 : 2021  
ICS 67.220  
 
© EAC 2021                                                                                                                               First Edition 2021  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Spices  — Cumin ( Cuminum cyminum  L.) — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 1078 : 2021  
ii © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
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Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 1078 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Stan dards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and servi ces are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Stand ards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including gov ernment, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated b efore finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are th erefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 006, Spices , condiments and 
culinary herbs . 
Attention is drawn to the p ossibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1078 : 2021  
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  1 
 Spices  — Cumin ( Cuminum cyminum  L.) — Specification  
1 Scope   
This draft East African Standard specifies requirements, methods of sampling and tests for cumin ( Cuminum 
cyminum L.) intended for human consumption.  
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content consti tutes 
requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
Codex online guideline for pesticide residues in food  
CODEX  STAN 193, Codex g eneral  standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed   
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods  — General requirements  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
EAS 804,  Claims — General requirements  
ISO 928 , Spices and condiments  — Determination of total ash  
ISO 930, Spices and condiments  — Determination of acid -insoluble ash  
ISO 939,  Spices and condiments — Determination of moisture content — Entrain ment method  
ISO 948, Spices and condiments — Sampling  
ISO 1108,  Spices and condiments — Determination of  non-volatile ether extract   
ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms 
— Part 1: Colony coun t at 30 oC by the pour plate technique  
ISO 6571, Spices, condiments and herbs — Determination of  volatile oil content (hydrodistilation method)  
ISO 6579 (all parts), Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enum eration 
and sero typing of salmonella    
ISO 16050, Food stuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-perfomance liquid chromatographic method  
ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of food and  animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of  
yeasts and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique  in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95  DEAS 1078 : 2021  
2 © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of beta 
–glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli — Part 2: Colony count technique at 44ºC using 5 -bromo -4-chloro -3-
indolyl beta –D-glucuronide  
ISO 2825,  Spices  and condiments  — Preparation  of a ground  sample  for analysis  
3 Terms and de finitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
cumin  
consists of the fruits of Cuminum cyminum L., with two elongated mericarps which remain joined and  the 
dimensions of which vary depending on the origin. Each mericarp, which is ochre -grey to light brown in colour, 
bears  five thin pale primary  ribs and four  wider  secondary  ribs which  are darker.  
3.2  
ground  cumin   
product  obtained  by grinding  the dried  mature  fruit of Cuminum  cyminum  L. 
3.3 
 broken fruits  
 damaged,  shrivelled,  discoloured  or immature  seeds  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
Cumin shall  
a. have  characteristic  flavour , aromatic  and not musty.  
b. be free from other edible seeds such as carom seeds, dill, caraway, anise seeds and the like   
c. be free from living insects, dead insects,  insect fragme nts and rodent contamination visible to the 
naked eye   
d. be classified according to origin, and in three grades according to its extraneous matter and  foreign 
matter content and the proportion of broken fruits as indicated in Table 1.  
 
 
 DEAS 1078 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  3 
 Table  1 — Grades  for whole  cumin  
 
Grade  Extraneous matter  
content,  max.  
% mass  fraction  Foreign matter content,  
max.  
% mass  fraction  Proportion of  
damaged/defective  
fruits,  max.  
% mass  fraction  Insect -damaged matter,  
max.  
% mass  fraction  
I 1 0.5 5 1 
II 2 0.5 5 1 
III 3 0.5 5 1 
 
4.2 Specific  requirements  
4.2.1 Whole  and ground  cumin  shall comply  with the requirements  given  in Table  2. 
Table  2 — Specific requirements for whole and ground cumin  
 
Characteristics  Requirement  for grade   
Cumin,  ground   
Method  of test 
I II III 
Moisture  content,  % mass  fraction,  max.  9 10 12 12 ISO 939 
Total  ash, % mass  fraction  (dry basis),  max.  8.5 10 12 9.5 ISO 928 
Acid-insoluble ash, % mass fraction (dry  
basis),  max.  1.5 3 4 1.5 ISO 930 
Non-volatile ether extract, % mass fraction  
(dry basis), min. 15 15 12 15 ISO 1108  
Volatile  oil content,  ml/100 g  (dry basis),  min. 2 1,5 1,5 1.3 ISO 6571  
 
4.2.2  Cumin  shall be ground to such fineness that 98% of it passes through a sieve of 500 micron (0.500 
mm).  
5 Food additives  
The use of  food additiv es in cumin shall be in accordance with Codex Stan 192.  
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Pesticide residues  
Pesticide residues in cumin  shall not exceed maximum residue limits as established in the Codex online 
guideline for pesticide residues in food.  
6.2 Heavy metals  
Heavy metals in cumin  shall not exceed maximum heavy metal limits as stipulated in CODEX STAN 193.  
6.3 Aflatoxin limits  
Total aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 µg/kg and aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 µg/kg when tested with ISO 
16050.  
7  Hygiene  DEAS 1078 : 2021  
4 © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 Cumin shall  be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39 and shall comply 
with the microbiologi cal limits stipulated in Table 3  when tested in accordance with the methods specified 
therein.  
Table 3 — Microbiological  requirements  for cumin (whole and ground)  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Total plate count, cfu/g, max.  105 ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Yeast  and moulds, cfu/g, max.  104 ISO 21527 -2 
iii.  Salmonella spp ., per 25 g   Absent  ISO 6579  
iv.  E coli , MPN/g, max.  Absent  ISO 16649 -2 
 
8 Packag ing  
Whole and ground cumin  shall be packaged in food grade packaging material that secures the integrity and 
the safety of the product.  
9 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, EAS 803 and EAS 804, each container shall be legibly and indelib ly 
labelled with the following information:  
a) name of the product as “ whole or ground cumin ”;  
b) trade name or brand name if any;  
c) name, physical and postal address of manufacturer and / or packer;  
d) batch or code number;  
e) net weight in metric units ; 
g) storage conditions;  
h) manufacturing date;  
i) expiry date; and  
j) instructions for use.  
k) country of origin  
10 Sampling  
Sample  consignments  of cumin  in accordance  with ISO 948. 
Prepare a ground sample for analysis in accordance with ISO 2825, In  view of the risk of loss of volatile  oil, 
take appropriate  precautions  when  carrying out  grinding.  
 
 DEAS 1078 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex  A 
(informative)  
 
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions  
A.1 Containers  should  be stored  in closed  premises,  protected  from the  sun, rain and excessive  heat.  
A.2 The store -room should be dry, free from unpleasant odours and protected against the entry of insects or  
vermin. Ventilation equipment should be adjusted so as to ensure good ventilation during dry weather and to  
be fully close d in wet weather.  Suitable  arrangements  should  be made  to allow  fumigation  of the store -room.  
A.3 Containers should be handled and transported so that they are protected from rain, sun and other  
sources  of excessive  heat,  unpleasant  odours  and any contamin ation,  particularly  in the holds  of ships.  
 DEAS 1078 : 2021  
6 © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] ISO 6465  — Spices — Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) — Specification  
 
.DEAS 1078 : 2021    
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved