ICS 67.180.10  
 
Reference number  
DRS 498: 2022  
© RSB 2022  
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS  
498  
 
First edition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
Honey mix — Specification   
DRS 498: 2022  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, standards are 
subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2022  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from RSB.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to:  
Rwanda Standards Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 498: 2022  
iii                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 1 
2Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 1 
3Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 2 
4Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  2 
4.1Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  2 
4.2General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 2 
4.3Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 3 
5Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  3 
6Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  4 
6.1Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
6.2Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  4 
6.3Aflatoxins ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  4 
7Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  4 
8Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  4 
9Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  5 
 
 DRS 498: 2022  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standards are prepared by Technical Committees and approved by Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) Board 
of Directors in accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT agreement  on 
the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards. Final Draft Rwanda Standards adopted by 
Technical committees are ratified by members of RSB Board of Directors for publicati on and gazettment as Rwanda 
Standards.  
DRS 498 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC  003, Cereals, Pulses, Legumes and Cereal Products milk 
products.  
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standard (s):  
1) XYZ: Title  
2) XYZ: Title  
The assistance derived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
DRS 498 consists of the following parts, under the general title Introductory element — Main element : 
⎯ Part n: Part title  
⎯ Part [n+1]: Part title  
⎯ Part [n+2]: Part title  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Milk and milk products  (RSB/TC 004) 
in the preparation of this standard.  
BB&Daughters Co. Ltd  
Benya Co. Ltd  
Golden Bees Ltd  
National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA)  
Nyarutarama Business Incubation Center  
Nyarutarama Business Incubation Center  DRS 498: 2022  
v                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 Rwanda Food and Drug Authority  
Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA)  
Ubuntu Women Farmers Ltd  
World Life Conservation Society  
Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) – Secretariat  DRS 498: 2022  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  vi 
 Introduction  
Honey is sometimes mixed by the addition of compounds to change its flavour or viscosity, reduce cost, or increase 
the fructose content to stave off crysta llization. honey mix has been practiced since ancient times, when honey was 
sometimes blended with plant parts or any food product fit for human consumption such as maple, birch, or sorghum 
and sold to customers as pure honey. Sometimes crystallized honey was mixed with flour or other fillers, hiding the 
adulteration from buyers until the honey was liquefied. In modern times the most common adulterant became clear, 
almost -flavourless corn syrup; the mixture can be very difficult to distinguish from pure hon ey. 
 
 
 DRS 498: 2022  
1                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 Honey mix — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for honey mix intended for human 
consumption.  
This standard does not apply to products with therapeutic purposes.  
2 Normative references   
The following documents are 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 referen ced document (including any amendments) applies.  
AOAC 920.181, Ash of honey   
AOAC, 920.183, Sugars (reducing) in honey   
AOAC 920.184, Sucrose in honey   
AOAC 958.09, Determination of diastase activity   
AOAC 962.19, Determination of acidity (free, lactone, and total). Titrimetric method  
AOAC 969.38b, Determination of moisture content  
AOAC 980.23, Determination of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content   
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Specification   
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manu facturing industry — Code of practice  
ISO 4831, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of 
coliforms — Most probable number technique  
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  
 DRS 498: 2022  
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 3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply  
3.1 
Honey mix  
honey mixed with plant parts or any food products fit for human consumption.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Raw materials  
The following shall include:  
a) honey complying with RS EAS 36;  
b) any food products fit for human consumption (chocolate, macadamia, chia seeds , sesame seeds, Ginger, garlic, 
lemon etc)  
4.2 Option ingredients  
when used flavouring shall comply with Codex GL 66  
4.3 General requirements  
 honey mix shall:  
c) not have pollen or constituent particular to honey removed except where this is unavoidable in the remov al of 
foreign inorganic or organic matter;  
d) not be heated to such an extent that its essential composition and /or its quality is impaired;  
e) not be chemically or biochemically treated to influence honey crystallization;  
f) have the characteristic colour of t he product;  
g) have the flavour and aroma derived from plant parts and/or food product fit for human consumption; and  
h) be free from visible mould and as far as practicable, be free from inorganic or organic matter foreign to its 
composition, such as insects, insect debris, brood or grains of sand, or soil, when the honey is offered for sale or 
is used in any product for human consumption.  DRS 498: 2022  
3                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 4.4 Specific requirements  
honey mix shall with the specific requirements stipulated in Table 1 when tested in accordan ce with test method 
specified therein  
Table 1 ⎯Specific requirements for honey mix  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Reducing sugar content calculated as invert sugar, % m/m, min.  45 AOAC 920.183  
ii.  Moisture content, % m/m, max.  20 AOAC 969.38 b  
iii.  Sucrose content, % m/m, max  5 AOAC 920.184  
iv.  Water insoluble solids, % m/m, max.  
- For honeys other than pressed honey   
- Pressed honey  0.5  
 
 Annex A  
v.  Total ash, % m/m, max.   5.5 AOAC 920.181  
vi.  Acidity as meq acid per kg, max.  40 AOAC 962.19  
vii.  Diastase activity, Schade units, min   8 AOAC 958.09  
viii.  Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), mg/kg, max. 40 AOAC 980.23  40  AOAC 980.23  
ix.  Fructose -glucose ratio  1  Annex B  
x.  Fiehe's test  Negative Annex C  Annex C  
a amount of fructose divided by the amount of glucose shall be equal or greater than 1.  
5 Hygiene  
5.1 Honey mix shall be manufactured processed, packaged, stored and distributed under hygienic conditions 
prescribed in RS CAC/RCP 1.  
5.2 Honey mix shall not exceed microbiological limits in Table 2 when tested in accordance with test methods specified 
therein  
Table 2 ⎯Microbiological limits for honey mix  
S/N Microorganism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i.  Total plate count, cfu/mL, max.   105 ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Yeast and mould cfu/g, max  102 ISO 7954:1987  
iii.  Salmonella spp. per 25 g, max  Absent  ISO 6579:2002  
iv.  Escherichia coli MPN/g, max    Absent  ISO 7251:2005  
 DRS 498: 2022  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  4 
 6 Contaminants  
6.1 Pesticide residues  
honey mix shall conform to those maximum residue limits for pesticide residues established by Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity.  
6.2 Heavy metals  
honey mix shall not exceed the acceptable limits of Heavy metals specified in Table 3  
Table 3— Limits of heavy metals for honey mix  
S/N Microorganism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i.  Lead (Pb)  0.5  AOAC 999.11  
ii.  Copper (Cu)  2.0 
iii.  Arsenic (Ar)   1.0  AOAC 942.17  
6.3 Aflatoxins  
Depending on the level ingredients used, When tested in accordance with RS ISO 16050, aflatoxin levels in honey 
mix shall not exceed 10 μg/kg and 5 μg/kg for total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 respectively.  
 
