ICS 67.060  
 
Reference number
DRS 288: 2023
© RSB 2023
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
288 
 
Second edition  
yyyy-mm-dd  
Mixed dry beans — Specification 
   
DRS 288: 2023 
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2022 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from RSB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to: 
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Tel. +250 788303492 
Toll Free: 3250 
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw  DRS 288: 2023 
iii                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 Contents Page 
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................ iv 
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................... 1 
3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................... 1 
4 Requirements ................................................................................................................................................... 3 
4.1 General requirements .................................................................................................................................. 3 
4.2 Specific requirements .................................................................................................................................. 4 
5 Contaminants ................................................................................................................................................... 4 
5.1 Pesticide residues ........................................................................................................................................ 4 
5.2 Heavy metals ................................................................................................................................................. 4 
6 Hygiene ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 
7 Packaging ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 
8 Labelling ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 
8.1 General .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 
8.2 Labelling of non-retail containers ............................................................................................................... 6 
9 Sampling .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 
 DRS 288: 2023 
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword 
Rwanda Standards are prepared by Technical Committees and approved by Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board of Directors in accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards. 
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards. Final Draft Rwanda Standards 
adopted by Technical committees are ratified by members of RSB Board of Directors for publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards. 
RS 288 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 003, Cereals, pulses, legumes and cereal products.  
The assistance derived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks. 
This secondedition cancels and replaces the first edition (RS 288: 2015),  which has  been technically revised. 
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Cereals, pulses, legumes and 
cereal products  (RSB/TC 003) in the preparation of this standard. 
Enterprise URWIBUTSO/SINA GERARD 
MANOSALIWA Food Industries Ltd  
MINIMEX Ltd  
National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) 
National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) 
Nyarutarama Business Incubation Center 
One Acre Fund-Tubura 
Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority 
Zamura Feeds Ltd 
Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) – Secretariat 
 DRS 288: 2023 
1                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 Mixed dry beans — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for mixed dry common beans 
(Phaseolus vulgaris  Linn.) 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. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. 
AOAC 999.11, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron, and Zinc in foods, Atomic absorption spectrophotometry after 
dry ashing  
RS 226, Guidelines for post-harvest handling and storage (PHHS) of common bean  
RS CAC/RCP 1 , Code of practice – General Principle for Food Hygiene 
RS EAS 38, Labelling of pre- packaged foods — General requirements  
RS ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products -- Sampling 
RS ISO 24557, Pulses — Determination of moisture content — Air-oven method. 
RS ISO 605, Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety —
Test methods 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply. 
3.1 
dry beans 
dry threshed field and garden beans of the species Phaseolus vulgaris  Linn. 
3.2 
damaged 
beans and pieces of beans that are materially damaged or discoloured by frost, weather, disease, weevils or 
other insects, or other causes so as to materially affect the appearance and quality of the beans  
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 3.3 
broken/chipped/loose coat and split 
beans with some but less than one-fourth of beans broken off or with one-fourth or more of the seed coat 
removed 
3.4 
caps 
parts of the seed coat adhering to split or broken seed 
3.5 
clean-cut weevil-bored 
beans from which weevils have emerged, leaving a clean-cut open cavity free from larvae, webbing, refuse, 
mould, or stain 
3.6 
germinated 
beans which have sprouted 
3.7 
mouldy 
beans with visible mycelial growth on their surface 
3.8 
shrivelled 
beans which are under-developed and wrinkled over their entire surface excluding wrinkled beans 
3.9 
defective 
pest damaged, discoloured, diseased, germinated, mouldy, immature and shrivelled grains, or otherwise 
materially damaged, which specifically do not include broken grains 
3.10 
foreign matter 
extraneous matter than dry beans or other food grains comprising of: DRS 288: 2023 
3                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 a) "inorganic matter" includes metallic pieces, shale, glass, dust, sand, gravel, stones, dirt, pebbles, lumps 
or earth, clay, mud and animal filth etc; and 
b) "organic matter" consisting of detached seed coats, straws, weeds and other inedible grains etc. 
3.11 
splits 
pieces of beans that are not damaged, each of which consists of three-fourths or less of the whole bean, and 
that include any sound beans the halves of which are held together loosely 
3.12 
food grade material 
packaging material, made of safe and suitable substances for their intended use and which cannot impart any 
toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product 
3.13 
mixed dry beans 
dry beans that consist of a mixture of same size groups, different colour and shape groups irrespective of 
varieties. 
4 Requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
Mixed dry beans shall be: 
a) the dried mature seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris  Linn; 
b) of same size groups, as specified in Table 1 
Table 1 — Description of size groups 
Type  Description of beans size group per100 g (G) 
Large  G ≤ 140 
Medium  140 < G ≤ 365 
Small  365 < G ≤ 760 
c) well-filled, clean, wholesome, 
d) free from substances which render them unfit for human consumption  
e) be free from toxic ornoxious weed seeds  
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved                  4 
 f) be free from live pests and diseases; 
g) free from off flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable odour, obnoxious smell and discolouration; and 
4.2 Specific requirements 
Mixed dry beans shall be categorized into three grades on the basis of the tolerable limits established in Table 
2 when tested in accordance with test method specified therein. 
Table 2 — Specific requirements for mixed dry beans 
S/N  Characteristics Maximum limits Method of test 
Grade 1  Grade 2 Grade 3 
i.  Foreign matter, % m/m  0.5 0.75 1 RS ISO 605 
ii.  Inorganic matter, % m/m  0.1 0.2 0.3 
iii.  Other edible grains, % m/m  0.1 0.2 0.5 
iv.  Pest damaged beans, % m/m  1 2 3 
v.  Broken/split % m/m  1 2 3 
vi.  Rotten and diseased  
beans, % m/m  2.0  4.0 5.0 
vii.  Discoloured % m/m 1 
viii.  Total defectives beans, % 
m/m  2.6 4.34 5.9 
ix.  Filth  0.1 0.1 0.1 
x.  Moisture, % m/m  14 RS ISO 24557 
NOTE The parameter, Total defective grains is not the sum total of the individual defects. It is limited to 70 % of the sum total of individual defects 
5 Contaminants 
5.1 Pesticide residues 
Mixed dry beans shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity. 
5.2 Heavy metals 
Mixed dry beans shall comply with the maximum heavy metal limits indicated in Table 3 when tested in 
accordance with test method specified therein. 
Table 3 — Heavy metals limits in mixed dry beans 
S/N  Characteristics Maximum limits mg/kg Test methods 
i.  Lead  0.1 AOAC 999.11 
ii.  Cadmium  0.1 DRS 288: 2023 
5                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 6 Hygiene 
Mixed dry beans shall be produced, handled and stored in accordance with RS CAC/RCP 1 and RS 226. 
7 Packaging 
7.1 Mixed dry beans  shall be packaged in food grade packaging materials that do not affect the quality of 
the product. 
7.3 Each package shall contain mixed dry beans of the same grade designation. 
8 Labelling 
8.1 General 
In addition to the requirements in RS EAS 38, each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the 
following: 
a) product name as “Mixed dry beans”; 
b) size group; 
c) grade; 
d) name, and addressof the producer/packer/ distributor/ importer/exporter/vendor; 
e) net content shall be declared in the metric system; 
f) batch number; 
g) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’; 
h) storage instruction; 
i) crop year; 
j) packing date; 
k) instructions on disposal of used package; and 
l) country of origin. 
  
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 8.2 Labelling of non-retail containers 
Information 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. However, lot identification, and the name and address of the processor or packer 
may be replaced by an identification mark provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying 
documents.  
9 Sampling 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the RS ISO 24333. 
 
 
 
  DRS 288: 2023 
7                ©RSB 2023- All rights reserved 
 Bibliography 
[1] RS 288: 2015, Mixed dry beans — Specification (First edition) 
 
 DRS 288: 2023 
 
Price based on 6 pages  
©RSB 2023- All rights reserved