DEAS 1077 : 2021  
ICS 67.220  
 
© EAC 2021                                                                                                                               First Edition 2021  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum  L.) whole or ground (powdered)  — 
Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 1077 : 2021  
ii © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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 DEAS 1077 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Developme nt 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 encou ntered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representa tives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key  
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are d iscussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for develop ment of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the Eas t 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 006, Spices , condiments and 
culinary herbs . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1077 : 2021  
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  1 
 Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum  L.) whole or ground (powdered ) — 
Specification  
1 Scope   
This draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for coriander seed 
(Coriandrum sativum  L.), in the whole and ground (powdered) forms intended for human consumption  
2 Normative references   
The f ollowing 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 doc ument (including any amendments) applies.  
Codex online guideline for pesticide residues in food  
CODEX STAN 193, Codex g eneral  standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed   
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods  — General requirements  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
EAS 804,  Claims — General requirements  
ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms — 
Part 1: Colony count at 30 oC by the pour plate technique  
ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method  
ISO 6571, Spices, condiments and herbs — Determination of  volatile oil content (hydrodistilation method)  
ISO 6579 (all parts), Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enum eration and 
serotyping of salmonella    
ISO 16050, Food stuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in 
cereals, n uts and derived products — High-perfomance liquid chromatographic method  
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 44ºC using 5 -bromo -4-chloro -3-
indolyl beta –D-glucuronide  
ISO 927,  Spices  and condiments  — Determi nation  of extraneous  matter  content  
ISO 928, Spices  and condiments — Determination  of total ash DEAS 1077 : 2021  
2 © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 ISO 930, Spices and condiments — Determination of acid -insoluble ash  
ISO 939,  Spices  and condiments  — Determination  of moisture  content  — Entrainment  method  
ISO 948, Spices  and condiments  — Sampling  
ISO 1208,  Spices and condiments — Determination  of filth 
 
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this documen t, the following terms and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
coriander  
is the dried mature fruit of Coriandrum sativum  L. The colour of the fruit is yellowish brown to light brown and 
the shape is generally spherical to elliptical, measuring about 2 mm to 6 mm in diameter.  
3.2  
split fruits  
fruits that have been  split longitudinally into two parts.  
3.3  
damaged, discoloured, immature, shrivelled and weevil led fruits . 
includes whole or split fruits that are damaged, discoloured or shrivelled and also includes those showing signs 
of partial or whole bores as a res ult of their having been eaten by weevils or other insects  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General r equirements  
Coriander shall  
a. have a typical aroma and flavour characteristic of the spice.  
b. It shall be free from musty odour.  
c. be classified in two groups, A and B, accor ding to the volatile oil content.  
d. be free from living insects, and shall be practically free from moulds, dead insects, insect fragments and 
rodent contamination visible to the naked eye  DEAS 1077 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  3 
 4.3 Specific requirements  
4.3 1  Coriander, whole an d ground (powdered ), shall com ply with  the requirements specified in T able 1  and 2 , 
when tested in accordance with the specified methods.  
Table 1 — Grading r equirements for coriander  
 
 
Characteristic  Requirements   
Test 
method  Whole  Ground  
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
Extraneous matter, % (m/m), max . 1.5 2 4 -  ISO 927  
Split fruits, % (m/m ), max.  5 10 10 - 
Dam aged, discoloured fruits, etc., % (m/m), 
max.  2 3 7 - 
 
Table 2: Specific r equirements for coriander  
Characteristic  Requirements  Test method  
Volatile oils, % (mI /100 g), on dry basis  
Group A, more than   
0.5 
ISO 6571  Group B, min.  0.1 
Group B, max . 0.5 
Moisture content, % (m /m), max.  9 ISO 939  
Total ash, % (mm), on dry basis, max  7 ISO 928  
Acid-insoluble ash, % (m/m), on dry basis, 
max.  1.5 ISO 930  
 
4.3.2 Fineness of ground coriander  
Ground (powdered) coriander shall pass completely through a sieve of nominal aperture size  500 km.  
5 Contaminants  
5.1 Pesticide residues  
Pesticide residues in coriander shall not exceed maximum residue limit s as established in the Codex online 
guideline for pesticide residues in food.  DEAS 1077 : 2021  
4 © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 5.2 Heavy metal s 
Heavy metals in coriander  shall not exceed maximum heavy metal  limits as stipulated in CODEX STAN 193 . 
5.3 Aflatoxin limits  
Total aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 µg/kg and aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 µg/ kg when tested with ISO 
16050 . 
       6  Hygiene  
Coriander shall be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39 and      
shall co mply with  the microbiological limits stipulated in Table 2  when tested in accordance with the 
methods specified therein.  
Table 2 — Microbiological  requirements  for coriander   
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Total plate count, cfu/g, max.  105 ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Salmonella spp ., per 25 g   Absent  ISO 6579  
iii.  E coli , MPN/g, m ax. Absent  ISO 16649 -2 
 
7. Packaging  
Whole  or ground (powdered) coriander shall be packaged in food grade packaging material that secure s the 
integrity and the  safety of the product.  
 
8. Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, EAS 803 and EAS 804, each container shall be legibly and indelibly 
labelled with the following information:  
a) name of the product  as “Coriander ”;  
b) trade name or brand name if any;  
c) name, physical and postal address of manufacturer and / or packer;  
d) batch or code number;  
e) net weight;  
f) a complete list of ingredients in descending order of proportions;  
g) storage conditions;  
h) instructions for use;  
i) country of origin;  DEAS 1077 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  5 
 j) best before;   
k) year of harvest; and  
l) storage condition   
9 Sampling  
Sampling shall be carried out as specified in ISO 948. 
 DEAS 1077 : 2021  
6 © EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(informative)  
 
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions  
Packages of coriander shall be stored in covered premises, well protected from the sun, rain and excessive 
heat.  
The storeroom shall be dry, free from un pleasant odou rs and protected against entry of insects and other 
vermin. Ventilation shall be adjusted in such a way as to give good ventilation during dry weather and to be fully 
closed under damp conditions. Suitable provisions shall be made for fumigation of store  rooms.  
Packages shall be handled and transported in such a way that they are protected from the rain, sun or other 
sources of excessive heat, unpleasant odours and any other contamination (especially in the holds of ships).  
 
 DEAS 1077 : 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  7 
 Bibliography  
[1] ISO 2256:1996 : Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), whole  or ground (powdered) - Specification  
 
 DEAS 1077 : 2021    
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved