DEAS 43:2022  
ICS 67.060  
 
© EAC 2022                Third Edition 2022  
 
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bread  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 43:2022  
 
© EAC 2022                Third Edition 2022  Foreword  
 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing 
requirements governing quality of products and services in East Africa. It is envisaged that throu gh 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers which are encountered when goods and services are 
exchanged within the Community will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African 
Standardization, Qu ality Assurance, Metrology and Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make 
provisions for ensuring standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing of products 
produced or originating in a third country and traded in the Community in order to faci litate industrial 
development and trade as well as helping to protect the health and safety of society and the 
environment in the Community.  
 
East African Standards are formulated in accordance with the procedures established by the East 
African Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committee is established under the 
provisions of Article 4 of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is composed of representatives of 
the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives f rom the private 
sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders 
through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner States. The comments received are discussed 
and incorporated before finalization of standar ds, in accordance with the procedures of the 
Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that ―Within six months of the declaration of an 
East African Standard, the Partner States shall adopt, without deviation from the approved text of t he 
standard, the East African Standard as a national standard and withdraw any existing national 
standard with similar scope and purpose‖.  
 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the 
East African St andards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of 
the standards they are implementing.  
 
© East African Community 202 2 — All rights reserved* 
East African Community  
P O Box 1096  
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8  
Fax: 255 -27-2504481/2504255  
E-Mail: eac@eachq.org  
Web: www.each.int  
 
 
                                                      
* 2022 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs. 
 DEAS 43:2022  
Bread — Specification   
1 Scope  
This draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for bread 
intended for human cons umption  
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) applies.  
EAS 12, Potable water – Specification   
EAS 35, Edible salt  – Specification     
EAS 38, General standard for the labelling of pre -packaged foods   
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry – Code of practice  
EAS 321, Edible fats and oils  
EAS 744, Cassava and cassava products — Determination of total cyanogens ─ Enzymatic assay 
method  
CODEX Stan 193 , Codex general standard  for contaminants and toxins in food and f eed  
ISO 712, Cereals and cereal products — Dete rmination of moisture content — Routine reference 
method    
ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method  
ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs  — Horizontal method for the detection of 
Salmonella spp.  
EAS 767, Fortified wheat flour - Specification  
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  
ISO 24333,  Cereals and cereal products — Sampling    
EAS 5 , Refined white sugar — Specification  
CXS 192 , General Standard for food additives  
ISO 4832 Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony -count technique  DEAS 43:2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved               3 
  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
3.1  
bread  
product obtained by baking fermented dough made from wheat flour in singly or in co mbination with 
non-gluten flour(s).  
3.2 
white bread  
bread made from white wheat flour.  
3.3   
whole meal wheat  bread  
bread made from whole meal wheat  flour 
 
3.4  
brown bread  
product prepared  from bakers flour and bran  or a mixture of whole wheat  flour and baker‘s flour  
 
3.5  
speciality bread  
product  with spe cial features due to peculiar ingredients used in the manufacture beyond the 
essential ingredients  such as those described in 4.2.3 – 4.2.11   
3.6  
milk bread  
bread in which milk is used as an ingr edient.  
3.8  
wheat germ bread  
product  containing added processed wheat germ  
3.9  
gluten bread  
bread containing added gluten  
3.10  
high protein bread  
product containing more of protein  than ordinary bread  
3.11  
fruit bread  
prepared made with dough which contains added fruit in the form of raisins , fruit peels or any 
combination of such ingredients  
3.12  
malt bread  
bread made with dough which contains added mal t products  DEAS 43:2022  
3.13 
gluten free bread;  
bread made from wheat flour in which natural gluten have been removed  
 
3.14 
foreign matter  
organic and inorganic materi als (such as sand, soil, glass)  other than extraneous matter in the bread  
4    Requirements  
4.1 Ingredients  
4.1.1   Essential ingredients.  
The following ingredients shall be used in the making of bread  and each ingredient shall comply with 
relevant East African standards .  
a) flour;  
b) leavening agents ; and  
c) potable water  
4.1.2 Optional ingredients  
In addition to the essential ingredients in 4.1.1, the following ingredients but not limited to the following 
may be used in the making  of bread and shall comply with relevant East African standards:  
a) sugar and sugar products conforming to relevant stand ards 
b) coconut milk/cream and their products  
c) milk or milk products;  
d) gluten;   
e) fruits and fruit products;  
f) edible nuts   
g) cereals and cereal grains  
h)       edible common salt   
i)        sugar  
j)        eggs  
k)       edible oils and fats  
l)        spices and herbs  DEAS 43:2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved               5 
 m)       chocolate and  
n) any food products fit for human consumption.  
4.2 Specific r equirements  
4.2.1  Wholemeal wheat  bread shall be made from 100 % wholemeal wheat    flour. 
4.2.2  Brown bread shall contain no t less than 8 % wheat bran  or 60 % whole meal  wheat flour . 
4.2.3  Milk bread shall contain not less than 3.6 % by weight of milk  solids .  
4.2.5  Wheat germ bread shall contain not less than 10 % by weight of added processed wheat 
germ and 'wheat germ' for the purpose of thi s paragraph means a product of wheat milling containing 
not less than 23 % protein and not less than 6.5 % oil.  
4.2.6  Gluten bread shall contain not less than 16 % gluten calculated on the dry weight of bread.  
4.2.7 Gluten free bread shall contain less th an 20 mg/kg of gluten when sold as such.   
Introduce sprouted grains bread, Sourdough bread, Flourless Bread, Flavored Bread, Keto Bread, 
Flat Bread.  
4.2.8  High protein bread shall contain not less than 22 % protein calculated on the dry weight of the 
bread.  
4.2.9  Fruit and or vegetable bread shall be made from dough which contains not less than 6% of 
added fruit and or vegetable calculated on the weight of the flour used.  
4.2.10  Malt bread shall be made from dough, which contains not less than 6 % of added malt 
products, calculated on the weight of the flour used.  
4.2.1 1  Rye bread  shall be made from dough which contains not more than 15% of rye flour 
calculated on the weight of flour used . 
4.3  General Quality requirements  
4.3.1  Bread crust  
The crust shall have a golden brown colour whereas crust from speciality and brown bread shall have 
characteristic colour of material used. The crust shall be fre e from blisters  except for  Brown and 
speciality bread .  
The crust shall be not burned and shall be free from soot or any other foreign matter. The bread  shall 
be evenly baked on all sides including the bottom. The crust should not be thin and break easily. It 
should not be thick, tough, or rubbery. . 
4.3.2  Volume  
The bread shall have volume to weight ratio of not more than 6.0 to 1 when tested in accordance with 
Annex C.  DEAS 43:2022  
4.3.3  The crumb  
The crumb shall be springy, with small pore s uniformly distributed throughout and with thin cell walls. 
It shall be free from non -porous mass, lumps of flour or salt, or any other evidence of incomplete 
mixing.  
There shall be no hollow between the crust and the crumb.  
The crumb s hall have colour characteristic of the ingredients used.  When sliced, the surface of slices 
shall present a uniform shade without streaks or dark patches.  
4.3.4  Flavour   
The flavour shall be characteristic of fresh, well -baked bread, free from abnormal flavour or any oth er 
objectionable flavour.  
4.3.5  Aroma  
The aroma shall be fresh and shall not be musty  ormetallic   
4.3.6  Mould  or Rope  
The bread shall be free from indications of rope or mould.  
4.3.7  Internal texture  
The structure shall be uniform with thin -walled cel ls. The texture is soft and velvety, without 
weakness, and shall not crumble.  
4.3.8  Taste mastication  
The bread shall have a pleasant and acceptable taste. The loaf shall be free from doughiness and not 
dry or tough.  
4.3.9  Foreign matter  
The bread shall  be free from any foreign matter except for a small amount of added edible grains 
dusting bran, maize flour or rice flour from the baker's shovel which may adhere to the bottom of the 
loaf.  
4.3.10 Specific requirement.  
Bread shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein‘  
Table 1 – Specific requirements for bread  
S/N Parameter  Requirements  Methods of 
tests  
1 Moisture content, %, max . 40  ISO 712  
2 pH of aqueous extract  5.0 - 6.0 Annex A 
3 Acid insoluble ash, %, mass by mass, on dry 
basis, max.  0.2 Annex B 
4 Crude fibre % m/m on dry basis,  max, white 2 ISO 5498  DEAS 43:2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved               7 
 bread  
5 Crude fibre % m/m on dry basis,  min, brown 
bread /wholemeal bread  2 ISO 5498  
6 Volume to weight ratio, max 6.0:1 Annex C  
 
5 Food additives  
The food additives if used,  shall contain only permitted additives at the level of good manufacturing 
practice as quoted in accordance with Codex Stan 192 .  
6 Hygiene  
The bread shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39.  
Bread shall conform to the limits of micro -organisms in Table 2.  
Table 2  Limits for m icroorganisms in bread  
S/N Microorganisms  limit Method of test  
1 E. coli , in cfu/g  or max absent  ISO 16649 -2 
 
 MPN/g,  < 1 ISO 7251  
2 Salmonella  spp per 25g, max.  Absent  ISO 6579  part 1  
3 Yeast and Moulds, cfu/ g, 
max.  103 ISO 21527 -1 
 Coagulase positive 
Staphylococci  per cfu/g  absent  ISO 6888 -1 
 
7  Contaminants  
7.1 Pesticide residues  
Bread shall conform to those maximum residue limits for pesticide residues established by Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
7.2 Other contaminants   
Bread shall  conform to those maximum levels of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and 
Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193).  
8 Packaging  
Bread  shall be packaged in food grade materials that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional and 
organoleptic qualities of the product  
 DEAS 43:2022  
9 Weights and measures  
Bread shall be package d in accordanc e with the weights and measures requirements in the 
destination country.  
10 Labelling  
10.1  In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall 
apply and shall be legibly  and indelibly marked;  
a) common name of the product, ‗bread‘  and the termi nology describing the bread  e.g. brown  
bread , whole meal  wheat bread , etc. 
b) complete list of ingredients shall be declared on the label in descending order of proportion;  
c) net weight  in  metric units ;  
d) name and phys ical address of the manufacturer/packer/distributor of the product shall be 
declared on the label;  
e) date of manufacture;  
f) lot identification /batch number ;  
g) best before date ;  
h) country of origin;  
i) units;  
j) storage instructions;  and 
k) Instructions  on disposal of us ed package.  
10.2 When labelling non -retail packages, information for non -retail packages shall either be given on 
the packages or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identification 
and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the packages.  
11 Sampling  
Sampling of bread shall be done in accordance with ISO 24333 . 
 DEAS 43:2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved               9 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of pH of aqueous extract  
 
