Reference number  
DRS 416:2019  
© RSB 2019  
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS  
416 
 
First edition  
2019 -mm-dd 
 
Sesame flour — Specification  
 
  DRS 416: 2019  
©RSB 2019  - 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 2019  
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 R SB. 
Requests for permission to reprodu ce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
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E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rs b.gov.rw   
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 416: 2019  
iii                ©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
4.1 Raw material  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
4.2 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
4.3 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
5 Hygien e ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
6.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
6.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  4 
6.3 Mycotoxi ns ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 4 
7 Microbiological limits  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  4 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  4 
10 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
 DRS 416: 2019  
©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda 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 S tandards adopted 
by Technical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and gazettment as 
Rwanda Standards.  
DRS  416 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 003, Cereals, pulses, legumes and cereal products.  
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standard:  
1) US 1953: 2018, Sesame paste — Specification  
The assistance derived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following org anizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Cereal, pulses, legumes and 
cereal products  (RSB/TC 003) in the preparation of this standard.  
Adma International Ltd  
Africa Improved Foods (AIF)  
Bakhresa Grain Milling  
FARMFRESH Ltd  
FUCORIRWA  
Hope for Families Ltd  
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)  
MINIMEX Ltd  
National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA)  
Rwanda Grains and Cereals Corporation Ltd (RGCC)  
SOSOMA Industries Ltd  DRS 416: 2019  
©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved                  ii 
 World Food Program (WFP)  
Zima Enterprise  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  
    DRS 416: 2019  
1                ©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved  
 Sesame flour — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods  for sesame  flour from the 
varieties (Sesamun indicum.L.)  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 999.10, Lead, Cadmium, Zin c, Cop per, and Iron in Foods Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry after 
Micro wave Digestion  
RS CODEX STAN 193, General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
RS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
RS ISO 11085, Cereals, cereals -based products and animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude fat and 
total fat content by the Randall extraction method"  
RS ISO 20483 , Cereals and pulses — Determination of the nitrogen content and calculation of the crude protein 
content -- Kjeldahl method  
RS 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 water activity less than or equal to 0,95  
RS ISO 2171, Cerea ls, pulses and by -products —Determination of ash yield by incineration  
RS ISO 5498 , Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method  
RS ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
RS ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp   
RS ISO 660 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of acid value and acidity  
RS ISO 6634, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of arsenic content — Silver 
diethyldithiocarbamate spectrophotometric method  
RS ISO 665, Oilseeds — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content   
©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved                  2 
 3 Terms and definitions   
For the pu rpose of this standard, the following terms and definition shall apply  
3.1  
sesame  
edible seeds of the sesame plant, which are used whole or have the oil extracted  
3.2 
roasted sesame   
sesame which have been subjected to heat, to which salt (in form of brine) and/or spices may have been added  
3.3 
 sesame flour  
product obtained by grinding raw or roasted sesame   
3.4 
foreign matte rs 
any particles other than sesame flour  
3.5 
extraneous matter  
inorganic  matter such as sand, glass, metal, gravel, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, clay and mud and 
organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed seeds and grains of crops, insects or insects’ fragments, rodent hairs 
or any other foreign matter  
3.6 
food grade packaging material  
packaging material made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which will not  
impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Raw material  
Sesame flour shall be obtain ed from sesame  grains  complying with relevant standard.    DRS 416: 2019  
3                ©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved  
 4.2 General requirements  
Sesame flour  shall: 
a) be free from foreign and extraneous matter;  
b) have distinctive natural flavour and free from  rancidity and metallic flavour; and  
c) have  homogeneous colour and text ure and free from agglomeration.  
4.3 Specific requirements  
Sesame  flour shall comply with the specific requirements stipulated in Table 1  when tested in accordance with 
test methods specified therein.  
Table.1 —Specific requirements  for sesame  flour  
S/N  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Moisture, %, m/m, max.  7.0 RS ISO 665  
ii.  Fat content %, m/m, min.  6 RS ISO 11085  
iii.  Protein (N x 6.25), %, m/m, min.  15.0 RS ISO 20483  
iv.  Crude fibers, % m/m, max.  5.0  RS ISO 5498  
v.  Total ash, %, max.  6  4.0 RS ISO 2171  
vi.  Acid insoluble ash, %, m/m, max.   0.40 RS ISO 5985  
vii.  Free fatty acids % m/m, max . 2.0 ISO 729  
viii.  Oil content (on moisture free basis), % m/m, min . 45 ISO 659  
5 Hygiene  
Sesame  flour shall  be prepared and handled in accordance with RS CAC/RCP  1. 
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Heavy metals  
Sesame  flour shall be free from heavy metals in amounts stipulated in table 2 when tested in accordance test 
methods specified therein . 
Table 2—Maximum limits for heavy met als in sesame flour  
S/N Heavy metal Limits, max, (mg/kg)  Test method 
i.  Lead  0.1 AOAC 999.10  
ii.  Arsenic  0.1 RS ISO 663 4  
©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved                  4 
 6.2 Pesticide residues  
Sesame flour  shall comply with those maximum residue limits established by the Codex Alimentari us 
Commission for sesame.  
6.3 Mycotoxins  
Sesame  flour shall comply with the maximum mycotoxin  limits stipulated in Table 3 when tested in accordance 
with test methods specified therein.  
Table  3— Mycotoxin limits  for sesame flour  
S/N Characteristic  Maximum limit ( μg/kg)  Test me thod  
i.  Total Aflatoxin  10.0 RS ISO 16050  
ii.  Aflatoxin B 1  5.0 
7 Microbiological limits  
Sesame flour  shall comply with the microbiological limits stipulated in Table 4 when tested in accordance test 
methods specified therein.  
Table 4 —Microbiological limits  for sesame flour  
S/N Microorganism  Limit  Test method  
i.  Total Plate Count (TPC), CFU, per g, max.  103 RS ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Escherichia coli  cfu/g, max  Absent  RS ISO 16649 -2 
iii.  Salmonella Spp  in 25g  Absent  RS ISO 6579 -1 
iv.  Yeast and moulds cfu /g, max  102 RS ISO 21527 -2 
8 Packaging  
8.1 Sesame flour shall be packaged in food grade materials that will safeguard  hygienic, nutritional, 
technological and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
8.2 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed . 
9 Labelling  
In additional to labelling requirements stipulated in RS EAS 38, Sesame flour package s shall be legibly and 
indelibly labelled with the following:  
a) name of the product;  by indicating whether if it is from roasted or raw sesame such as “roasted sesa me 
flour” or “raw sesame flour”;  
b) name, physical location and address of the manufacturer;    DRS 416: 2019  
5                ©RSB 2019  - All rights reserved  
 c) manufacturing date;  
d) expiry date;  
e) storage instructions;  
f) country of manufacture; and  
g) batch/lot  number.  
10 Sampling  
Sampling of sesame flour shall be done in accordance with ISO 542 . 
 DRS 416: 2019  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
©RSB 2019  - All right s reserved