ICS  67.160.10  
 
Reference number
RS 344: 2023
© RSB 2023
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
344 
 
Second edition  
yyy-mm-dd  
 
PIant flavoured alcoholic drinks — 
Specification 
 
   
DRS 344: 2023 
©RSB 2023- 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 344: 2023 
iii                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 Contents Page 
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................ iv  
1 Scope ...................................................................................................................................................... 1  
2 Normative references ............................................................................................................................ 1  
3 Terms and definitions ........................................................................................................................... 2  
4 Requirements ......................................................................................................................................... 3  
4.1 Essential ingredients ............................................................................................................................ 3  
4.2 Optional ingredients .............................................................................................................................. 3  
5 General requirements ........................................................................................................................... 3  
6 Specific requirements ........................................................................................................................... 3  
7 Food additives ....................................................................................................................................... 4  
8 Contaminants ......................................................................................................................................... 4  
8.1 Pesticide residues ................................................................................................................................. 4  
8.2 Heavy metals .......................................................................................................................................... 4  
8.3 Aflatoxin limits ....................................................................................................................................... 5  
9 Hygiene ................................................................................................................................................... 5  
10 Weights and measures ......................................................................................................................... 5  
11 Packaging and filling............................................................................................................................. 5  
12 Labelling ................................................................................................................................................. 6  
13 Sampling ................................................................................................................................................ 6  
Annex A (normative)  Annex title ...................................................................................................................... 7  
 DRS 344: 2023 
©RSB 2023- 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 publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards. 
DRS 344 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 031, Alcoholic beverages.  
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. 
This second/third/... edition cancels and replaces the first/second/... edition (RS nnn-n: yyyy), [clause(s) / 
subclause(s) / table(s) / figure(s) / annex(es)] of which [has / have] been technically revised. 
(The first/second/third/... edition (RS nnn-n: yyyy) has been reaffirmed by the Board on dd-mm-yyyy.) 
RS nnn 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 Alcoholic beverages  (RSB/TC 
031) in the preparation of this standard. 
Paragraph of participants 
Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) – Secretariat 
  DRS 344: 2023 
v                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
  DRS 344: 2023 
1                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for plant flavoured alcoholic 
drinks. 
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 referenced document (including any amendments) applies. 
AOAC 986.15, Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Selenium and zinc in human and pet foods 
AOAC 972.11 Methanol in distilled liquors  
AOAC 999.10, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron and Zinc in, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry  
ISO 15214, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
mesophilic lactic acid bacteria — Colony-count technique at 30 degrees C  
RS 164, Honey — Specification  
RS CAC/RCP 1, General Principles of Food Hygiene  
RS CODEX STAN 192,  General Standard for Food Additives 
RS EAS 12,  Potable water — Specification 
RS EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — General requirements 
RS EAS 104, Alcoholic Beverages — Method of sampling and testing  
RS EAS 144, Neutral spirit — Specification  
RS ISO 1842, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of pH  
RS ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and cereals, nuts and derived products — High 
performance liquid chromatographic method the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2  
RS ISO 16649-2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
beta-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli — Part 2: Colony-count technique at 44 degrees C using 5-
bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl beta-D-glucuronide   
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved                  2 
 RS ISO 17240, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of tin content — Method using flame Atomic 
Absorption Spectrometry  
RS ISO 4832, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony-count technique  
RS ISO 4833-1, 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  
RS ISO 6579-1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp. 
RS ISO 6888-2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 2: Technique using 
rabbit plasma fibrinogen agar medium  
RS ISO 21527-1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds — Part 1: Colony count technique in products with water activity greater than 0,95  
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply. 
3.1 
plant flavoured alcoholic drink 
alcoholic beverage obtained from fermented drinks which have been flavoured with suitable agricultural 
products  
3.2 
Fermented drink 
beverage derived from fermentation of a sugary substrate/extract/juice originating from suitable agricultural 
products; using yeast, Saccharomyces spp as fermenting organisms with subsequent maturation process  
3.3 
Agricultural products 
Products having sugar content level which can be fermented 
3.4 
organic or inorganic material other than the designated product DRS 344: 2023 
3                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 3.5 
food grade packaging material 
packaging 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 
4 Requirements 
4.1 Essential ingredients 
4.1.1 The following ingredients shall be used for the production of plant-based flavoured wine: 
a) suitable plant product complying with relevant standards; 
b) potable water complying with RS EAS 12; and 
c) sugar or honey complying with relevant standards or RS 164 respectively. 
4.1.2 Before producing any plant flavoured wine the producer shall prove the safety and suitability of the 
used materials and the final product to the competent authority. 
4.2 Optional ingredients 
Plant flavoured alcoholic drink may be fortified by the addition of neutral spirit complying to RS EAS 144 or 
any other spirit complying with relevant standard. 
5 General requirements 
Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks shall: 
a) be clear, free from cloudiness and suspended/particulate matter; 
b) have typical flavour and taste characteristics of plant material; and 
c) be free from foreign matter. 
NOTE Plant flavoured wine may be flavoured and coloured by using natural flavouring and colouring to adjust the flavour 
and the test. 
6 Specific requirements 
Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with test methods specified therein.  
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 Table 1 — Specific requirements for plant flavoured alcoholic drinks 
S/N Characteristic Limit Test method 
i. pH 3.5 - 5.0 RS ISO 1842 
ii. Ethyl alcohol content, %, v/v Low 0.5 3.5  
RS EAS 104 Medium 3.5-6.5 
Strong 6.6 - 14.0 
iii. Total solids, g/L, max. 150 
iv. Total sugar as invert sugar, g/L max. 
 25 
v. Total acids, g/L 4 - 12 
vi. Volatile acids, as acetic acid, g/L, max. 2.0 
vii. Sorbic acid, mg/kg, max. 1 000 
viii. Methanol, mg/L, max. 100 AOAC 972.11 
 
a Deviation of the actual alcohol content from the declared alcohol content shall not exceed 1% 
7 Food additives 
Food additives complying with RS CODEX STAN 192 may be used. 
8 Contaminants 
8.1 Pesticide residues 
Plant flavoured alcoholic beverages shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides as 
established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for the ingredients used in the manufacture of this 
product. 
8.2 Heavy metals 
Plant flavoured alcoholic drink shall not contain heavy metals in levels exceeding the limits indicated in Table 
2 when tested in accordance with test methods specified therein. 
Table 2 — Limits for heavy metal contaminants in plant flavoured alcoholic drink 
S/N Heavy metal Maximum limit mg/L Test method 
i. Arsenic (as As) 0.01 AOAC 986.15 
ii. Lead (as Pb) 0.2 AOAC 999.10 
iii. Cadmium (as Cd) 0.1 
iv. Tin (as Sn) 150 RS ISO 17240 DRS 344: 2023 
5                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 8.3 Aflatoxin limits 
Plant flavoured alcoholic drink shall not exceed maximum limits for aflatoxin provided in Table 3 when tested 
in accordance with test methods specified therein. 
Table 3 — Aflatoxin limits in plant flavoured alcoholic drink 
S/N Mycotoxin Maximum limit μg/kg Test method 
i. Total Aflatoxin 10 RS ISO 16050 
ii. Aflatoxin B1 5 
9 Hygiene 
9.1 Plant flavoured alcoholic drink shall be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance 
with RS CAC/RCP 1. 
9.2 Plant flavoured alcoholic drink shall comply with limits for micro-organisms specified in Table 4 when 
tested in accordance with test methods specified therein. 
Table 4 — Microbiological limits for plant flavoured alcoholic drinks 
S/N Microorganism Maximum limit Test method 
i. Total viable count, cfu/mL 102 RS ISO 4833-1 
ii. Escherichia coli, cfu/mL Absent RS ISO 16649-2 
iii. Salmonella spp per 25 mL Absent RS ISO 6579-1 
iv. Staphylococcus aureus per mL Absent RS ISO 6888-2 
v. Lactic Acid Bacteria Absent ISO 15214 
vi. Moulds, cfu/mL 102 RS ISO 21527-1 
10 Weights and measures 
The volume and fill of plant flavoured alcoholic drinks shall comply with national weights and measures 
regulations. 
11 Packaging and filling 
11.1 Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks shall be packaged in food grade packaging materials that shall maintain 
the quality of the product including glass bottles, tin cans, aluminium foil and/or any other suitable material 
certified by an accredited laboratory to be safe for packaging alcoholic beverages. 
11.2 The contents of the products shall occupy not less than 90 % of the total volume capacity of the 
container  
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 12 Labelling 
In addition to the requirements of RS EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall apply and 
shall be legibly and indelibly marked: 
d) name of the product as “” “Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks” list of ingredients in descending order; 
e) plant or plant parts used; 
f) ethyl alcohol content; 
g) name and physical and postal address of manufacturer; 
h) net contents in millilitres or litres; 
i) declaration of addition of neutral spirit; 
j) date of manufacture; 
k) expiry date, if alcohol content is less than 10 %; 
l) storage instructions; and 
m) statutory warnings. 
13 Sampling 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with RS EAS 104. 
 DRS 344: 2023 
7                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Annex title 
   
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved                  8 
 Bibliography 
[1] RS 344: 2017, Plant flavoured wine — Specification 
 DRS 344: 2023 
 
Price based on 6 pages  
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved