DEAS 887:2023  
ICS 67.200.10  
 
© EAC 2023                                                                                                                          Second  Edition 2023 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
 
Crude and semi refined palm oil — Specification  
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY   DEAS 887:2023  
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  DEAS 887:2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East A frican Stand ards has been neces sitated 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 good s and servic es 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 Nat ional 
Standa rds Bodies in Partn er 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 in cluding gove rnment, academia, c onsumer 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 inc orporated be fore finalization o f 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 Stand ards are the refore 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 015, Oil seeds, edible fats 
and oils .  
This second  edition will cancel  and replaces the first edition (EAS 887:2018), which has been technically 
revised.  
Attention is drawn to  the possibility that some of t he 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 887:2023  
 
 Crude and semi refined palm oil — Specification  
1 Scope   
This East African standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for crude and semi 
refined (neutralized and/or bleached) palm oil derived from the fleshy mesocarp of the fruit of oil palm (Elaeis 
guineensis) intended for further processing . 
2 Normative references   
The foll owing documents are referred to in the tex t in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of thi s docu ment. Fo r dated reference s, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced docume nt (in cluding any amendments) applies . 
AOAC 952.13, Arsenic in food. Silver diethyldithiocarbamate  
CXC 36, Code of Practice for the Stor age and Transport o f Edible Fats and Oils in Bulk  
CODEX STAN 192, General Standard for Food Additives  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Specification  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
ISO 660, Animal a nd vegetable fats a nd oils — Determination of acid value and acidity  
ISO 661, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Preparation of test sample  
ISO 662, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content  
ISO 3657, Anim al and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of saponification value  
ISO 3961, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of iodin e value using diethyl ether extraction  
ISO 5555, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Sampling  
ISO 6320, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of refractive index  
ISO 6321, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of melting point  in open capillary tubes (slip 
point)  
ISO 6883, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of conventional mass  per volume (litre 
weight in air)  
ISO 12193, Anim al and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of lead by direct graphite furnace atomic 
absorption spectroscopy  
ISO 15305, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of Lovibond colour  
ISO 21033 Ani mal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination o f trace elements by inductively coupled   
plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP -OES)  
ISO 27608 Animal and vegetable fats and oils —Determination of Lovibond colour — Automatic method   DEAS 887:2023  
 3 Terms and definiti ons  
For the p urposes of this document, the following  terms and definitions apply . 
3.1 
crude palm oil  
Raw vegetable oil  composed primarily of glycerides of fatty acids obtained from fleshy mesocarp of the fruit 
of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). It may contain other lipids such as phosphatides, unsaponifiable 
constituents and free fatty acids naturally present in the oil  
NOTE  Edible virgin palm oil is excluded from this definition.  
3.2 
semi refined (intermediate) palm oil  
degummed oil which is presented as either neutralized, bleached or neutralized and bleached palm oils 
intended for further p rocessing . 
3.3 
neutralized palm oil  
degummed oil treated with an alkali to reduce the level of free fatty acid  
3.4 
bleached  palm  oil 
oil which  has been  treated  with food grade  bleaching  agents  for the purpose  of removing  colouring  
pigments  and impurities  
3.5 
food  grade  packaging  material  
packaging  material,  made  of substances  which  are safe and suitable  for the intended  use and which  will not 
impart  any toxic substan ce or undesirable odour  or flavour to  the product  
4  Requ irements  
4.1 General requirements  
Crude  and semi  refined palm  oil shall be: 
a) free from foreign  odours ; 
b) free from foreign  material;  and 
c) free from adulterants   
4.2 Specific  requirements  
Crude  and semi  refined  palm  oil shall comply  with requirements  given  in Table  1 when  tested  in 
accordance  with the  methods specified  therein . 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for crude and semi refined palm oil  
S/N Parameter  Requirement  Test method  
 
