AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
868  
Second  Edition 2022 
 
 Reference No. DARS 868:2022 
ICS 67.060  
 
 
© ARSO 2022  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dry p igeon peas — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 868: 2022  
ii © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 1 
2 Normative references ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  1 
3 Definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  1 
4 Quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  2 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  3 
5.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
5.2 Pesticide residues ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  3 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 3 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  4 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 4 
9 Sampling methods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 6 
Illustration of pigeon peas  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  7 
 
  DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  iii Foreword  
 
The African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) is an African intergovernmental organization 
established by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of 
African Unity (AU) in 1977. One of the fundamental mandates of  ARSO is to develop and harmonize 
African Standards (ARS) for the purpose of enhancing Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase 
Africa’s product and service competitiveness globally and uplift the welfare of African communities. The 
work of preparing A frican Standards is normally carried out through ARSO technical committees. Each 
Member State interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the 
right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, Regio nal Economic Communities 
(RECs), governmental and non -governmental organizations, in liaison with ARSO, also take part in the 
work.  
 
ARSO Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.  
 
The main task of techni cal committees is to prepare ARSO Standards. Draft ARSO Standards adopted 
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an ARSO 
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.  
 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of 
patent rights. ARSO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
This African Standard was prepared by the ARSO Technical  Harmonization Committee on Cereals, 
pulses and derived products (ARSO/TC 12).”  
 
 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 2022 — All rights reserved* 
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P. O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel. +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-3311641, +254 -20-3311608  
 
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
  
                                                
* © 2022 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.  DARS 868: 2022  
iv © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved   
Copyright notice  
 
This ARSO  document is copyright -protected by ARSO. While the reproduction of this document 
by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted without prior permission 
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Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be 
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© African Organisation for Standardisation 2022  — All rights reserved  
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P.O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel: +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-3311641, +254 -20-3311608  
 
 
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted.  
 
 
 
  DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Pigeon  pea [ Cajanus cajan  (L.)] is one of the oldest food crops and ranks fifth in importance among 
edible legumes of the world. Pigeon  pea grows well in tropical and sub -tropical environments extending 
between 30 ° N and 30 ° S latitude with a temperature range of 20° to 40°C.  
 
Pigeonpea has a  huge untapped potential for improvement both in quantity and quality of production in 
Africa. More than any other legume  adapted to the region, pigeonpea uniquely c ombines optimal 
nutritional profiles, high tolerance to environmental stresses,  high biomass productivity and most 
nutrient and moisture contributions to the soil.  
 
Pigeonpea remains one of the most drought -tolerant legumes and is often the only crop that  gives some  
grain yield during dry spells when other legumes such as  field beans will have wilted and perhaps dried 
up. The ability of pigeonpea to withstand severe drought  better than many legumes is attributed to its 
deep roots and osmotic adjustment  in the leaves. The legume also  maintains photosynthetic function 
during stress better  compared to other drought -tolerant legumes such as  cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata  L. 
Walp.).  Its unique polycarpic flowering habit further enables the  crop to shed reproductive s tructures in 
response to stress.  
 
Due to its drought resistance, the legume is increasingly becoming an important crop in the whole of 
Africa with production reported in more than 33 countries.  A large market exists regionally and 
internationally for both whole and a range of processed pigeonpea products from Africa.   
 
Pigeon peas are part of the strategic food commodity basket recognized by the declaration of the African 
Union Food Security Summit held in December 2006 in Abuja, Nigeria. This standard was harmonized 
as part of the response by the resolution of the AU Food Security Summit to harmonize standards and 
grades for strategic food commodities as a means of promoting and facilitating intra -African food trade. 
Such facilitation would lead to free mov ement of food commodities from areas of surplus to areas of 
deficit, leading to overall achievement of food and nutrition security, food self -sufficiency and 
socioeconomic development of the African continent.  
 
 
 
 
 DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  1  
Dry p igeon peas — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
 
This African Standard specifies the requirements, methods of sampling and test for dry pigeon peas of 
the varieties (cultivars) grown from Cajanus cajan  (L.) intended for human consumption . It does not 
apply to processed pigeon peas.  
 
 
2 Normative references  
 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) ap plies.  
 
ARS 53, General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice  
 
ARS 56, Pre-packaged foods — Labelling  
 
ISO 27085 , Determination of lead, cadmium, copper, iron and zinc in foods — Atomic absorption 
spectrophotometry after microwave digestion  
 
ISO 27085 Determination of lead, cadmium, copper, iron and zinc in foods — Atomic absorption 
spectrophotometry after dry ashing  
 
CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety 
— Test methods  
 
ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
 
ISO 24557, Pulses — Determination of moisture content — Air-oven method  
 
 
3 Terms and Definitions  
 
For the purpose of this standard the following definition s shall apply . 
 
 
3.1 
pigeon peas  
dry mature seeds  of Cajanus cajan  (L.) 
 
3.2 
broken pigeon peas  
pieces of pigeon peas  that are less than three -quarters the size of a whole seed  
 
3.3 
damaged  pigeon peas  
whole or broken pigeon peas  that are sprouted, frost damaged, heated, damaged by insects, distinctly 
deteriorated or discoloured by weather or disease, or that are otherwise  
 
3.4 
shrivelled/immature pigeon peas  
pigeon peas which are under developed and wrinkled over the entire surface    
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 868: 2022  
2 © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  3.5 
discoloured pigeon peas  
pigeon peas which are damaged by heat, frost or water 3.6 
food grade packaging material  
material, made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which will not 
impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product  
 
3.7 
foreign matter  
all organic and inorganic material (such as plant parts, sand, soil, glass, filth) other than pigeon peas  
 
3.8 
poisonous, toxic and/or harmful seeds  
any seed which if present in quantities above permissible limit may have damaging or dangerous effect 
on health, organoleptic properties or technological performance such as Jimson weed — Datura (D. 
fastuosa  Linn and D. stramonium  Linn.) corn co ckle ( Agrostemma githago  L., Machai Lallium 
remulenum  Linn.) Akra (Vicia species), Argemone mexicana , Khesari and other seeds that are 
commonly recognized as harmful to health  
 
3.9 
split peas  
broken pieces of pigeon peas that are less than three -quarters of the whole seed, and cotyledons that 
are loosely held together by the seed coat  
 
3.10 
mature seeds  
seeds that have reached physiological maturity  
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General  requirements  
 
Pigeon peas  shall be:  
 
(a) the dried mature seeds  of Cajanus cajan (L.); 
 
(b) clean, well -filled, wholesome, uniform in size, shape, colour;  
 
(c) free from substances which render them unfit for human consumption;  
 
(d) free from abnormal flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable odour,  obnoxious smell  and 
discolouration;   
 
(e) free of pests, live animals, animal carcasses, animal droppings, fungus infestation, added 
colouring matter, moulds, impurities of plant and animal origin including insects,  rodent hair and excreta  
and shall meet any other sanitary and phytosanitary req uirements; (g) free from toxic , poisonous or 
harmful  seeds that are commonly recognized as harmful to health . 
 
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
4.2.1  Grading  
 
Pigeon peas shall be graded  into three grades on the basis of the tolerable limits established in Table 
1 which shall be additional to the general requirements set out in this standard.  
  DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  3 Table 1 — Specific requirements  
 
Characteristics  Limits  Method of 
test Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3 
(1)  Foreign matter, % max m/m  0.5 1 2 
ISO 605  (2)  Inorganic matter, % max m/m  0.1 0.5 0.7 
(3)  Broken/split pigeon peas , % max m/m  2 3 4 
(4)  Pest damaged  pigeon peas , % max m/m  2 3 6 
(5)  Rotten and diseased  pigeon peas , % max 
m/m 0.5 0.5 1 
(6)  Discoloured  pigeon  peas , % max m/m  1 1 3 
(7)  Immature/shrivelled  pigeon peas , % max 
m/m 1 2 3 
(8)  Filth, % max m/m  0.1 0.1 0.1 
(9)  Total defective pigeon peas , % m/m   5 7.8   13.9 
(10)  Moisture, % m/m  14.0 14.0 14.0 ISO 24557  
NOTE 1  The parameter, total defective pigeon peas  is not the sum total of the individual defects. It is limited to 70% of the 
sum total of individual defects.  
 
 
 
5 Contaminants  
 
5.1 Heavy  metals  
 
Dry p igeon peas shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants specified in CODEX 
STAN 193 and in particular those listed in Table 2.  
 
Table 2 — Metal contaminants  
 
S/N Parameter  Limit ( mg/kg  
max)  Test method  
(1) Lead (Pb)  0.1 ISO 27085  
(2) Cadmium (Cd)  0.1 ISO 27085  
 
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Dry p igeon peas  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
6.1 Dry p igeon peas  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with the provisions 
of appropriate sections of ARS 53 .  
 
  DARS 868: 2022  
4 © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  7 Packaging  
 
7.1 Dry p igeon peas  shall be packaged  in suitable food grade packag ing materials  which shall be 
clean, sound, free from insect, fungal infestation and the packing material shall be of food grade quality  
and shall be securely closed and sealed.  
 
7.2 Dry p igeon peas  shall be packaged  in packaged materials  which will safeguard the hygien ic, 
nutritional, technological and organoleptic qualities of the products.  
 
7.3 Each package shall contain dry pigeon peas  of the same type and of the same grade 
designation.  
 
 
8 Labelling  
 
8.1        General labelling  
 
The following specific labelling requirements shall apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked in 
accordance with the requirements of ARS 56:  
 
(i) product name as “ Dry Pigeon Peas”; 
 
(ii) variety;  
 
(iii) grade;  
 
(iv) name, address and physical location of the producer / packer/importer;  
 
(v) lot/batch/code number;  
 
(vi) net weight, in SI units ; 
 
(vii) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’  
 
(viii) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
 
(ix) crop year;  
 
(x) packing date;  
 
(xi) instructions on disposal of used package;  
 
(xii) country of origin;  
 
(xiii) a declaration on whether the pigeon peas  were  genetically modified or not.  
 
8.2 Labelling of non -retail containers  
 
Information detailed in 8. 1 shall be given either on the container or in accompanying documents, except 
that the name of the product, lot identification and the name and address of the processor or packer as 
well as storage instructions, shall appear on the container.  
 
For products  purchased for use by the buyer /retailer , at least the name of producer, l ot number and/or 
‘crop year’  shall be indicated on the container.  
 
Lot identification and the name and address of the processor or packer may be replaced by an 
identification mark pr ovided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents.  
 
 DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  5 9 Sampling methods  
 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the ISO 24333 . 
 
 
 
 
  DARS 868: 2022  
6 © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  Bibliography  
 
 
EAS 756 :2012, Pigeon peas — Specification  
 
Pulses Grading and Marking Rules , 2003, Schedule X, Grade designation and definition of quality of 
Arhar/Tur (Red gram) whole , Ministry of Agriculture, India, 7th April 2004  
 
Malawi Standard, MBS 400:1995, Pigeon peas — Specification  
 
CODEX STAN 171:1989 (Rev. 1:1995), Standard for Certain Pulses  
 
Australian Pulse Standards, 2012/2013 : Pigeon peas minimum receival standard s 
 
  DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  7 Illustration of pigeon  peas  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DARS 868: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved