DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 876  
Second  Edition  
2020-mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS  876: 20 20 
© UNBS 20 20  
  
Dried chillies (whole and ground) — Specification  
 DUS  876: 2020 
ii © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for it s correct application  
© UNBS 2020  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written  
permission from UNBS.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 7 333 2 50/1/2 
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 876:20 20 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Descripti on ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  4 
4.1 Classification  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
4.1.1  “Extra” class  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
4.1.2  Class I  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  4 
4.1.3  Class II  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  4 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
5.1 General Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  5 
5.2 Odour, taste and flavour  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  5 
5.3 Moulds and insects  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  5 
5.4 Fineness  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
5.5 Filth  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  6 
5.6 Extraneous matter  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 6 
5.7 Damaged and discoloured pods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  6 
5.8 Added substances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 6 
5.9 Defects  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  6 
5.10  Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  7 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  7 
7 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  8 
7.1 Pesticide residue/  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 8 
7.2 Mycotoxins  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  8 
7 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  9 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  9 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  9 
9.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  9 
9.2 Nutrition declaration  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  9 
10 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  9 
Annex B (informative)  Scoville index  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  10 
B.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......Error! Bookmark not defined.  
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  11 
 
. DUS  876: 2020 
iv © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to  co-
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) ;  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards ; and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the Wo rld Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government , academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recomm ending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Draft Uganda Standard, CDUS 876:2019, Dried c hillies, whole and ground (powdered) — Specification 
has been developed by the Food and Agricul ture Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 2 -4 fruits, vegetables, 
spices  and processed products) . 
This second  edition cancels and replaces the first edition (US 876:2009 ), which has been technically revised .  
This revision was undertaken to incorporate a table on microbiological limits,  defects,  terminology , a table on 
Scoville pungency levels and method of test for determination of Capsaicin content. The revision was also 
under taken to address the classification of chillies . DUS 876:20 20 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
Chilli es are widely used  in many cu isines as a spice to add pungency ( heat) and flavour to dishes. The 
substances that give chillies their intensity when ingested or applied topically  are c apsaicin and related 
compounds known as capsaicinoids . 
Ground chilli is the product obtained by grinding the ripe dried fruits of different varieties of Capsicum (e.g . 
Capsicum annuum L. var. longum, Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum, Capsicum annuum L. var. 
abbreviatum, Capsicum annuum L. var. typicum) of the Solanaceae plant family  
Ground chilli is prepared from the pericarp and the seeds of the chilli fruit. It may co ntain a variable amount of 
other parts of the fruit, such as the placenta, the calyx and the stalk.  
The colour of ground chilli varies, according to its quality, from vivid brilliant red through yellowish and 
brownish -red to pale reddish -brown  
Chillies are  both grown,  processed  and traded in the Uganda market. This standard aims at providing farmers 
and processe s with the minimum guidelines on the quality of the product . 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS  876: 20 20 
 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  1 
 Dried chillies (whole and ground) — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft  Uganda Standard  specifies the requirements for  dried chillies, Capsicum frutescens L./Capsicum 
annuum,  L. (LAL MIRCHI ), as whole fruits (pods) or ground (powdered). This standard does not apply to chilli 
powder which is a term applied to a blend of ground (powdered) chil lies and other spices, garlic, cumin and 
oregano, with or without anti -caking agents available as a homogenous mix . 
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  2008.02 , Determination of Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 and Ochr atoxin A in Ginseng and Ginger by 
Multitoxin Immunoaffinity Column Clean up and Liquid Chromatographic Quantitation  
CXC 78 - Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Mycotoxins in Spices  
US 28 EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and  drink manufacturing industry  
US EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
US EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
US EAS 804, Claims on food — Requirements  
US EAS 805, Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
US ISO 67 6, Spices and condiments — Botanical nomenclature  
US ISO 927, Spices and condiments — Determination of extraneous matter content  
US ISO 928, Spices and condiments — Determination of total ash  
US ISO 930, Spices and condiments — Determination of acid -insolu ble ash  
US ISO 939, Spices and condiments — Determination of moisture content — Entrainment method  
US ISO 948, Spices and  condiments — Sampling  
US ISO 1208, Spices and condiments — Determination of filth  
US ISO 2825, Spices and condiments — Preparation of a ground sample for analysis  
US ISO 3513, Chillies — Determination of Scoville index  DUS 876: 2020  
2 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 US ISO 35 88, Spices and condiments — Determination of degree of fineness of  Grinding -Hand sieving 
method (R eference method)  
US ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food, chain — Horizontal method for the  enumeration of microorganisms 
— Part 1: Colony count at 30 C by the pour plate technique  
US ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, v egetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 1: 
Method using graphite furnace atomic ab sorption spectrometry  
US ISO 6571, Spices, condiments and herbs — Determination of volatile oil content ( Hydrodistillation method)  
US ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food  chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyp ing of salmonella  — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella Spp  
US ISO 6633 , Fruit and vegetables products — Determination of lead content — Flameless atomic absorption 
spectrometric method  
US ISO 6634 , Fruit, v egetables and derived products — Determination of a rsenic content — Silver 
diethyldithiocarbamate spectrophotometric method  
US ISO 7543 -1, Chillies and chilli oleoresins capsaicinoid content — Part 1: Spectrometric method  
US ISO 7543 -2, Chillies and chilli oleoresins — Determination of total capsaicinoid content — Part 2: Me thod 
using high -performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 16050 Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method  
US ISO 1664 9 -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 — Sampling  
US ISO 21 527-1, Microbiology of  food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase positive staphyl ococci (Staphylococci aureus) — Part 1: Technique using Baird -Parker agar 
medium  
ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of  food and animal feeding  stuffs — Horizontal method for the en umeration of 
yeasts and moulds — Part 2: colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95  
US 738 , General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
US 999, Fresh chilli pepp er — Specification  
US 1659 , Materials in contact with food — Requirements for packaging materials  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in US ISO 676 and the following apply .  
ISO and IEC maintain termi nological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
unripe fruit  
fruits that are not yet mature. The colour of which is considerably different from that of the batch under 
consideration. Generally, the fruits are green or pale yellow in colour  DUS  876: 2020 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  3 
 3.2  
marked fruit  
black stained fruits  
3.3  
broken and fragmented fruits  
physically damaged dried fruit caused by mechanical injury due to packing, handling or transportat ion 
3.4  
discoloured fruit  
fruit colour caused by unripe or overripe produce, processing  or disease infection. Poor  post-harvest handling . 
3.5  
deformed fruit  
abnormal fruit shape caused by pest infestation or improper cultivation practices  
3.6  
foreign m atters  
any extraneous matter other than  chilli (whole and ground)  comprising of “inorganic matter” which includes 
metallic pieces, dust, sand, gravel, stones, dirt, pebbles, lumps or earth, clay, mud and animal filth, etc; and 
“organic matter” consisting of husks, straws,  weeds and other inedible parts  other than chilli (whole and 
ground) . 
3.7  
extraneous  matter  
means glass, metal, stones, coal, excreta and anything else other than Chilli  (whole and ground ). 
3.8  
scoville index  
measurement  of the pungency  (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers  and other spicy foods, as recorded in 
Scoville Heat Units (SHU) based o n the concentration of capsaicinoids , among which capsaicin  is the 
predominant component  
3.9  
ground chilli   
product obtained by grinding obtained by grinding clean, dried, ripene d whole chillies (capsicum frutescens 
Linnaeus) Caspsicum annum  without any added matter  
3.10  
fineness   
all particles of the ground chilli that can pass through a sieve with a known nominal mesh size  
3.11  
pungency  
characteristic of food commonly referr ed to as spiciness or hotness and sometimes heat which is found in 
foods such as chili peppers  
3.12  
capsaicinoids   
compounds responsible for the pungent or hot flavour in the chillies. The main and most pungent of all 
capsaicinoids is the Capsaicin, which  is found in the seeds and placenta of the peppers.  
3.13  
filth  
impurities of animal origin  including dead insects  other than chilli (whole and ground)  DUS 876: 2020  
4 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 3.14  
pesticide residue  
any specified substance in food, agricultural commodities or  animal feed resul ting from the use of a pestic ide. 
The term includes any derivatives of a  pesticide, such as conversion products, metabolites, reaction products 
and impurities  considered to be of toxicological significance.  
3.15  
mycotoxins  
naturally  occurring toxins pro duced by certain moulds (fungi) and  can be found in food  such as cereals, nuts, 
dried fruits, spices and legumes under certain environmental conditions  
4 Description  
The chillies shall be the dried ripe fruits or pods of Capsicum frutescens L./Capsicum ann uum L. The pods 
shall be of a colour characteristic of the variety . The chillies may be with or without the stalks. The chillies may 
be graded on the basis of  size, colour, damaged and discoloured pods stalked and clipped pods  loose seeds, 
foreign matter a nd broken pods.  
The colour of ground chilli varies, according to its quality, characteristic of the variety . 
4.1 Classification  
Chillies (whole)  can be classified basing on the quality of the product  defined below . 
4.1.1  “Extra” class  
Chilli (whole)  pepper s in this class must be of superior quality. They must be characteristic of the variety 
and/or commercial type. They must be free from defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects 
affecting an area of up to 0.5% of the product surface, pr ovided these do not affect the general appearance of 
the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package . 
4.1.2  Class  I 
Chilli (whole)  peppers in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety and/o r 
commercial type. The following slight defects, however, may be allowed, provided these do not affect the 
general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package : 
a) slight defect in shape ; 
b) slight defect in develop ment ; 
c)  slight defect in colour ; and  
d)  slight skin defects affecting an area of up to 2.0% of the product surface . 
4.1.3  Class II 
4.1.3.1  This class includes chilli (whole)  peppers that do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes but 
satisfy the mini mum requirements specified . 
4.1.3.2  It must be characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type. Defects on the surface of the fruit 
not exceeding 10% of the total surface area of the fruit, shape, colour, firmness may be allowed provided 
these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in 
the package . 
4.1.3.3  Ground pepper can also be graded as a function of its colour, which can be : DUS  876: 2020 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  5 
 a) the extractable colour ; 
b) the visible colour, assessed by comp arison with a reference sample ; and  
c) its degree of pungency, and physical and chemical characteristics. The degree of pungency ( Scoville 
degree) can be low, medium, hot, and very hot. 
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirement s 
Dried chilli peppers  shall meet the following characteristics and the defects shall not exceed the allowances as 
in Section 5 .10: 
a) intact; however, slight superficial damage is not considered as a defect; peduncle and calyx may be 
missing but flesh at the calyx area must be intact, if pre sent peduncle and calyx must be intact  for the 
dried  whole chillies ; 
b) whole, the stalk (stem) may be missing, provided that the break is clean and the adjacent skin is not 
damaged  for the whole dried chillies ; 
c) sound, produce affected by rotting or deteriora tion such as to make it unfit for consumption is 
excluded ; 
d) practically free of damage caused by pests  affecting the general appearance of the produce  dry whole 
chillies ; 
e) contain  the same type of dried chilli peppers in the same package  for both the dry who le chillies and 
ground ; 
f) chillies (whole) shall be free from disease ;  
g) whole dried chilli peppers shall be sufficiently developed before drying. If they are not sufficiently 
developed, the dried produce is smaller in size and pale in colour compared to the typical 
characteristics of the commercial type. Whole dried chilli peppers with insufficient development are to 
be excluded ; and  
h) The chillies (whole and ground) shall be obtained from the fresh peppers characteristic of the variety 
and pungent taste in ac cordance with US 999 . 
5.2 Odour, taste and  flavou r 
The chillies  (whole and ground ) shall have their characteristics of the variety and  pungent taste. They shall be 
free from foreign taste and flavour including rancidity and mustiness.  
5.3 Moulds and  insect s 
The chillies  (whole and ground ) shall be  clean, practically free of any visible  moulds and insect infestation 
when inspected . 
5.4 Fineness  
When determined in accordance with US ISO 3588 the  chillies  shall be gr ound to such a fineness that  it 
passes throu gh a 500 -micron  Sieve and nothing remains on the sieve . DUS 876: 2020  
6 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 5.5 Filth 
When determined in accordance with US ISO 1208, the chillies (whole and ground ) shall be free from filth . 
5.6 Extraneous matter  
5.6.1  When determined in accordance with US ISO 927 , the propo rtion of extraneous matter, including clay 
pieces and loose stalks, shall not be more than 4 % by mass of which foreign organic and inorganic matter 
shall not exceed 1 % by mass. It shall be free from metallic impurities . 
5.6.2  Ground chillies shall be fre e from extraneous matter . 
5.7 Damaged and discoloured  pods  
These include pods damaged due to insect attack or diseases and which have developed brown, black, white 
and other coloured patches. The proportion of such damaged and discoloured pods shall be not  more than 5  
% by mass.  
5.8 Added  substances   
When tested in accordance with the method given in US ISO 6571, the chillies (whole and ground ) shall be 
free from extraneous colouring material, coating of oil and other harmful substances . 
5.9 Defects  
5.9.1  The proportion of loose seeds shall be not more than 3 % by mass when determined using physical 
separation and weighing.  
5.9.2  The proportion of broken  pods shall be not more than 5 % when determined using physical separation 
and weighing.  
5.9.3  The defects  may include the following : 
a) discoloured chilli pods ; 
b) deformed chilli pods ; and  
c) broken and fragmented chilli pods . 
5.9.4  The d efects as defined in section 5.10  shall not exceed the limitations specified in Table 1. DUS  876: 2020 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  7 
 Table 1— Allowances for defects  
S/No  Defects Allowances  
% by weight  
i Discoloured fruit . Not exceed 5  % 
ii Deformed fruit . Not exceed 5  % 
iii Broken and fragmented fruit  
Dried bird chilli peppers  
Dried large -fruit chilli peppers   
Not exceed 5  % 
Not exceed 10 %  
 