7 Packaging  
honey shall be packaged in a food grade material to safe guard the hygienic and nutritional quality of the product. The 
container shall be moisture and air proof, oil proof and well -sealed  to prevent spoilage or contamination The packaging 
materials shall comply with the national environmental legislation,  
8 Labelling  
7.1 In addition to the requirements of RS EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall be legibly and 
indelibly  marked;  
a) common name of the product, “Honey mix” or “Ginger honey or Macadamia honey or Chocolate honey or sesame 
seed honey”.  
b) complete list of ingredients shall be declared on the label in descending order of proportion;  
c) net weight in metric unit s; 
d) name and physical address of the manufacturer/packer/distributor of the product shall be declared on the label;  
e) date of manufacture;  DRS 498: 2022  
5                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 g) lot identification;  
h) expiry date;  
i) country of origin;  
k) storage instructions; and  
l) instructions on disposal of used package.  
9 Sampling  
Sampling of honey mix shall be done in accordance with ISO 24333.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DRS 498: 2022  
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 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Gravimetric determination of water -insoluble solids content (Type II method)  
A.1 Sampling  
A.1.1 Liquid or straine d honey  
If sample is free from granulation, mix thoroughly by stirring or shaking; if granulated, place closed container in water -
bath without submerging, and heat 30 min at 60 °C; then, if necessary, heat at 65 °C until liquefied. Occasional shaking 
is es sential. Mix thoroughly and cool rapidly as soon as sample liquefies. Do not heat honey intended for 
Hydroxymethylfurfural or diastatic determination. If foreign matter, such as wax, sticks, bee’s particles or comb, etc., 
is present, heat sample at 40 °C i n water -bath and strain through cheesecloth in hot -water -funnel before sampling  
A.1.2 Comb honey  
Cut across top of comb, if sealed, and separate completely from comb by straining through a sieve the meshes of 
which are made by so weaving wire as to form square opening of 0.500 mm by 0.500 mm when portions of comb or 
wax pass -through sieve, heat sample as in A.1.1 and strain through cheesecloth. If honey is granulated in comb, heat 
until wax is liquefied; stir, cool and remove wax.  
A.2 Procedure  
A.2.1 Preparation of test sample  
Weigh 20 g of honey and dissolve in a suitable quantity of distilled water at 80 °C and mix well.  
A.2.2 Gravimetric determination  
The test sample is filtered through a previously dried and weighed fine sintered glass crucibl e (pore size 15.40) and 
washed thoroughly with hot water (80 °C) until free from sugars (Mohr test). The crucible is dried for one hour at 
135 °C, cooled and weighed to 0.1 mg.  
A.2.3 Expression of results  
The result is expressed as percent water insolubl e solids (m/m).  
 
 
 DRS 498: 2022  
7                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 Annex  B 
(normative)  
 
Determination of fructose -glucose ratio   
B.1 Principle of the method  
The glucose portion of the invert sugar content of honey is determined by reacting it with iodine. The fructose content 
is calculated by subtraction.  
B.2 Apparatus  
B.2.1 0.05 N iodine solution  
B.2.2 0.01 N sodium hydroxide solution  
B.2.3 0.05 N standard sodium thiosulphate solution  
B.3 Procedure  
Pipette 50 ml of honey solution in a 250 -ml stoppered flask. Add iodine solution and 25 ml of  sodium hydroxide solution. 
Stopper the flask and keep in dark for 20 min. Acidify with 5 ml of sulphuric acid and titrate quickly the excess of iodine 
against standard thiosulphate solution. Conduct a blank using 50 ml of water instead of honey solution.  
B.4 Calculation and expression of results  
B.4.1  Approximate glucose, percent by mass (g of glucose per 100 g honey):  
      𝑤=(𝐵−𝑆)∗0.004502 ∗100
𝑎 
 where  
B is the volume, in millilitres, of sodium thiosulphate solution required for the blank.  
S is the volume, in millilitres , of sodium thiosulphate solution required for the sample, and  
α is the mass, in grams, of honey taken for the test.  
B.4.2 Approximate fructose, per cent by mass (g fructose per 100 g honey):  
 𝑥=𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙  𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔  𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑠 (𝐶)−𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒  𝑔𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑒  𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡  (𝑤)
0.925 DRS 498: 2022  
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  B.4.3  Actual glucose content (g per 100 g honey), per cent (Y) , and  
𝐹𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑒  𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡  (𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑟 100 𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 ),𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡  (𝑧)=𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙  𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔  𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑠 −𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙
0.925 
 
B.4.4   
𝐹𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑒  𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡  𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑛=𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙  𝑓𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑒  𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡  (𝑧)
𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙  𝑔𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑒  𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡  (𝑦) 
 
. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DRS 498: 2022  
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 Annex  C 
(normative)  
 
Fiehe's test    
C.1 Reagent  
C.1.1 Resorcinol solution  
Dissolve 1 g of resublimed resorcinol in 100 ml of hydrochloric acid (specific gravity 1.18 or 1.19).  
C.2 Procedure  
Dissolve 2 g of honey in 10 ml of water and extract with 30 ml ether. A continuous extractor is preferable. Remove 
ether in a separating funnel and concentrate the layer at 5 ml. Add 2 ml of freshly prepared resorcinol solution, shake 
and note the colour.  
C.3 Expression of results  
A cherry red colour appearing in a minute indicates the presence of commercial invert sugar.DRS 498: 2022  
 
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