AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
872  
Second  Edition 2023 
 
 Reference No. DARS 872:2023 
ICS 67.060  
 
 
© ARSO 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dry soybeans — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 872: 2023  
ii © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  3 
4.2.1  Grading  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 3 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 4 
5.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  4 
5.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
9 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  7 
 
  DARS 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — 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  Committee on Cereals, pulses and derived 
products (ARSO/TC 12).  
 
 
 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 2023 — 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  
  
                                                 
* © 2023 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.  DARS 872: 2023  
iv © ARSO 2023 — 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 
from ARSO, neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or 
transmitted in any form for any other purpose without prior written permission from ARSO.  
 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be 
addressed as shown below or to ARSO’s member body in the country of the reques ter: 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 2023  — 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 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Soybeans contain significant amounts of all the amino acids essential for humans. In the recent past, 
the range of soyfoods has expanded to include (i) fresh beans and sprouts, (ii) dairy substitutes such 
as soy milk, cheese etc., (iii) grain products such as soybread, pasta and flour, (iv) meat substitutes, 
and (v) soy spreads and pastes. Although, in recent years, soyfoods have been introduced in many 
more countries in the developed and developing world, the sha re of domestic soybean supplies 
intended for direct consumption - as opposed to crushing - remain s below 10% at the global level . 
 
Soy-foods are generally considered to be nutritious and healthy based on their nutrient composition 
which includes protein, f at, carbohydrates, dietary fibres as well as minerals and phytoestrogenes (or 
isoflavones). With regard to the latter, recent scientific studies associate the consumption of 
phytoestrogen -rich diets with a lower risk of coronary heart diseases, osteoporosi s, hormone -
dependent forms of cancer and menopausal symptoms. The health -benefits of isoflavones contained 
in soyfoods have been explained by their structural resemblance to endogenous oestrogen, showing 
oestrogenic and anti -oestrogenic properties as well as anti -oxidative, anti -proliferative and anti -
angiogenic properties which are non -hormonally dependent.  
 
Based on the above and considering the economic and technical limitations prevailing in tropical 
developing countries, the direct consumption of soyb eans as a nutritious food that is economically 
accessible for large parts of the population appears to be appealing.  
 
Soya beans are part of the strategic food commodity basket recognized by the declaration of the African 
Union Food Security Summit held i n 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 movement 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 cont inent.  
 
 
 
 DARS 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  1  
Dry soybeans — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
 
This Draft African Standard specifies the requirements , sampling and test methods for dry whole 
soybeans  of varieties (cultivars) grown from Glycine max (L.) intended for human consumption . 
 
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.  
 
ARS 53, General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice  
 
ARS 56, Prepackaged foods — Labelling  
 
AOAC Official Method 999.10:1999, Determination of lead, cadmium, copper, iron and zinc in foods — 
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry after microwave digestion  
 
AOAC Official Method 999.11 :1999, Determination of lead, cadmium, copper, iron and zinc in foods — 
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry after dry ashing  
 
AOAC Official Metho d 2001.04, Determination of Fumonisins B 1 and B 2 in corn and corn flakes — Liquid 
chromatography with immunoaffinity column cleanup  
 
ISO 520, Cereals and pulses — Determination of the mass of 1000 grains  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and varie ty 
— Test methods  
 
ISO 659, Oilseeds — Determination of oil content (Reference method)  
 
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 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique 
using Baird -Parker agar medium  
 
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  
 
ISO 16050,  Foodstuffs — Determination of a flatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G1 and 
G2 in cereals, nuts and derived products — High performance liquid chromatographic method  
 
ISO/TS 16634 -2, Food products — Determination of the total nitrogen content by combustion according 
to the Dumas principle and calculation of the crude protein content — Part 2: Cereals, pulses and milled 
cereal products  
 
ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of beta -
glucuronidase -positive Esche richia coli — Part 2: Colony -count technique at 44 degrees C using 5 -bromo -4-chloro -
3-indolyl beta -D-glucuronide  
 
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  
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 872: 2023  
2 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
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 documen t, the following terms and definition s apply . 
 
3.1 
soybeans  
whole mature dry grains  of varieties (Glycine max (L.) 
 
3.2 
damaged /defective  beans  
soybeans and pieces of soybeans that are badly ground -damaged, badly weather -damaged, diseased, 
frost-damaged, germ -damaged, heat -damaged, insect -bored, mould -damaged, sprout -damaged, 
stinkbug -stung, or otherwise materially damaged. Stinkbug -stung kernels are considered damaged 
beans  at the rate of one -fourth of the actual percentage of the stung kernels.  
 
