DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 5:2019  
ICS 67.180.10  
 
 
 
        Refined white sugar — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
© EAC 2019  Third Edition  2019 DEAS 5:2009  
© EAC 20 19 – All rights reserved  iii  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Copyright notice  
 
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Violators ma y be persecuted  DEAS 5:2019  
iv © EAC 20 19 – All rights reserved   
  
 
Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated 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 goods and services are exchang ed 
within the Community will be removed.  
 
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.  
 
The Committee is composed of representatives of the National Standards Bodies and other regulatory bodies 
in the Partner States, together with the representatives from 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 standards, in 
accordance with the procedures of the Community.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing.  
This draft is the third edition and once approved will cancel and replace the second edition, EAS 5:200 9, 
which ha s being technically revised.   DEAS 5:20 19 
© EAC 20 19 – All rights reserved  1 D 
  
 
 
 
Refined white sugar — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
 
This Draft East African standard specifies requirements,  sampling and test methods for refined white sugar 
intended for industrial use and/or human consumption.  
 
 
2 Normative reference  
 
 
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 (inc luding any amendments) applies.  
 
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Specification  
EAS 348,  Glossary of terms used in confectionery trade  
 
 
ISO 4833 -1:2013  
Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms — Part 1: Colony count at 30 degrees C 
by the pour plate technique  
 
ISO 6579 -1: Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and serotyping 
of     Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp.  
 
 
ISO 21527 -2: Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs. Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts 
and moulds - Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0 ,95 
 
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/1/3 -27 (1994): The Determination of Lead in Sugar Products by a Colorimetric Method  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/1/3/9 -15, The Determination of Sugar Moisture by Loss on Drying  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -1,The Braunschweig  Method for the Polarisation of White Sugar by Polarimetry  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -10, The Determination of White Sugar Solution Colour  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -17, The Determination of Conductivity Ash in Refined Sugar Products  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -23, Arsenic and Lead in White Sugar, Atom. Adsorp. Spectroscopy  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -29 (1994): The Determination of Copper in Refined Sugar Products by a Colorimetric 
Method  
 
ICUMSA GS 2/3 -35, The Determination of Sulphite in Brown Sugars  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3/9 -5, The Determination of Reducing Sugars in Purified Sugars by the Knight and Allen 
EDTA Method  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3/9 -19, The Determination of Insoluble Matter in White Sugar by Membrane Filtration  
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3/9 -25 (2007) : The Determination of Arsenic in Refined Sugar Products by a Colorimetr ic 
Method  DEAS 5:20 19 
2 © EAC 20 19 – All rights reserved   
  
 
 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/9 -6, The Determination of Reducing Sugars in White Sugar by Modified Ofner Method  
 
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of 
presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
 
 
3 Terms and  definitions  
 
For the purposes of this standard, EAS 348 shall apply in addition to the following terms and definitions:  
  
3.1 
lot 
collection of packages of the same size, type and style which have been manufactured and packaged under 
essentially the same conditions  
 
3.2 
refined white sugar  
purified and granulated sugar, manufactured from any raw sugar by the process of purification consisting 
broadly of affination, melting, chemical treatment, filtration, decolourisation and re -crystallisation  
 
3.3 
ICUMSA unit  
An international unit developed by International Commission for Universal Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA) 
for expressing the purity of sugar and is directly related to the colour of sugar  
 
3.4 
polarization  
 
estimate  of the sucrose content of sugar expressed as degrees of  
 
. 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirement  
 
Refined white sugar  shall be; 
 
a) in the form of uniform and free -flowing crystals;  
b) free from dirt, foreign and extraneous matter.  
c) free from fermented, musty or undesirable odours.  
 
4.2 Specific requirement s 
 
Refined white sugar shall conform to the specific requirements specified in Table 1  when tested in accordance with the 
methods specified therein.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Table 1 —  Specific  requirements  for refined white sugar  
 
S No  Characteristic  Requirement/Limit  Method of test  
i. Polarisation, oZ, min.  99.8 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -1 
ii. Invert Sugar content, % m/m, max.  0.04 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3/9 -5 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/9 -6 
iii. Conductivity ash, % m/m, max.  0.04 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -17 
iv. Moisture content (loss o n drying for 3 h at 105  
oC± 2 oC), max.  0.1 ICUMSA Method GS 2/1/3/9 -15 
v. Colour, in ICUMSA units at 420 nm, max.  60 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -10 
vi Sulphur dioxide, mg/kg, max.  10 ICUMSA GS 2/3 -35 
vii Water insoluble matter, mg/kg. max.  60 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -19 
ii. Copper (Cu), mg/kg, max.  2 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -29 DEAS 5:20 19 
© EAC 20 19 – All rights reserved  3  
  
 
5.Food  additives  
 
 
Food additives when used shall comply with CODEX STAN 192”  
 
6.Contaminant  
 
6.1Metal  contaminants  
 
The maximum permitted levels for metals are set out in Table 2.  
 
Table 2 — Maximum permissible levels of metal contaminants  
 
 
S No  Parameter  Maximum limit  Method of test  
i. Arsenic (As), mg/kg, max.  1 ICUMSA Method GS 2/3/9 -25 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -23 
    
iii. Lead (Pb), mg/kg, max.  0.5 ICUMSA Method GS 2/1/3 -27 
ICUMSA Method GS 2/3 -23 
 
 
6.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Refined white sugar shall conform to the maximum residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for 
this commodity.  
 
 
7.Hygiene  
 
Refined white sugar shall be prepared and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39 and  shall comply 
with the microbiological limits stipulated in Table 3 when tested in accordance with the methods specified therein”.  
 
 
Table 3 — Microbiological limits for refined white sugar  
 
 
Microbiological parameter  Limit  Method of test  
Total Plate Count (mesophylic), CFU/g , max  103  
ISO 4833  
Yeast and moulds, CFU/ g, max  50 ISO 21527 -2  
Escherichia coli , MPN,/g  Absent  ISO 7251  
Salmonella, per 25 g  Absent  ISO 6579 -1  
 
 
 
8.Packaging  
 
Plantation white sugar shall be packaged in food grade materials that ensure product safety and integrity.  DEAS 5:20 19 
4 © EAC 20 19 – All rights reserved   
  
 
 
The material used shall be new, clean and shall protect the sugar from contamination and wetting.  
 
9.Labelling  
 
In addition to the mandatory sections of the East African Standard for the labelling of pre -packaged Foods EAS 38; the 
following specific provisions shall apply  
 
a) the name of the product as “ refined  white sugar ”  
 
b) the net contents shall be declared by weight in the metric units ('Systeme  International');  
 
c) the name, address and physical location of the manufacturer and/or the packer, distributor, importer, 
exporter or vendor of the  product shall be declared;  and 
 
d) the country of origin of the product shall be  declared.  
 
e) Manufacturing date  
f) Best before date  
g) storage conditions  
 
 
 
10. Method  of sampling  
 
a. General requirements for  sampling  
 
In drawing, preparing, storing and handling of samples, the following precautions and directions shall be 
observed.  
 
i. Samples shall be taken in a protected place not exposed to damp air, dust or  soot.  
 
ii. The sampling instruments shall be clean and dry when  used.  
 
iii. When sampling for microbiological purposes , the sampling instruments and containers 
for samples shall be sterilized preferably by dry heat at 170 oC for 1 h before  use. 
 
iv. Precautions shall be taken to protect the samples, the material being sampled, the 
sampling instruments and the containers for s amples from adventitious  contamination.  
 
v. The samples shall be placed in clean, dry, and moisture -proof  containers.  
 
vi. The sample containers shall be sealed air -tight after filling and marked with name of 
material, date of sampling, name of the manufacturer, name of the person sampling and 
such other particulars of the consignments.  
 
vii. Samples shall be protected from light as far as practicable and shall be stored in a cool, dry  
place.  
 
b. Scale of  sampling  
 
 All the packages of the same size, type and style which have been manufactured and 
packaged under essentially the same conditions in a single consignment shall constitute a lot. 
Samples shall be tested separately for each lot for ascertaining the conformity of the  sugar.  
 
 The number of bags to be selected (n) from the lot shall depend on the size ( N) of the 
lot and shall be in accordance with the  formula:  
 
n 
 
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These bags shall be selected at random from the lot; to ensure the randomness of selection a random number 
table, as agreed to between the purchaser  and the supplier shall be used. In case such a table is not 
available, the following procedure shall be  used:  
 
 
Starting from any bag, count them as 1, 2, 3, … up to r and so on in one order, where r is equal to the integral part of 
N/n, N being the total  number of bags in the lot and n the number of bags to be selected. Every r th bag thus counted 
shall be separated until the requisite number of bags is obtained from the lot to give samples for test.  
 
In case of bags stacked in a pyramidal shape, approxim ately equal number of bags shall be selected from all exposed 
sides of the lot, so as to give the required number of sample bags.  
 
c. Preparation of  sample  
 
 Procedure  
 
From the top, middle and bottom portions of each of the selected bags (see 10.2),  approximately equal 
quantity of sugar shall be taken with the help of a suitable sampling instrument. The sample collected from 
each of the bags shall be thoroughly mixed so as to give a composite sample of 600 g. The composite  
sample thus prepared shall  be divided approximately into three equal parts; one for the purchaser, one for the 
supplier, and the third for the referee and sealed air tight with particulars as given in  10.1.(f).  
 
 Number of tests  
 
The composite sample prepared as under 10.3.1 shall b e tested for the characteristics as prescribed in Table 
1. 
 
 Criteria for  conformity  
 
The lot shall be declared as conforming to this specification, when the test results on various characteristics 
obtained on the composite sample satisfy the corresponding requirements.