Groundnuts  – Specification   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note: This is a draft proposal and should not be regard ed or used as a Malawi standard  
 ICS 67.060            DMS 213:2022  
   Third  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD   
  ICS 67.060          DMS 213:2022
            Third  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Groundnuts  – Specification   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS  
 
Contents                     Page  
 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................   i 
Technical committee  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  i 
Notice  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..  i 
Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................    1 
Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
Essential composition and qual ity requirements  ................................ ................................ ...............................  2 
Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  3 
Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  3 
Packaging and labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 3 
Methods of sampling and tests  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  3 
Annex A  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  4 
Annex B  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
i 
 FOREWORD  
 
This draft Malawi standard has been prepared by MBS/TC 51, Edible nuts and seeds and their products, to 
provide requirements for raw  groundnuts . It is a third edition of MS 213 , Groundnuts – Specification.  
 
In preparing this standard, reference was  made to the following standard :  
 
Codex Stan 200:1995  (Amended in 2019) , Codex standard for peanuts;  and  
 
EAS 888:2018, Raw and roasted groundnuts for table use  – Specification.  
 
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the information.  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
This draft Malawi standard  was prepared by the Technical Committee MBS/TC 51, Edible nuts and seeds and 
their products, and the following companies, organizations and institutions were consulted:  
 
Auction Holdings Limited Commodity Exchange;  
 
Consumers Association of Malawi;  
 
Conforzi Plantations Limited;  
 
Eastern Produce Malawi Limited;  
 
Estrell Trading;  
 
Export Trading Group;  
 
Kawaladzi Estate Co. Limited;  
 
Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources;  
 
Ministry of Agriculture – Bvumbwe Agricultural Research Station;  
 
Ministry of Health – Department of Nutrition, HIV & AIDS;  
 
Ministry of Industry and Trade;  
 
National Smallholder Farmers' Association of  Malawi ; 
 
Thyolo Nut Company;  
 
Trademark East Africa;  
 
Treenut Growers Association; and  
 
University of Malawi.  
 
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 bei ng reviewed.   
1 
 DMS 213:2022 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
Groundnuts  – Specification  
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This standard applies to groundnuts (also known as peanuts) either in the pod or in the form of kernels, 
obtained from varieties of the species Arachis hypogaea L, intended for processing or for direct human 
consumption.  
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES  
 
The foll owing standards contain provisions, which through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this 
draft 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 s tandard, parties to agreements based on this draft 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 th e Malawi Bureau of 
Standards.  
 
MS 19: Labelling of pre -packed foods – General standard;  
 
MS 302:  Contaminants and toxins in foods – General standard;  
 
MS 804: Code of hygienic practice for groundnuts.  
 
MS 1757:  Oilseeds – Manual or automatic discontinuous Sampling ; 
 
MS 1796 : Pulses – Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, species and varieties – Test 
methods ; and 
 
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 performanc e liquid chromatographic method.  
 
 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS  
 
For the purpose of this draft standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1  
groundnut/peanut  
fruit of the plant Arachis hypogaea  
 
3.2  
shelled groundnut kernels  
raw groundnuts with their shells removed, and which have not been subjected to roasting and/or various forms 
of chemical treatment  
 
3.3  
unshelled groundnuts  
groundnuts  with part or all of the hull (shell) attached  
 
3.4 
mature pod  
kernels which are firm and fully developed  
 
3.5  
damage/defects  
kernel that is rancid, mouldy, pest infested, soiled  and/ or decayed  
 
3.6  
Other defects  
groundnut kernel that ha s skin discolouration, flesh discolouration and / or sprouted kernels   
2 
 3.7  
whole kernel  
groundnut kernel that is not split or broken  
 
3.8  
split kernel  
separated 'half' of a groundnut kernel  
 
3.9  
broken kernel  
more than one fourth of the groundnut kerne l is broken off  
 
3.10  
foreign matter  
pieces or loose particles of any substance other than groundnut kernels or skins  
 
 
4 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY REQUIREMENTS  
 
4.1 General requirements  
 
4.1.1  Shelled groundnut kernels shall be mature and uniform in shape, size and colour according to variety 
and grade.  
 
4.1.2  The kernels shall be free from foreign matter such as sto nes, dirt or any contamination.  
 
4.1.3  The kernels shall  be free from extraneous matter.  
 
4.1.4  The kernels shall be free from foreign odours and undesirable flavour and/or taste.  
 
4.2 Specific quality requirements  
 
Shelled groundnut kernels shall comply with the quality requirements in Table 1.  
 
Table 1 : Requirements for shelled groundnuts kernels  
 
1 2 3 
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  
1 Free fatty acids, %, m/m, max  2 
2 Total ash, % m/m , on dry weight basis, max.  2 
3 Moisture  content, (%m/m) , max 9.0 
 
4.3 Grading  
 
Shelled groundnut kernels may be classified as Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3 according to Table 2 . 
 
Table 2 : Grade r equirements for groundnut kernels  
 
1 2 3 4 5 6 
S/N Characteristics  Limits  Test 
method  Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
1 Damaged kernels, % by mass, max.  0.5 1.0 1.0 
MS 1796  2 Other defects, % by mass, max.  0.5 1.0 1.0 
3 Split/broken kernels, % by mass, max.  1.0 2.0 3.0 
4 Foreign matter, % by mass, max.  0.1 0.2 0.3 
5 Total tolerance for factors 1, 2, 3 and 4, % max.  2.0 3.0 4.0 
 
 
  
3 
 5 HYGIENE  
 
The product covered by the provisions of this draft standard shall be prepared and handled in accordance with 
MS 804 . 
 
 
6 CONTAMINANTS  
 
6.1 Heavy metals  
 
Groundnut  kernels shall comply with maximum limits of heavy metals in accordance with MS 302.  
 
6.2 Pesticides residues  
 
Groundnut  kernels shall comply with the  latest  maximum residual limits for pesticides established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this product.  
 
6.3 Aflatoxins  
 
Total Aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 μg/kg while aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 μg/kg when tested in accordance 
with ISO 16050.  
 
 
7 PACKAGING AND LABELLING  
 
7.1 Packaging  
 
Groundnut kernels  shall be packaged in food grade containers and sealed in a manner t hat ensure s the safety 
and quality requirements specified in this standard are maintained throughout the shelf life of the product . 
 
7.2 Labelling  
 
7.2.1 In addition to the requirements in  MS 19, each package shall be legibly and indelibly marked with the 
following:  
 
7.2.1 .1 Name of the  product  as “"groundnuts ’’ or peanuts " or "groundnuts  in-pod’’ or ‘’ peanuts in -pod”;  
 
7.2.2.2  Variety  shall be declared;  
 
7.2.2.3  If grade d, grade  shall be declared ; 
 
7.2.2.4  Crop year;  
 
7.2.2.5  Net weight in metric units; and  
 
7.2.2.6  Name and address of packer.  
 
 
8 METHODS OF SAMPLING AND TESTS  
 
8.1 Repre sentative samples of the groundnut kernels  shall be done in accordance with MS 1757.   
 
8.2 Testing shall be done in accordance with the methods indica ted in  Table 2 , Annexes A and B or 
equivalent methods . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
4 
 Annex  A 
(Normative)  
  
Determination of moisture  
A.1 Grinding  
 
A.1.1  General requirements  
 
The grinding mill should grind evenly and should not be operated at such a high speed that the ground material 
is heated.  
 
Air currents that might cause loss of moisture shall be reduced to a minimum.  
 
A.1.2  Particle size  
 
The mill -setting shall be such that at least 50 % of the ground material pa sses through a sieve with meshes of 
3.4 mm.  
 
A.1.3  Drying  
 
Two stages of drying shall be applied when moisture content of groundnut  kernels  is higher than 20 %.  
 
A.2 Determination  
 
A.2.1  Preferred method  
 
The air -oven 130 °C method shall be used.  
 
A.2.2  Equipment  
 
A.2.2.1  Dishes of non -corrosive metal (thickness approximately 0.5 mm) with side rounded at base and flat 
bottom, fitted with covers which seat so snugly that loss of moisture is reduced to a minimum.  
 
The dimensions of the materials are applied  per cm2, to ensure close fitting of the cover, the rim of the dish 
should be levelled by rubbing with an abrasive.  
 
A.2.2.2  An electrically heated oven with adequate ventilation and thermostatic control which permits the 
temperature to be maintained at 13 0 °C.  
 
The heating capacity of the oven must be such that after pre -heating capacity to temperature 130 °C, followed 
by opening and loading with dishes, the oven will again reach 130 °C within 45 min (preferably within 30 min).  
 
A.2.2.3  A desiccator (with a suitable desiccant), preferably fitted with a thick metal plate to promote rapid 
cooling of the dishes.  
 
A.2.2.4  A balance on which accurate weighings can be made in grams to three decimal places.  
 
A.2.3  Procedure  
 
Weigh the dish with its cover. Weigh o ut 4 g to 5 g of the sample pre viously mixed. Place the working sample 
in the dish, distributing it evenly over the bottom surface. Put the cover on the dish and weigh again. Place the 
dish on top of its cover in an oven -heated before -hand to 130 °C. In or der to limit the loss of heat, the dishes 
must be placed in the oven rapidly. From the time that the oven again reaches 130 °C, the drying period should 
be 60 min at this temperature. After termination of the drying period, cover the dishes immediately and  place 
them in a desiccator to cool for 30 min to 45 min. Weigh the dishes with their contents and covers. All weighings 
should be made to an accuracy of 0.001.  
 
 
 
 
5 
 Where , 
M1 is the weight in g of the dish and its cover,  
M2 is the weight in g of the dish, its cover and its contents; and  
M3 is the weight in g of the dish, covers the contents after drying, then moisture content calculated on wet 
basis and expressed in percentage is:  
 
The determination shall be made in duplicate. The results of duplicate deter minations shall not differ by more 
than 0.2 %. Should the difference be greater than this, the determination shall be repeated in duplicate.  
 
A.2.4  Two-stage drying  
 
Weigh out approximately 50 g of the sample. Then transfer this working sample to a suitabl e weighed container 
and place in an air -oven at a temperature of 130 °C for 5 min to 10 min. The length of this preliminary drying 
period will depend on the amount of moisture. It may be necessary to remove the sample from the oven, the 
objective being to reduce the moisture content to 12 % to 15 %. Spread the partly dried seeds in an open tray 
and leave exposed in the laboratory for 2 h. Transfer the material to the container in which it was oven dried, 
and weigh. Calculate the loss of moisture as stated i n A.2.3 . 
 
The determination shall be made in duplicate, with the weighings being made to an accuracy of 10 mg. Grind 
separately the two partly -dried working samples, and on the ground material from each, make a single moisture 
determination as stated above , and calculate the loss of moisture.  
 
From the results obtained in the first and second stages of the procedure, calculate the moisture content of 
the sample if S1 is the moisture lost in stage 1 and S2 is the moisture lost in stage 2, each expressed as a  
percentage, then the original moisture content of the sample, calculated on the wet basis and expressed as 
percentage, is:  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6 Annex B  
(Normative)  
 
Determination of fat  
 
B.1 Reagents  
 
B.1.1  Petroleum ether , of boiling range 40 °C to 60 °C . 
 
B.1.2  Hexane , food grade . 
 
B.2 Procedure  
 
Weigh accurately about 2.5 g of the dried sample and extract with petroleum ether or hexane, food grade, in 
a Soxhlet or other suitable extractor. The extraction period may vary from 4 h at a condensation rate of 5.6 
drops per second. Dry the extract on a steam bath for 30 min, cool in a desiccator and weigh. Continue at 30 
min intervals this alternative drying and weighing until the difference betwe en two successive weighings is less 
than one -milligram.  
 
Note the lowest mass.  
 
B.3 Calculation and expression of results  
 
Crude fat (on moisture -free basis), % by mass = 100 x ( m1 – m2 ) 
          m3 
 
where;  
m1 = is the mass in grams of the extraction flask with the dried extract;  
m2 = is the mass in grams of extraction flask;  
m3 = is the mass in grams of the dried sample taken for the test.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
ICS 67.060          DMS 213:2022  
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, 
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revise, alter and amend the same to 
incorporate advanced technology.  To bring the advantages of standardization 
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Bureau operates a Certification Mark Scheme. 
Under this scheme, manufacturers who 
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standards are granted permits to use the 
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