Crude  palm  
oil Semi refined  palm  oil Crude  palm  oil 
with higher 
content of 
oleic acid  Neutralized  & 
Bleached  Neutralized  Bleached  
i) Relative  density  (50 °C/ 
water  at 20  °C ) 0.891  –0.899  0.891  –0.899  0.891  –0.899  0.891  –0.899  0.896 -0.910  ISO 6883  
ii) Refractive  index, (ND 50 
°C) 1.454 – 1.456  1.454 – 1.456  1.454 – 1.456  1.454 – 1.456  1.459 -1.462  ISO 6320  
iii) Saponification  value,  mg 
KOH/g,  oil 190 – 209 190 – 209 190 – 209 190 – 209 189-199 ISO 3657   DEAS 887:2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  3 
 iv) Iodine  value  (Wijs),  
g/100  
 48 - 55 48 - 55 48 - 55 48 - 55 58-75 ISO 3961  
v) Slip point,  °C 33.0 - 39.0 33.0 - 39.0 33.0 - 39.0 33.0 - 39.0 33.0-39.0  ISO 6321  
vi) Moisture  and volatile  
matter at 105 °C, % m/m  
max.  0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 ISO 662 
vii) Copper (Cu),  mg/kg  0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4  ISO 21033  
viii Iron(F e), mg/kg  5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 
ix) Free Fatty  Acid (FFA)  
(as palmitic),  %, m/m  ≥ 2.5a 0.3 < 2.5b 0.3 < 2.5b ≥ 2.5a ≥ 2.5a ISO 660 
x) Colour,  133.35  mm (5¼ 
in.) Lovibond  ≥ 20 R c 6 < 20 Rd ≥ 20 R c 6 < 20 Rd ≥20R  ISO 15305 or 
ISO 27608  
a FFA shall be greater than or  equal  to 2.5. 
b FFA shall be greater  than 0.3  but less  than 2.5.  
c Colour shall be greater  than or equal  to 20R.  
d Colour  shall be greater  than 6 but  less than 20R.  
5 Food additives  
5.1 Food Additives shall not be used in crude palm oil.  
5.2 Semi refined palm oil products may contain food additives. When used they shall co nform to the 
specified levels stated in CODEX STAN 192.  
5.3 Food colour shall not be used . 
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Pesticide residues  
Crude palm oil and semi refined palm oil shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits 
established by the Codex Alim entarius Commission for this commodity . 
6.2 Heavy metal contaminants   
Crude palm oil and semi refined palm oil shall comply with those maximum limits specified i n Table 2 when 
tested in accordance with the methods specified therein  
Table 2 — Heavy metal co ntaminant limits in crude and semi refined palm oil  
S/ N Contaminant  Maximum Limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
i) Lead  (Pb) 0.08 ISO 12193  
ii) Arsenic (As)  0.1 AOAC  952.13   DEAS 887:2023  
 7 Hygiene  
Crude and semi refined palm oil shall be produced, prepared and handled in accord ance with EAS 39. 
8 Packaging, storage and transportation   
8.1 Packaging  
Crude and semi refined palm oil shall be packaged in containers made from food grade packaging material  
and sealed in a manner that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional and organo leptic properties of the 
product  throughout  the shelf  life of the product.  
8.2 Storage and t ransportation  
Storage and t ransportation of edible fats and oils in bulk shall be in accordance with CXC 36 . 
9 Labelling  
9.1 Labelling of crude and semi refined pa lm oils shall be done in accordance with EAS 38.  
9.2 For the case  of the “semi  refined  palm oil”  the product  shall be further  described  as either:  
a) ‘neutralised’,  
b) ‘bleached’,  or 
c) ‘bleached  and neutralised’.   
9.3 Where the product claims  high oleic acid conte nt, it shall be declared  
10 Sampling  
Sampling and sample preparation for testing shall be carried out in accordance with ISO 5555 and ISO 661 
respectively.  
 DEAS 887:2023    
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved