Soyb eans  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: This is a draft Malawi standard  and it shall neither be used nor regarded as a Malawi 
Standard  
 
__________________  
 Published by  
MALAWI STANDARDS BOARD  ICS 67.060               DMS 2 44:2022  
    Third e dition  
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD   
  ICS 67.060            DMS 244:2022
               Third edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Soybeans  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obtainable from the  
Malawi Bureau of Standards  
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P O Box 946  
BLANTYRE  
 
Tel: +265 1 870 488  
Fax: +265 1 870 75 6 
E-mail: mbs@mbsmw.org  
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i 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS  
 
Contents                     Page  
 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  i 
Technical committee  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  i 
Notice  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... i 
Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 1 
Normati ve references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
Quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  3 
Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  4 
Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  4 
Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  5 
Methods of analysis and sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
ii 
 FOREWORD  
 
This draft Malawi standard is a revision of MS 2 44:2017 , Soybeans  – Specification. In preparing this draft 
standard, reference was made to the following East African Community Standard :  
 
EAS 762 :2017 , Dry soybeans – Specification . 
 
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the information.  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
This draft Malawi standard  was prepared by the Technical Committee MBS/TC 16,  Cereals, pulses, legumes 
and their products , and the following companies , organizations and institutions were consulted : 
 
Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation ; 
Agricultural C ommodity Exchange ; 
Auction Holdings Limited  Commodity Exc hange ; 
Consumer Association of Malawi;  
Export Trading Limited ; 
Grain Traders and Processors Association;  
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources;  
Malawi Bureau of Standards;  
Ministry  of Agr iculture – Bvumbwe Agricultural Research Station , 
Ministry of Health – Department of Nutrition , HIV and AIDS ;  
Ministry of Industry and Trade;  
National Smallholders Farmers Association of Malawi ; 
Rab Processors Limited ; 
Trademark East Africa; and  
University of Ma lawi. 
 
 
NOTICE  
 
This standard shall be reviewed every five years, or earlier when it is necessary, in order to keep abreast of 
progress. Comments are welcome and shall be considered when the standard is being reviewed .  
1 
 DMS 244:2022  
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
Soybeans  – Specification  
 
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This draft Malawi standard  specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for dry whole 
soybeans  (Glycine max  (L.) Merr. ) intended for human consumption .  
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES  
 
The following standards  contain provisions, which through reference in this text, constitute pro visions of this 
Malawi standard.  All standards are subject to revision  and, since any reference to a standard is deemed to 
be a reference to the latest edition of that standard, parties to agreements based on this standard  are 
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the most recent edition of the standard indicated below. 
Information on current valid national and international standards can be obtained from the Malawi Bureau of 
Standards.  
 
MS 19: Labelling of pre -packed foods – General standard;  
 
MS 21: Food and food processing units – Code of hygienic conditions;  
 
MS 145: Cereals and pulses – Methods of sampling as milled products ; 
 
MS 146: Cereals and pulses – Methods of samplin g as grain;  
 
MS 302:  Contaminants and toxins in foods – General standard;  
 
ISO 605: Pulses – Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, in sects, and species and variety – Test 
methods ; 
 
ISO 711: Cereals and cereal products – Determination of moistu re content (Basic reference method);  
 
ISO 712: Cereals and cereal products – Determination of moisture content –  Routine reference method;  
 
ISO 6579: Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuff – Horizontal method for the determination of 
Salmonella spp ; 
 
ISO 6888 -1: Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal method for the enumeration of coagulase -positive 
staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) – Part 1: Method 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 16050: Foodstuffs –  Determination of aflatoxin 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 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 wate r activity less than or equal to 0.95 ; 
and 
 
AOAC Official Method 2001.04: Determination of Fumonisins B1 and B2 in corn and  corn flakes – Liquid 
chromatography with immunoaffinity column cleanup.  
 
 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS  
 
For the purpose of this draft sta ndard, the following definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1 
soybean  (Glycine max  (L.) Merr.)  
mature dry seeds of varieties   
2 
 3.2 
defective  beans   
soybeans  that have been broken, pest damaged, shrivelled, immature, rotten, mouldy, diseased, discoloured 
and heat damag ed 
 
3.3  
foreign matter  
unwanted 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, dam aged soybean grains and 
other grains  
 
3.4  
contrasting colours  
other colours that are of a  different colour from the colour of the designated bean  
 
3.5  
other edible grains  
grain other than soybean, whole or broken such as maize, sorghum, wheat, etc.  
 
3.6  
pest damaged  
soybeans  which show damage owing to attack by rodents, insects, mites or other pests  
 
3.7  
heat damaged  
soybeans and pieces of soybeans that are materially discolored and damaged by heat. Soybeans with a light 
to dark brown cotyledon whe n cut in cro ss section are considered heat damaged  
 
3.8  
harmful matter/toxic matter  
any substances in soybean that can have a damaging or dangerous effect on human health  
 
3.9  
harmful/noxious seeds  
seeds such as Crotolaria ( Crotalaria spp.), Corn cockl e (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  
 
3.10  
immatu re  
unripe and undeveloped  soybean weather whole or broken   
 
3.11  
splits/broken  
broken soybean seeds that are less than three -quarters of the whole seed, and cotyledons that are loosely 
held together by the seed coat  
 
3.12  
filth  
impurities of animal  and plant  origin  
 
3.13  
wholesome/sound  
soybeans which are 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 o r 
market value   
3 
 3.14  
clean soybeans  
practically free of visible soil, dust, or other visible foreign matter, except substances used to prolong its shelf 
life  
 
 
4 QUALITY REQUIREMENT S 
 
4.1 General  requirements  
 
Soybeans  shall:  
a) Be hard, clean, wholesome, un iform in size, shape and colour;  
Note:  The seed coat colour of soybeans  may be yellow, green, brown or black.  
b) Be safe and suitable for human consumption;  
c) Be free from abnormal flavours, obn oxious smell and discolouration; and  
d) Be practically free from forei gn odours, moulds, live pests, rat droppings, toxic or noxious weed seeds 
and other injurious contaminants as determined from samples representative of the lot.  
 
4.2 Specific  requirements  
 
4.2.1 Grading  
 
Soybeans  shall be graded into three grades on the b asis of the tolerable limits established in Table 1 which 
shall be additional to the general requirements set out in this standard.  
 
4.2.2  Ungraded soybeans   
 
These s hall be soybeans  which do not fall within the requirements of Grades 1, 2, and 3 of this s tandard but 
are not rejected soybeans . 
 
4.2.3  Reject grade soybeans  
 
This comprises soybeans  which have objectionable odour, off flavour, living insects or which do not possess 
the quality characteristics specified in Table 1.  They cannot satisfy the condi tions of ungraded soybeans  and 
shall be graded as reject soybeans  and shall be regarded as unfit for human consumption.  
 
 
5 CONTAMINANTS  
 
5.1 Heavy metals  
 
Products covered by this Malawi Standard shall comply with the maximum limits in MS 302, and those 
established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Soybeans  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity.  
 
5.3 Mycotoxin limits  
 
Soybeans  shall comply wi th those maximum mycotoxin limits set in Table 1 , and those established by the 
Codex Alimentarius  Commission for this commodity when tested according to ISO 16050.  
 
