DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2673  
First  Edition  
2023 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2673 : 2023  
© UNBS 2023   
  
Tapioca pearls  — Specification  
 DUS 2673 : 2023  
ii © UNBS 2023– All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2023  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
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Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2673 :2023  
© UNBS 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
4 Grades  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
5 Product description  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  2 
6 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
6.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  2 
6.2. Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  2 
7 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  3 
8 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
9 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
10 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
11 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  4 
12 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  4 
Bibliography ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  1 
 DUS 2673 : 2023  
iv © UNBS 2023– All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 204, Fruits, vegetables 
,tubers and processed products .  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2673 : 2023  
   
© UNBS 2023  – All rights reserved  1 
 Tapioca pearls — Specification  
1 Scope  
This standard prescribes the requirements , sampling and test methods for  tapioca  pearls  intended for  human 
consumption.  
2 Normative references   
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes 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.  
AOAC 943.02 -1943, PH of flour. Potentiometric method  
US 28 EAS 39 , Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry  
ISO 874.  Fresh fruits and vegetables - Sampling  
US 45 , General standard for food additives  
US EAS 744:2010, Cassava and cassava products - Determination of total cyanogens - Enzymatic assay 
method  
US ISO 10520,  Native  starch  - Determination of  starch  content - Ewers polarimetric method  
US ISO 1666,  Starch - Determination of moisture content - Oven -drying method  
US ISO 5498 , Agricultural food products - Determination of crude  fibre content - General method  
US ISO 20483, Cereals and pulses - Determination of the nitrogen content and calculation of the crude protein 
content - Kjeldahl method  
US ISO  5985,  Animal feeding stuffs - Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
US ISO 5379 , Starches and derived products - Determination of sulphur dioxide content - Acidi -metric method 
and nephelometric metho d 
ISO 5520, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of alkalinity of total ash and of water -
soluble ash  
ISO 14864:1998, Rice — Evaluation of gelatinization time of kernels during cooking  
US EAS 901, Cereals and pulses — Test methods  
3 Terms and definitions  
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.   
2 © UNBS 2023 – All rights reserved  
 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  
4 Grade s 
The product  shall be of the following three grades :  
a) Special;  
b) Standard; and  
c) General.  
5 Product description  
Tapioca pearls shall be in the form of small, hard, clean, wholesome globules or pearls of uniform colour, 
shape and size made from the starch obtained from the tuberous roots of manihot plant commonly known as 
cassava or tapioca ( Manihot esculenta crantz syn. Utilissima ).  
6 Requirements   
6.1 General requirements  
6.1.1 The product shall be pearl white in colour having characteristic taste and flavour.  
 It shall be free from  
a) fermented or musty or any other objectionable odours,  
b) added sweetening or colouring matters,   
c) adulterants , insect infestation, live and dead insects, mould/mites/fungal contamination and 
larvae.  
NOTE  — The appearance, taste and odour shall be determined by sensory analysis tests as agreed to between the 
manufacturer and purchaser.   
6.1.3 The product, when examined by the method prescribed in  clause 4 of US EAS 901 , shall be free from 
dirt, or other suspended and extraneous matter (any foreign matter in product including filth, sand and soil, 
glass etc.).  
6.1.4 Gelatinization  
When cooked and tested by the method prescribed in ISO 14864 , the quantity of starch passed into the gruel 
shall not exceed 30 percent by mass of the matter taken for the test, and the individual globules or pearls shall 
retain the globular shape.  
6.2. Specific requirements  
The tapioca pearls  shall also comply with the requirements given in Table 1 .  DUS  2673 : 2023  
© UNBS 2023– All rights reserved  3 
 Table 1 : Specific r equirements for tapioca pearls  
S/N Characteristic  Requirements  Test method  
Special  
Grade  Standard  
Grade  General  
Grade  
i.  Moisture, percent by mass, 
Max  11.0 11.0 12.0 US ISO 1666  
ii.  Acid insoluble ash (dry basis), 
percent by mass, Max  0.10 0.10 0.10 US ISO 5985  
iii.  Starch (dry basis), percent by 
mass, Min  98.0 98.0 96.0 US ISO 10520  
iv.  Protein (dry basis), percent by 
mass, Min  0.3 0.3 0.3 US ISO 20483  
v.  Sulphur dioxide, ppm, Max  100 100 100 US ISO 5379  
vi.  Crude fibre (on dry basis), 
percent by mass, Max  0.15 0.20 0.20 US ISO 5498  
vii.  pH of aqueous extract  4.5 to 7.0  4.5 to 7.0  4.5 to 7.0   AOAC 943.02  
viii.  Colour of gelatinized alkaline 
paste in the po rcelain cuvette 
on the Lovibond Scale, not 
deeper than  0.2 R + 1.0 Y  0.3 R + 1.0 Y  0.4 R + 1.5 Y   
ix.  Hydrocyanic acid, mg/kg, Max  5 5 10 US EAS 744:2010  
7 Food additives  
Food additives when used shall contain permitted additives complying with US 45  
8 Hygiene  
Tapioca pearls shall be produced and handled in accordance with US 28 EAS 39.  
9 Contaminant s 
9.1 Pesticide residues  
The pesticide residues, if any, in the product shall not exceed the limits as prescribed in the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission.  
9.2 Other contaminants  
Tapioca pearls shall comply with the maximum levels of contaminants given in CODEX STAN 193.  
10 Pack aging  
Tapioca pearls shall be packaged in food grade materials that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional and 
organoleptic qualities of the product . 
 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed.   
4 © UNBS 2023 – All rights reserved  
 11 Labelling  
The following specific labelling requirements shall apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked in 
accordance with the requirements of US EAS 38.  
a) name and grade of the product ;  
b) name, and physical address of the manufacturer;  
c) country of origin;  
d) date of manufacture  
e) best before  
f) storage conditions; and  
g) batch or lot number;  
h) net weight  in metric units   
12 Sampling   
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 874.  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2673 : 2023  
   
© UNBS 2023  – All rights reserved  1 
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 899: 2022, TAPIOCA SAGO (SABOODANA) — SPECIFICATION , Second Edition  
. DUS 2673 : 2023  
© UNBS 2023  – All rights reserved  3 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 DUS 2673 : 2023    
 
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