A.1  Apparatus  
pH meter  
A.2  Procedure  
A.2.1 Preparation of aqueous extract of the material  
Grind to a fine paste about 10 g of the material in a glass pestle and mortar, add 100 mL of water and 
mix thoroughly. Allow the mixture to stand for about 15 min.  
A.2.2 Deter mination of pH of aqueous extract  
Determine the pH of the solution using the pH meter.  DEAS 43:2022  
Annex  B 
(normative)  
Determination of acid insoluble ash  
B.1 Reagents  
Dilute hydrochloric acid, prepared by diluting concentrated hydrochloric acid with water in a ra tio of 
2:5 or 5N   
B.2 Apparatus  
B.2.1 Muffle furnace at 600 °
C ± 20 °
C  
B.2.2 Water bath  
B.2.3 Sinter crucible  
B.2.4 Platinum dish  
B.3 Procedure   
Weigh accurately 5 g -10 g of finely powdered bread in a porcelain or platinum dish. Ignite the 
material in the dish with a suitable flame until it chars. Place the ignited bread in the muffle furnace. 
Heat at 600 °
C ± 20 °
C for at least 1 h. Remove the di sh from the furnace and cool.  
Wet the ash with a suitable amount of hydrochloric acid, and place on a water bath for 10 min. Filter 
through a No. 1 sinter glass crucible. Wash the crucible with water until the washings are free from 
acid. Dry the crucible  in an air -oven for 2 h. Cool in a desiccator and weigh. Repeat the process until 
the difference between two successive weighings is less than 1 mg. Take the lowest mass.  
B.4 Calculation  
Acid insoluble ash, percent by mass (on wet basis) A = M
2 X 100/ M
1 
where,  
A, Acid insoluble ash  on wet basis  
M
1 is the mass of sample, and  
M
2 is the of insoluble matter.  
Acid insoluble ash, percent by mass (on dry basis) =       
     where,  
M, Moisture content of bread.  DEAS 43:2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved               11 
 Annex  C 
(normative)  
 
Determination of volume/w eight ratio  
C1.  Apparatus  
 
C1.1  Rigid container  
 
C1.2  Rape seeds  
 
C1.3  Weighing scale  
 
C1.4  Measuring cylinder  
 
C1.5  Loaf volumeter  
 
C1.6  Plate  
 
 
C2 Determination of volume/weight ratio by displacement method  
 
C2.1 Procedure  
 
Weigh the loaf after it is cooled to room temperature and record the weight. Fill the container with 
rape seeds and level the top of seeds with a plate. Empty out the seeds leaving a layer at the bottom 
of the container. Place the loaf on the layer of seed s. Fill the rest of the container with seeds and level 
the top surface with a plate. Pour the remaining rape seeds into the measuring cylinder and measure 
the volume.  
 
                             V 
C2.1.1  Volume/weight ratio for the bread  =    ---------  
                       W 
 
where,  
 
V   is the volume in ml of the remaining seeds after displacement;  
 
W    is the weight in g of the loaf.  
 
NOTES  
 
1. Do not press the loaf while keeping in the box.  
 
2. For sliced bread, test before bread is sliced.  
 
C3 Determination of volume of loaf by loaf volumeter  
 
C3.1  Procedure  
 
C3.1.1  Calibration of volumeter with dummy loaf  
 
Open the container and place a dummy loaf into it. Close the container and open the gate.  
Remove the hopper lid and fill the calibrated column with rape seeds. Tap the column three  DEAS 43:2022  
times to ensure maximum use of seeds around the dummy loaf. Empty all excess seeds by  
closing the gate and swinging down the column. Return the column to upright p osition and  
secure the lid to the container. Open the gate and swing down the volumeter to allow rape  
seeds to empty from bottom pan. When it is completely empty, close the gate and swing the  
volumeter to upright position.  
 
C3.1.2  Measurement of the vo lume of loaf  
 
Weigh the loaf after it is cooled to room temperature and record the weight. Place the loaf in the volumeter  
and repeat the procedure as that for dummy loaf. The volume of the loaf will be indicated by the level  
of seeds in the calibrated c olumn.  
 
NOTE:   The loaf must be larger than the dummy loaf.  
 
 
                                V 
C3.1.3  Volume/weight ratio for the bread =    --------  
                          W 
 
 
where,  
 
V   is the volume in ml of the loaf;  
 
W    is the weight in g of the loaf.  
 
 
 
Figure F1 – Diagram of a loaf volumeter  
DEAS 43:2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved               13 
  
 
 DEAS 43:2022    
  
© EAC 2022  — All rights reserved