 
  
4 
 Table 1: Specific re quirements for soybeans  
 
S/N Characteristic  Maximum limits  Methods 
of test Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
1 Moisture, % (m/m) , max.  14.0 14.0 14.0 ISO 711  
ISO 712  
2 Test weight kg/h (g/0.5L) , min. 70(357)  68(347)  66(337)  
ISO 605  3 Total f oreign matter, % m/m , max.  1 2 3 
4 Inorganic matter, % m/m , max.  0.1 0.3 0.5 
5 Othe r edible grains, % m/m , max.  0.1 0.2 0.5 
6 Broken/split grains, % m/m , max.  1 2.5 5 
7 Pest damaged grains, % m/m , max.  0.3 0.8 1.5 
8 Rotten & diseased grains, % m/m , max.  0.2 0.5 1.0 
9 Heat damaged grains %m/m , max.  0.1 0.2 0.5 
10 Contrasting col ours, % m/m , max.  2 3 5 
11 Immature/shrivelled grains, % m/m , max.  0.1 0.2 0.5 
12 Filth, % m/m , max.  0.1 0.1 0.1 
13 Total defective grains, % m/m , max.  2 3 5 
14 Total aflatoxin (AFB1+AFB2+AFG1 +AFG2)), 
ppb, max  10 
ISO 16050  
15 Aflatoxin B1 only, p pb, max  5 
16 Fumonisin, ppm, max  2 AOAC  
2001.04  
NOTE:  The parameter, “Total defective grains” is not the sum total of the individual defects. It is limited to70 % of the sum total  of 
individual defects.  
 
 
6 HYGIENE  
 
6.1 It is recommended that the produ ct covered by the provisions of this draft standard  be prepared and 
handled in accordance with the appropriate sections  of the MS 21 . 
 
6.2 When tested by appropriate methods of samplin g and examination, the product:  
a) Shall be free from microorganisms in amo unts which m ay represent a hazard to health ; 
b) Shall be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health , and 
c) Shall  not contain any substance originating from microorganisms, including fungi, in amounts  which 
may represent a hazard to health.  
 
 
7 PACKAGING  
 
7.1 Soybeans  shall be packed in suitable p ackages which shall be clean , free from insect, fungal 
infestation and the packing material  shall be of food grade quality . 
 
7.2 Soybeans  shall be packed in containers which will safeguard the hygienic, n utritional, technological 
and organoleptic qualities of the products.  
 
7.3 The containers, including packaging material, shall be made of substances which are safe and 
suitable for their intended use. They shall not impart any toxic substance or undesirabl e odour or flavour to 
the product.  
 
7.4 Each package shall contain soybeans  of the same grade designation.  
 
7.5 If soybeans  are presented in bags, the bags shall also be free of pests and contaminants.   
5 
 7.6 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed.  
 
 
8 LABELLING  
 
In addition to the provisions prescribed in MS 19 , each package shall be legibly and indelibly marked with the 
following:  
a) Product name as “Dry Soybeans ”; 
b) Colour ; 
c) Grade;  
d) Name, address and physical location of the producer/ packer/importer;  
e) Lot/batch/code number;  
f) Net weight, in metric units ;  
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 soybean s were genetically modified or not.  
 
 
9 METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING  
 
Sampling for testing as required in this standard shall be done according to  MS 145 and MS 146  or any other 
equivalent test methods . Soybeans  shall be tested in accordance with the m ethods outlined in this draft 
standard . 
  
 
ICS 67.060           DMS 244:2022
               Third edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS              CERTIFICATION MARK SCHEME  
The Malawi Bureau of Standards is the 
standardizing body in Malawi under  the aegis 
of the Ministry of Industry and Trade .  Set up 
in 1972 by the Malawi Bureau of Standards 
Act (Cap: 51:02), the Bureau is a parastatal 
body whose activities aim at formulating and 
promoting the general adoption of standards 
relating to structures , commodities, materials, 
practices, operations and from time to time 
revise, alter and amend the same to 
incorporate advanced technology.  To bring the advantages of standardization 
within the reach of the common consumer, the 
Bureau operates a Certificati on Mark Scheme. 
Under this scheme, manufacturers who 
produce goods that conform to national 
standards are granted permits to use the 
Bureau’s “Mark of Quality” depicted below on 
their products.  This Mark gives confidence to 
the consumer of the commodity’s  reliability.