DEAS 762: 2024  
ICS 67.060  
© EAC  2024                                                                                                                           Third  Edition 2024  
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
 
Dry soybeans  — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 762:2024  
© EAC 2024  — All rights  reserved  ii 
 Copyright notice  
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© East African Community 2017  — All rights reserved  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  Violators  
may be pr osecuted . DEAS 762:2024  
© EAC 2024  — All rights  reserved  iii 
 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 standar dization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 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 in Partner States, together 
with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards are 
circulated to stake holders 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 .  
EAS 762 :2017 was prepared by Technical Committee EASC/TC 014, Cereals, pulses and related products .  
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (EAS  762:2013) which has been technically revised.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 762:2024  
 
© EAC 2024  — All rights reserved  1 
 Dry soybeans  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This draft East African Standard specifies requirements , sampling and test methods for dry soybeans of varieties 
(cultivars) grown from Glycine max  (L.) Merr.  intended for human consumption.  
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.  
AOAC 2001.04 , Official methods of analysis for fumonisins B 1 and B 2 in corn and corn flakes  
EAS 39,  Hygiene  in the food and drink  manufacturing  industry  — Code of  practice  
EAS 38 , Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Requirements  
EAS 901 , Cereal and Pulses — Test Methods  
ISO 6579 , Microbiology of food and animal f eeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella 
spp. 
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 1 — Method 
using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  
ISO 6561 -2, Fruits, veget ables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 2 — Method 
using flame atomic  absorption spectrometry  
ISO 6633, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content —  Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric metho d 
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 7251 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
ISO 21527 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts 
and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in products wi th water activity less than or equal to 0.95  
EAS 900, Cereal and Pulses  — Sampling  
ISO 24557 , Pulses — Determination of moisture content — Air-oven method  
3 Terms and definitions  
 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
3.1 
soybeans  
mature dry grains of variety  grown from Glycine max (L.) Merr.    
© EAC 2024  — All rights  reserved  2 
 3.2 
defective soybeans   
beans that have been broken, pest damaged, shrivelled, immature, rotten, mouldy, diseased, discoloured and 
heat damaged  
3.3 
foreign matter  
total of inorganic and organic matter  
3.3.1  
inorganic matter  
stones, glass, pieces of soil, metal and other mineral matter  
3.3.2  
organic matter  
any plant matter (seed coats, straws, weeds)  other than grains of soybeans, damaged soybean grain s and other 
grains  
3.4 
contrasting varieties;  
other varieties that are of a different colour, size, or shape from the soybean of the designated variety  
 
3.5 
other edible grains  
grain other than soybean, whole or broken such as maize, sorghum, wheat, etc.  
3.6 
pest damaged  soybeans  
soybeans  which show damage owing to attack by rodents, insects, mites or other pests  
3.8 
harmful matter/toxic matter  
any substances in soybean that can have a damaging or dangerous effect on health  
3.9 
harmful/noxious seeds  
seeds such as Crotolaria ( Crotalaria spp.), Corn cockle ( Agrostemma githago L.), Castor bean ( Ricinus 
communis L.), Jimson weed ( Datura spp.) which, if present in quantities above a certain limit, can have a 
damag ing or dangerous effect on health, sensory properties or technological performance  
3.10 
immature  soybeans  
unripe and/or undeveloped whole or broken soybeans  
 3.11 
split/broken  soybeans  
broken soybean s that are less than three -quarters of the whole seed, an d cotyledons that are loosely held 
together by the seed coat  
3.12 
filth 
impurities of animal origin  
3.13 
wholesome/sound  
free from disease, serious deterioration (such as but not limited to decay, breakdown) or 
adulteration/contamination, that appreciably affects their appearance, the keeping quality of the produce or 
market value   
© EAC 2024  — All rights  reserved  3 
 3.14 
clean  
practically free of visible soil, dust, or other visible foreign matter, except substances used to prolong  its shelf 
life 
3.15 
food grade packaging materials  
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  
3.16 
discoloured soybeans  
soybeans which are damaged, by heat, frost or water.  
 
3.17 
rotten and diseased soybeans  
soybeans affected by fungi growth or bacterial decomposition, or other causes that may be noticed without 
having to cut the grains to examine them and render them unsafe for human consumption.  
 
3.18 
mouldy soy beans  
soybeans with visible mycelial growth on their surface  
 
4 Quality requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
Dry s oybeans shall be:  
a) hard, clean, wh olesome , uniform in size, shape  and colour ; 
 NOTE  The colour of soybeans may be yellow, green, brown or black . 
b) safe and suitable for human consumption;  
c) free from abnormal flavour and, objectionable smell; and  
d) free from foreign odours, visible moulds, live pests, toxic or nox ious weed seeds and other harmful materials 
as determined from samples representative of the lot.  
4.2 Specific requirements  
Dry s oybeans shall comply with limits given in Table 1 when  tested in accordance with the test methods specified 
therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements  for dry soybeans  
S/N Characteristic  Limit  Test 
method  Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i.  Moisture, % m/m, max.  14 
EAS 901  ii.  Total foreign matter, % m/m, max.  1 2 3 
iii.  Inorganic matter, % m/m, max.  0.1 0.3 0.5 
iv.  Other edible grains, % m/m, max.  0.1 0.2 0.5 
v.  Split/broken/ soybeans, % m/m, max.  1 2.5 5  
© EAC 2024  — All rights  reserved  4 
 S/N Characteristic  Limit  Test 
method  Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
vi.  Pest damaged soybeans, % m/m, 
max.  0.3 0.8 1.5 
vii.  Rotten and diseased soybeans, % 
m/m, max.  0.2 0.5 1.0 
viii.  Contrasting varieties, % m/m, max.  2 3 5 
ix.  Immature and shrivelled soybeans, % 
m/m, max.  0.1 0.2 0.5 
x.  Filth, % m/m, m ax. 0.1 
xi.  Discoloured  soybeans,% m/m max.  2.5 4.0 5.5 
5 Hygiene  
Dry soybeans shall be prepared  and handled in accordance with  EAS 39.  
6  Contaminants  
6.1 Heavy metals  
Dry soybeans shall comply with limits for heavy metals given  in Table 2 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein .  
Table 2 — Heavy metal limits for dry soybeans  
S/N Heavy metal  Limit  Test method  
i.  Lead, mg/kg, max.  0.2 ISO 6633  
ii.  Cadmium, mg/kg, max.  0.1 ISO 6561 -1/2 
 
6.2 Pesticide residues  
Dry soybeans shall comply with  those pesticide residue limits established by the Codex A limentarius 
Commission for this commodity .  
6.3 Mycotoxins  
Dry soybeans shall comply with  those mycotoxin limits establi shed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission as 
given  in Table 3 when tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein .  
Table 3 — Mycotoxin limits for dry soybeans  
S/N Mycotoxin  Maximum l imit 
µg/kg  Test method  
i.  Total aflatoxins,  10 EAS 901  
 
 ii.  Aflatoxin B 1 5  
© EAC 2024  — All rights  reserved  5 
 7. Packaging  
 
7.1 Dry soybeans  shall be packaged in food grade packaging material which will safeguard the hygienic, 
nutritional, technological and organoleptic qualities of the products.  
 
7.2 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed.  
8.0 Labelling  and marking  
8.1 Labelling shall be done in accordance with EAS 38. At the minimum, the following information shall be 
displayed:  
i) name of the product: “Dry soybeans”;  
ii) colour;  
iii) grade;  
iv) name, address and physical location of the p roducer/ packer/importer;  
v) lot/batch/code number;  
vi) net weight, in metric  units ; 
vii) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’;  
viii) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
ix) crop year;  
x) packing date;  
xi) instructions on d isposal of used package;  
xii) country of origin; and  
xiii) 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.  
However, lot identification and the name and address of the processor or packer ma y be replaced by an 
identification mark provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents  
9.0 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with EAS 900 . 
 
 
    
 
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