3.3 
foreign matter  
all organic and inorganic material other than dry soybeans or broken soybeans and other edible grains  
 
3.3.1 
inorganic matter  
stones, glass, pieces of soil and other mineral matter  
 
3.3.2 
organic matter  
any animal or plant matter (seed coats, straws, weeds) other than dry green grams, broken dry green 
grams, inorganic extraneous matter and harmful/toxic seeds  
 
3.4 
immature  
immature damaged soybeans are characterized by a green exterior appearance in conjunction with 
green discolouration penetrating the cotyledon  
 
3.5 
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  L. and D. stramonium  L.) corn co ckle (Agrostemma  githago  L., Machai Lallium remulenum  L.) 
Akra (Vicia species), Argemone mexicana , Khesari and other seeds that are commonly recognized as 
harmful to health  
 
3.6 
splits  
broken /spilts  soybean seeds that are less than three -quarters of the whole seed, and cotyledons that 
are loosely held together by the seed coat  
 
3.7 
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 fl avour to the product  
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General  requirements  
 DARS 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  3 Dry soybean s shall be  
 
a) whole mature dry beans  of varieties ( Glycine max (L.)) that will not pass through a 3.175 mm 
round -hole sieve;  
 
b) soybeans may be yellow, green, brown or black ; 
 
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, 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 requirements;  and 
 
f) be free from toxic or noxious seeds that are commonly recognized as harmful to health . 
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
4.2.1  Grading  
 
Dry s oybeans  shall be graded into three  grades on the basis of the tolerable limits established in Table 
1 when tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein which shall be additional to the 
general requirements set out in this standard.  
  DARS 872: 2023  
4 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
Table 1 — Specific requirements  for d ry soybeans  
 
S/N Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i.  Moisture, % m/m , max.  13 13 13 ISO 24557  
ii.  Oil content, on dry matter basis, % 
min. 20 18 15 ISO 659  
iii.  Acid value of oil, mg KOH/g fat or oil, 
max.  3 4 6 ISO 660  
iv.  Protein, on dry matter basis , % min.  
(Applicable to culinary varieties only. 
Not applicable to flour milling or oil 
crushing or animal feed varieties.)  40 40 40 ISO/TS 16634 -2 
v.  Test weight , kg/h (g/0.5  L) min.  70(357)  68(347)  66(337)  ISO 520  
vi.  Foreign matter, % m/m, max  1 2 3 
ISO 605  vii.  Inorganic matter, % m/m, max  0.1 0.3 0.5 
viii.  Broken/split grains, % m/m, max. 1 2.5 5 
ix.  Pest damaged grains, % m/m, max. 0.3 0.8 1.5 
x.  Rotten and diseased grains, % m/m, 
max. 0.2 0.5 1.0 
xi.  Heat damaged grains , % m/m, max. 0.1 0.2 0.5 
xii.  Contrasting colours, % m/m, max. 2 3 5 
xiii.  Immature/shrivelled beans, % m/m, 
max. 0.1 0.2 0.5 
xiv.  Filth, % m/m, max. 0.1 0.1 0.1 
xv.  Total defective grains, % m/m max. 2 3 5 
xvi.  Other edible pulses  0.1 0.2 0.5 
xvii.  Total aflatoxin (AFB 1+AFB 2+AFG 1 
+AFG 2)), ppb, max . 10  
ISO 16050  
xviii.  Aflatoxin B 1 only, ppb, max . 5 
xix.  Fumonisin, ppm, max . 2 AOAC 2001.04  
NOTE  The parameter, total defective beans 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 soybeans  shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants limits established by the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Dry s oybeans  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
6.1 Dry s oybeans  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with the provisions of 
appropriate sections of ARS 53 . 
 DARS 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  5 6.2 When tested by appropriate methods in the standards  listed in Clause 2, the product : 
 
a) shall be free from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health and shall 
not exceed the limits stipulated in Table 3 when tested in accordance with the test methods 
specified therein ; 
 
b) shall not contain any substance originating from m icroorganisms in amounts which may 
represent a hazard to health.  
 
Table 3 — Microbiological limits  for dry soybeans  
 
S/N Micro-organism  Limit  Test method  
i.  Yeasts and moulds, max. per g  105 ISO 21527 -2 
ii.  Staphylococcus aureus , cfu per g, max . Absent  ISO 6888 -1 
ISO 6888 -2 
iii.  E. coli, per g  Absent  ISO 16649 -2 
iv.  Salmonella, per 25 g  Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
 
7 Packaging  
 
7.1 Dry soybeans  shall be packed 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 soybeans shall be packed in containers which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, and 
organoleptic qualities of the products.  
 
7.3 Each package shall contain dry beans  of the same variety  and of the same grade designation.  
 
8 Labelling  
 
8.1 Labelling of retail packages  
 
In addition to the requirements in ARS 56 , each package shall be legibly and indelibly marked with the 
following:  
 
a) product name as “Dry Soybeans”;  
 
b) variety;  
 
c) grade;  
 
d) name, address and physical location of the producer/ packer/importer;  
 
e) lot/batch/code number;  
 
f) net weight, in SI units ; 
 
g) the declaration “ Food for Human Consumption’’ ; 
 
h) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
 
i) crop year;  
 
j) packing date;  DARS 872: 2023  
6 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
k) instructions on disposal of used package;  
 
l) country of origin;  and 
 
m) a declaration on whether the soybeans 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 pro vided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents.  
 
9 Sampling  
 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 24333 . 
 
  DARS 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  7 Bibliography  
 
[1] EAS 762:201 2, Dry soybeans — Specification  
 
[2] Malawi Standard, MBS 244:1991,  Soya bean — Specification  
 
[3] United States Standards for Soybeans, Effective September, 2007  
 
[4] Soybeans, Official Grain Grading Guide, August 1, 20 12, Canadian Grain Commission  
 
[5] Australian Oilseeds Federation — Soybean Marketing and Trading Specifications — 
CS07 :2012/2013 : Edible Culinary Grade Soybean  
 
 DARS 872: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved