AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
874  
Second  Edition 2023 
 
 Reference No. DARS 874:2023 
ICS 67.060  
 
 
© ARSO 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dry l ima bean s — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 874: 2023  
ii © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
5.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  3 
5.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 3 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  4 
9 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  5 
 
  DARS 874: 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 874: 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 874: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Phaseolus lunatus , commonly called lima beans or butter beans, are popular legumes that are known 
for their meaty texture and mild buttery flavo ur. They are widely used in countries in Central America; 
Latin America Asia, Caribbean and Africa. These highly nutritious beans provide protection against a 
number of diseases and ailments and are particularly beneficial for the cardio -vascular system and the 
digestive system.  
 
Lima beans are part of the strategic food commodity basket recognized by the declaration of the African 
Union Food Security Summit held in December 2006 in Abuja, Nigeria. This standard was harmonized 
as part of the response by the resolution of the AU Food Security Summ it 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 o verall achievement of food and nutrition security, food self -sufficiency and 
socioeconomic development of the African continent.  
 
 DARS 874: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  1  
Dry l ima bean s — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
 
This Draft African Standard specifies the requirements , sampling and test methods for dry lima beans  of 
cultivated varieties (cultivars) grown from Phaseolus lunatus  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. F or 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 Method 2001.04, Determination of Fumonisins B 1 and B 2 in corn and corn flakes — Liquid 
chromatography with immunoaffinity column cleanup  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours,  insects, and species and variety — 
Test methods  
 
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 document,  the following terms and definition s apply . 
 
3.1 
dry lima beans  
dried mature seeds  of Phaseolus lunatus  L. 
 
3.2 
broken  beans  
pieces of dry lima beans that are less than three -quarters the size of a whole  bean excluding split of beans  
 
3.3 
foreign matter  
all organic and  inorganic material other than dry lima beans or broken lima beans and other edible grains  
 
3.3.1  
Inorganic matter  
stone s, 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 lima beans, inorganic extraneous  
matter and harmful/toxic seeds  
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 874: 2023  
2 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
3.4 
poisonous, toxic and/or harmful 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 
damaging or dangerous effect on health, sensory properties or technological performance  
 
3.5 
filth 
impurities of animal origin including dead insects, rodent hair and excreta  
 
3.6 
splits  
pieces of dry lima beans that are not damaged, each of which consists of three -fourths or less of the whole 
lima beans and shall include any sound lima beans the halves of which are held to gether loosely  
 
3.7 
damaged beans  
 whole, split, or broken beans that are sprouted, very immature, perforated, distinctly deteriorated or 
discoloured by weather or disease.  
 beans that are otherwise damaged in a way that seriously affects appearance or quality.:  
 
3.8 
food grade packaging material  
material which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, technological and organoleptic qualities of the product  
 
3.9 
contrasting varieties  
other varieties that are of a different colour, size, or shape from the  grains of the designated variety  
 
3.10 
varieties that blend  
sound beans of other varieties that are similar in colo ur, size, and shape to the beans of the variety 
designated, and shall include other beans in the variety lima which are similar in size and  shape to the lima 
beans  
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General  requirements  
 
Dry lima beans  shall be  
 
a) mature dry beans  of Phaseolus lunatus  L.; 
 
b) clean, well -filled, wholesome, uniform in size, shape, of good colour;  
 
c) free from substances which render them unfit for  human consumption or processing into or utilisation 
thereof as food;  
 
d) free from off-flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable odour,  obnoxious smell  and discolouration;  
 
e) free of pests, animal droppings, fungal infection, animal droppings, fungal infectio n, added colouring 
matter, impurities of plant and animal origin including insects, rodent hair and excreta and shall 
meet any other sanitary and phytosanitary requirements ; and 
 
f) free from toxic or noxious seeds that are commonly recognized as harmful to health . 
 
  DARS 874: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  3  
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
4.2.1  Grading  
 
Dry lima beans  shall comply with the limits given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test methods 
specified therein.  
 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for d ry lima beans  
 
S/N Characteristic  Limit 
% m/m , max.  Test method  
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i.  Contrasting varieties  a 0.5 1.0 2.0  
ii.  Varieties that blend b 5.0 10.0 15.0  
iii.  Total foreign matter  0.5 1.0 2.0 
ISO 605  iv.  Inorganic matter  0.1 0.3 0.5 
v.  Broken beans  3.0 5.0 5.0 
vi.  Splits  3.0 5.0 5.0 
vii.  Pest damaged beans  0.3 0.8 1.5 
viii.  Rotten and diseased beans  0.2 0.5 0.5 
ix.  Discoloured beans  1.0 3.0 3.0 
x.  Immature/shrivelled beans  2.0 4.0 5.0 
xi.  Filth 0.1 0.1 0.1 
xii.  Total defective beans  6.0 7.0 8.0 
xiii.  
Beans through a sieve  11.11 mm  3.0 5.0 10.0 ISO 5223  
9.53 mm  1.0 3.0 5.0 ISO 5223  
xiv.  Moisture  content  14.0  14.0  14.0  ISO 24557  
a Beans with more than 2.0 % contrasting varieties are graded mixed beans.  
b Beans with more than 15.0 % varieties that blend are graded mixed beans.  
 
5 Contaminants  
 
5.1 Heavy  metals  
 
Dry lima beans shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Dry l ima beans  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
6.1 Lima beans  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with the provisions of 
appropriate sections of ARS 53 . 
 
7 Packaging  
 DARS 874: 2023  
4 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  7.1 Dry l ima beans  shall be packed in suitable food grade packag ing materials  which shall be clean, 
sound, free from insect, fungal infestation and the pack aging material shall be of food grade quality  and 
shall be securely closed and sealed.  
 
7.3 Each package shall contain dry lima 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 L ima B eans”;  
 
b) grade;  
 
c) name, address and physical location of the producer/packer/importer;  
 
d) lot/batch/code number;  
 
e) net weight, in SI units ; 
 
f) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’ ; 
 
g) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
 
h) crop year;  
 
i) packing date;  
 
j) instructions on disposal of used package;  
 
k) country of origin;  and 
 
l) a declaration on whether the lima beans 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 pr ovided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents.  
 
9 Sampling  
 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 24333 . 
 
  DARS 874: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved  5 Bibliography  
 
[1] United States Standards for Beans, Effective December 2008: Grades and grade requirements for 
the class Large Lima Beans  
 
[2] Australian Pulse Standards, 2012/2013 : Broad beans — Minimum receival standard  
 
 DARS 874: 2023  
© ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved