Soy protein products – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note: This is a draft Malawi standard  and it  shall neither be used nor regarded as a Malawi standard .  
 ICS 67.060            DMS 559:2022  
  Second  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  ICS 6 7.060                  DMS 559:2022
            Second edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Soy protein products  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 i TABLE OF CONTENTS  
Contents                              Page  
 
Foreword  ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………… ……..    i 
Notice   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..    i 
Scope  …………………………………………………………………………………………... ................   …..  1 
Normative reference s  …………………………………………………………………………… ………… ……..  1 
Definitions  ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………… ……  1 
Classification of soya protein products ……………………………………………………………………… ……...  2 
Essential composition and quality r equirements  ………………………………………………………… ……  2 
Hygiene… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… …………..  3 
Food additives………………………………………………………………………………………………… …..       3 
Contaminants ……………………………………………………………………………………… ………… ……       3 
Packaging and labelling   ………………………………………………………………………… ………… …….       4 
Sampling and m ethods of test   ………………………………………………………… ……… ………… …….       4 
Annex A:…………………………………………………….. .... ………………………………………… ………       5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 ii FOREWORD  
 
This draft Malawi standard  has been prepared by the MBS/TC 16, Cereals, pulses, legumes and their 
products , to provide requirements for soya protein products . It is the first revision of MS 559 , Soya protein 
products.  
 
In preparing this standard  reference was  made to the following standard s: 
 
Codex Standard, CXS 175: 1989 (Amended in 2019), General standard for soy protein products;  and 
 
East African Community  standard , EAC 801 :2013, Soya protein products  – Specification . 
 
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the information.  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
This draft standard  was prepared by the Technical Committee MBS/TC 16, Cereals, pulses,  legumes and 
their products , and the following organizations were  consulte d:  
 
Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation ; 
Agricultural Commodity Exchange ; 
Auction Holdings Limited Commodity Exchange ; 
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 Malawi.  
 
 
NOTICE  
 
This standard shall be reviewed  every 5 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 revi ewed . 
 1        DMS 559:2022  
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
Soy protein products  – Specification  
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This draft standard  specifies requirements a nd methods of sampling and test for soya protein products 
intended for human consumption .  
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCE S 
 
The following standards contain provisions, which through reference constitute pro visions of this draft 
standard . All standards are subject  to revision and parties to agreements based on this standard  are 
encouraged to apply the most recent editions of the standards listed below:  
 
MS 19 : Labelling of  prepacked foods  - General standard ; 
 
MS 21: Food and food processing units  - Code of hygienic  conditions ; 
 
MS 144 : Agricultural food products – Determination of crude fibre content – General method ; 
 
MS 188 : Edible salt – Specification;  
 
MS 237: General standard for food additives ;  
 
MS 244 : Soybean s – Specification ;  
 
MS 302 : Contaminants and tox ins in foods – General standard ; 
 
ISO 4832: Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs –Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms – Colony -count technique;  
 
ISO 4833: Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal method for the enumeration of mi croorganisms –  
Part 1: Colony count at 30 °C by the pour plate technique;  
 
ISO 2171 : Cereals, pulses and by -products – Determination of ash yield by incineration ; 
 
ISO 6579 : Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for the detect ion of Salmonella 
spp;  
 
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 11085: Cereals, cereals -based products and animal  feeding stuffs -- Determination of crude fat and total 
fat content by the Randall extraction method ;  
 
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 ;  
 
ISO 20483 : Cereals and pulses – Determination of the nitrogen content and calculation of the crude protein 
content – Kjeldahl method ;  
 
ISO 21527 -2: Microbiology of food and animal feedstuffs – Horizontal meth od for the enumeration of yeasts 
and moulds – Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95 ; and 
 
ISO 24557:  Pulses – Determination of moisture content – Air oven .  
  
 2 3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS  
 
For the purpose of th is draft proposal , the following terms and definitions shall apply:  
 
 
3.1  
Soybean  (Glycine max (L) Merr ) 
whole mature dry bean   
 
3.2  
Soya protein product (SPP)  
Soya Protein Products ( SPP) are foods produced by removing or decreasing certain major non -protein 
constituents (water, oil, carbohydrates) from soybean s or edible full fat soya flour in a manner that achieves 
high protein products with different protein content  
 
 
4 CLASSIFICATION OF SOYA PROTEIN PRODUCTS  
 
Soya protein products shall be classifie d as:  
 
4.1 Defatted soya protein flour (DSF) or soya protein flour (SPF) ; 
 
4.2 Soya protein concentrate (SPC) ; and 
 
4.3 Soya protein isolate (SPI) . 
  
 
5 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY REQUIREMENTS  
 
5.1 Raw materials  
 
Soya protein products shall be made from the follo wing:  
 
5.1.1  Dry soybean s complying with MS 244 . 
 
5.1.2  Soybean  flour complying with MS 478. 
 
5.2 Optional ingredients  
 
Soya protein products may contain among others the following ingredients:  
  
5.2.1  Edible salt complying with MS 188;  
 
5.2.2  Carbohydrates, including sugars;  
 
5.2.3  Edible  oils; 
 
5.2.4  Minerals and vitamins;  
 
5.2.5  Herbs and spices; and  
  
5.2.6  Other protein products.  
 
5.3 Requirements for the finished product  
 
5.3.1 Soya protein products  shall have a taste and odour characteristic of product and any approved food 
additive used;  
 
5.3.2 Soya prot ein products shall have be free from rancidity and mistiness; and  
 
5.3.3  They shall be free from foreign matter.  
 
  
 3 5.4 Compositional requirements  
 
Soya protein products shall conform  to the requirements in Table 1.  
 
 
 
Table 1 – Requirements for soya protein prod ucts 
 
1 2 3 4 5 6 
S/no  Characteristic  Requirements  
Test method  Soya protein 
flour - (SPF or 
DSF)  Soya protein 
concentrate 
(SPC)  Soya protein 
isolate (SPI)  
1 Moisture content % m/m, 
max 10.0 10.0 10.0 ISO 24557  
2 Protein (N x 6.25 dry basis) 
% m/m , 50 < 65 65 <90 > 90 ISO 20483  
3 Soya oil (fats on dry basis) 
% m/m, max  1.0 1.0 1.0 ISO 11085  
4 Total ash % m/m, max  8.0 8.0 8.0 ISO 2171  
5 Crude fibre % m/m, max  5.0 6.0 0.5 ISO 5498  
Note:  Soya protein shall meet the requirements basing on protein con tent on dry weight basis excluding added vitamins, minerals, 
amino acids and food additives  
 
5.5 Microbiological limits  
 
Soya protein products shall not contain any pathogenic organisms and shall comply with microbiological 
limits given in Table 2. 
 
Table 2 – Microbiological limits for soya protein products  
 
1 2 3 4 
S/No  Microorganism  Maximum limit  Method of test  
1 E.coli , MPN/g  Absent  ISO 7251  
2 Salmonella spp . per 25 g  absent  ISO 6579  
3 Yeast and moulds, cfu/g  104 ISO 21527 -2 
4 Total Plate Count (TPC),  cfu/g  104 ISO 4833  
5 Coliform , cfu/g  10 ISO 4832  
 
 
6 HYGIENE  
 
The processing of soya protein products shall  be done in premises built and maintained under hygienic 
conditions as prescribed in  MS 21.  
 
 
7 FOOD ADDITIVES  
 
Only those food additives listed in MS 237 under this product shall be used and only within the limits 
specified.  
 
 
8 CONTAMINANTS  
 
8.1 Heavy metals  
 
Products covered by this draft proposal  shall comply with the maximum limits  of heavy metals  specified in 
MS 302.  
  
 4 8.2 Pesticides  residues  
 
Soya protein products  shall comply with the maximum pesticides residues  limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission.  
 
8.3 Aflatoxins  
 
The maximum content of aflatoxins in soya protein products when determined in accordance with the                  
ISO 16050 shall not exceed 5 ppb ( µg/kg) for aflatoxin B 1 and 10 ppb for total aflatoxin.  
 
9       PACK AGING  AND LABEL LING 
 
9.1       Packaging  
 
9.1.1  Soya protein products shall be pack ed in food grade material which guarantees the safety and 
integrity of  the product.  
 
9.1.2  The fill of each package shall comply with Metrology act of Malawi.   
 
9.1.3    Each package shall be securely sealed .  
 
9.2 Labe lling 
 
In addition to the provisions prescribed in MS 19, the following shall appear in legible and indelib le marking 
on each package and on each outer container : 
 
9.2.1  The na me of the product shall be “soy protein flour/defatted soy flour” or “soy protein concentrate” or 
“soy protein isolate” as classified in clause 4. 
9.2.2   Brand name/trade name;  
9.2.3   The name and physical address of the manufacturer;  
9.2.4   Lot identification/ batch/code number  
9.2.5   Net weight in metric units;  
9.2.6   List of ingredients in descending order  
9.2.7   Expiry date ;  
9.2.8   Date of manufacture;  
9.2.9   Country of origin; and  
9.2.10   Storage conditions.  
 
10 SAMPLING AND METHOD OF TESTS  
 
10.1 The method of drawing a representative sample and the criteria for conformity shall be done as 
outlined in Annex A.  
 
10.2 Soy protein products  shall be tested in accordance with Table 1  and Table 2  and any other 
equivalent test methods.  
  
 5 ANNEX A  
(Normative)  
 
SAMPLING FOR SOYA PROTEIN PRODUCTS  
 
A.1 General requirements for sampling  
 
A.1.1 Sampling shall be done by a person agreed to between the purchaser and the packer and in the 
presence of t he purchaser (or his representative) and the packer (or his representative).  
 
A.1.2 Samples shall be stored in such a manner that the temperature of the material does not vary unduly 
from the normal temperature.  
 
A.1.3 Sampling equipment shall be clean and  dry when used.  
 
A.1.4 Precaution shall be taken to protect samples and containers from adventitious contamination.  
 
A.1.5 Samples shall be collected in a protected place not exposed to damp air, dust or soot.  
 
A.1.6 The samples shall be placed in clean co ntainers odourless and dry containers. The sample 
containers shall be of such a size that they are almost completely filled by the sample.  
 
A.1.7  Each container shall be sealed air tight after filling and marked with full details of sampling, batch or 
code number, name of manufacturer and other important particulars of the consignment.  
 
A.2 Scale of sampling  
 
A.2.1 Lot; in any consignments all the packets containing soya protein products  of the same size and from 
the same batch shall be grouped together to  constitute a lot.  
 
A.2.2 The number of packets to be selected from the lot for testing shall depend upon the size of the lot 
and shall be in accordance with Table A.1 . 
 
Table A.1 : Number of containers  to be selected for sampling  
 
1 2 
No. of packets in th e lot No. of packets to be selected  
Up to 50 3 
51 to 150 5 
151 to 500  8 
501 to 3000  13 
3001 and above  20 
 
A.2.3 The packages to be selected for sampling shall be chosen at random from the lot  
 
A.3 Test for conformity  
 
A.3.1 The selected packages shall be opened and sampled under sterile conditions for microbiological 
tests . 
 
A.3.2 Each of the selected opened packages shall be examined separately for appearance and other 
general requirements stipulated in clause 5.4. 
 
A.3.3 The contents of the selecte d and opened packages shall then be mixed to obtain a composite 
sample to be tested for other tests.  
 
A.4 Criteria for conformity  
 
The lot shall be declared conforming if all the tested parameters conform to the requirements specified in this 
draft standa rd.  
ICS 67.060           DMS 559:2022  
Second e dition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Trade and Industry .  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 Certification 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.