5.10 Specific requirements  
Chillies (w hole and ground ) shall comply with t he requirements given in Table 2. 
Table 2 — Requirement for chillies ( whole and ground )  
Characteristic  Requirement  
Whole  Ground  Test method  
Moisture, % (m/m), max   12 10 US ISO.939  
Acid insoluble ash, % (m/m ), (on dry 
basis), max  2 2.5a US ISO 930  
Capsaicin content, % (m/m) , max 30b 30b US ISO 7543 -1 
US ISO 7543 -2 
Scoville index,  24 000  24 000  US ISO 3513  
Total ash, % (m/m), (on dry basis), max  10 8.5 US ISO 928  
NOTE   
a If the product contains an anti -caking agent, this val ue is allowed to be higher.  
b Above this value the ground chilli is pungent. If pungency is required, its degree should.be subject of the 
agreement between the buyer and seller.  
 
6 Hygiene  
6.1 Chilli ( whole and ground ) shall be produced  and handled in accordance with  appropriate provisions of  
US 28 EAS 39 . 
6.2 When tested using  appropriate standards of sampling and analysis , the products  shall: 
a) be free from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health and shall not ex ceed 
the limits stipulated in Table 3; 
b) be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health; and  
c) not contain any substance originating from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a health 
hazard.  DUS 876: 2020  
8 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Table  3 — Microbiological limits for chilli (whole and ground)  
S/No.  Microorganism  Limit  Test method  
i) Total plate count, CFU/g, max.  105 US ISO 4833 -1 
ii) E. Coli , CFU /g, max.  Absent  US ISO 16649 -2 
iii) Staphylococcus aureus, CFU/g, max . Absent  US ISO 21527 -1 
iv) Salmonella, 25 g, max.  Absent  US ISO 6579 -1 
v) Yeast and moulds, CFU/g, max   103 US ISO 21527 -2 
 
7 Contaminants  
The chilli (whole  and ground)  shall comply with the maximum levels for contaminants according to US 738. 
7.1 Pesticide residue  
The products covered by the provisions of thi s standard shall comply with those maximum limits established 
by Codex Alimentarius Commission . 
7.2 Mycotoxins  
7.2.1  Chilli (whole and ground) shall be produced and handled in accordance with appropriate provisions 
CXC 78.  
7.2.2  The level of mycotoxins in chilli (whole and ground) shall not exceed those prescribed in Table 4.  
Table  4 — Mycotoxins levels in chilli (whole and ground ) 
Mycotoxins  Maximum limit 
µg/kg  Test method  
Ochratoxin A  20 AOAC 2008.02  
Total Aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, G2)  20 ISO 16050  
 
7.2 Heavy metals  
The level of heavy metals in chilli (whole and ground)  shall not exceed those prescribed in table in table 5  
Table 5 — Heavy metal levels in chilli  (whole and ground)  
S.NO  
Characteristic  Maximum limit (mg/kg)  
Whole and ground  Test method  
I.  Cadmium (Cd)   0.002  US ISO 6561 -1 
II.  Arsenic (As)  0.05 US ISO 6634  
III.  Lead (Pb)  0.05 US ISO 6633  
 DUS  876: 2020 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  9 
 7 Weights and measures  
The weight of the package of the product shall comply with the Weights and Measures Act . 
8 Packaging  
Chillies (w hole and ground ) shall be  packed in clean and sound containers, made of a material which does not 
affect the products and protect it from moisture and form loss of volatile matter in accordance with  US 1659 . 
9 Labelling   
9.1 General  
9.1.1  In addition to the requirements in US EAS  38, the following specific labelling requirements shall apply 
and shall be legibly and indelibly marked  
a) name of the product;  as “ Ground Chilli”, “Chilli Ground” and “Whole Chilli”  
b) name and physical address of processor/producer ; 
c) lot/batch  code number;  
d) storage conditions and instructions  as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’ ; 
e) date of manufacture;  
f) expiry date;  
g) net content in metric units; and 
h) country of origin.  
9.1.2  When labelling non -retail packages, information for non -retail package s shall either be given on the  
packages  or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the produce, lot identification and the  
name and  address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the package . 
9.2 Nutrition declaration  
9.2.1  The names and the amount of the nutrients added in chilli (whole and ground) shall be declared on 
the label in accordance with US EAS 803 . 
9.2.2  Chilli (whole and ground) may have claims on the importance of the added nutrients in nutrition and 
health. Such claims when declared shall be in compliance with US EAS 804 and US EAS 805 . 
10 Sampling  
The chillies  (whole and ground ) shall be sampled in accordance with US  ISO 2825 and  US ISO 948 . DUS 876: 2020  
10 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Annex A 
(informative)  
 
Scoville in dex 
A.1 Scoville index is the measurement  of the pungency  (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers  and other spicy 
foods, as recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) based on the concentration of capsaicinoids , among wh ich 
capsaicin  is the predominant component  
A.2 When tested in accordance with the method given in US ISO 3513, the chillies, whole and ground 
(powdered) shall not be less than 24000. Th e chilli of lower scoville index than those specific may be supplied 
as agreed between the purchaser and the supplier  
A.3 The number of SHU is related to the amount of capsaicin . The levels of pungency shall be defined as 
in the Table B.1 below . 
Table A.1— Requirement for whole and ground chilli  
Pungency  
Scoville units  
SHU  Total capsaicinoids  
µg/gm dry weight  
Sweet and mild  0 to 5  000 60 to 133  
Medium   5 001 to 15  000 134 to 1  333 
Medium -Hot  15 001 to 100  000 134 to 1  333 
hot  100 000 to 350  000 1 334 to 6 600 
Superhot  > 350  000 > 6 600 
NOTE  15 Scoville heat units = 1 microgram/gram (µg/gm) dry weight.  
 
 DUS  876: 2020 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  11 
 Bibliography  
[1] Indian Standard IS 2322:2010. Specification for Chillies, whole (third revision, Indian Bureau of 
Standards)  
[2] British Standard, BS 7087 -17:1993. Herbs and spices ready for food use — Part 17: Specification for 
chillies (whole and  ground)  
[3] International Workshop on Interpretation of Commercial Quality Standards for Fresh Fruits and 
Vegetables - The UNECE/Codex Standard for Fresh C hilli Peppers  
[4] Thai Agricultural Standard TAS 3001 -2010 Dried Chilli  Peppers  
[5] Bhutan Standard for Bhutanese  Chilli and Chilli Powder  
[6] Draft Rwanda Standard, DRS  304-1 chillies –specification part 1 fresh chillies  
[7] Draft Rwanda Standard –DRS 304 -2 chillies –specification part 2 dried and ground  
[8] The UNECE/Codex Standard for Fresh Chilli Peppers  
[9] UNECE Standard FFV concerning the marketing and commercial quality control of fresh chilli peppers 
2011 Edition  
[10] UNECE Standard on the marketin g and commercial quality control of Whole Dried Chilli Peppers 
Explanatory Brochure New York and Geneva, 2013  
[11] Commission Regulation (EU) No 165/2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 setting maximum 
levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs as  regards aflatoxins  
 
 
 DUS  876: 2020 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  13 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the S tandards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of th is mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 876: 20 20   
 
ICS 67.080.20   
Price based on 11 pages  
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