AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
864  
Second  Edition 2022 
 
 Reference No. DARS 864:2022(E) 
ICS 67.060  
 
 
© ARSO 2022  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dry beans — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 864: 2022  
ii © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  1 
3 Definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 1 
4 Quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
4.1 Minimum requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  4 
5.1 Metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
5.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 4 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
9 Sampling methods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  5 
Annex A (informative)  Classification of pulses  ................................ ................................ .......................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  7 
 
  DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  iii Foreword  
 
The African Organization for Standardization (ARS) is an African intergovernmental organization made 
up of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of African 
Unity (AU). One of the fundamental mandates of ARSO is to develop and harmoniz e African Standards 
(ARS) for the purpose of enhancing Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase Africa’s product and 
service competitiveness globally and uplift the welfare of African communities.  The work of preparing 
African  Standards is normally carried out through ARSO  technical committees. Each Member State  
interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be 
represented on that committee. International organizations, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), 
governmental and non -governmental  organizations , in liaison with ARSO , also take part in the work.  
 
ARSO  Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.  
 
The main task of technical co mmittees is to prepare ARSO  Standards. Draft ARSO  Standards adopted 
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an ARSO  
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.  
 
Attenti on is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of 
patent rights. ARSO  shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
 “This African Standard was prepared by the ARSO Technical Committee on Cereals, pulses and 
derived products (ARSO/TC 12).”  
 
 
 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation  2022 — All rights reserved* 
 
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International House 3rd Floor  
P. O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel. +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-311641, +254 -20-311608  
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E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
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* © 2022 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.  
 DARS 864: 2022  
iv © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved   
Copyright notice  
 
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by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted without prior permission 
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© African Organisation for Standardisation 2022 — All rights reserved  
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P.O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel: +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-311641, +254 -20-311608  
Fax: +254 -20-218792  
 
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Web: www.arso -oran.org  
 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be s ubject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be p rosecuted.  
 
 
 
  DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Dry beans Phaseolus spp., are the most important food legumes for direct consumption in Africa . 
Among major food crops, beans have one of the highest levels of variation in growth habit, seed 
characteristics (size, shape, colour), maturity, and adaptation. Dry beans are harvested mature and dry . 
The common bean is grown for its green leaves, green pods, and immature and/or dry seeds. The dry 
seeds of P. vulgaris  are the ultimate economic part of the bean plant. They are appreciated throughout 
the developing world because they have a long storage life, good nutritional properties and can be 
easily st ored and prepared for eating.  
 
Dry beans have been characterized as a nearly perfect food because of their high protein, fibre, 
probiotic, vitamin B, and diverse m icronutrient content. Dry  beans are used throughout the world 
representing 50 % of the grain legumes consumed as a human food so urce. 
 
Consumption of dry beans has also increased over the past few years due to the potential link of bean 
rich diets to lower risks of multiple diseas es  
 
Dry beans  is distributed in a variety of  forms, such as whole  unprocessed seeds, as part of  mixes, 
canned products, or  as a wheat flour substitute  depending on the bean variety.  
 
This African Standard has been prepared  taking into account : 
a) the needs of the market for the product;  
b) the need to facilitate fair domestic, regional and international trade and prevent technical 
barriers to trade by establishing a common trading language for buyers and sellers;  
c) the structure of the CODEX, UNECE, US A, ISO and other internationally significant standards;  
d) the needs of the producers in gaining knowledge of market standards, conformity assessment, 
commercial cultivars and crop production process;  
e) the need to transport the product in a manner that ensures  keeping of quality until it reaches 
the consumer;  
f) the need for the plant protection authority to certify, through a simplified form, that the product 
is fit for cross -border and international trade without carrying plant disease vectors;  
g) the need to promo te good agricultural practices that will enhance wider market access, 
involvement of small -scale traders and hence making farming a viable means of wealth 
creation; and  
h) the need to ensure a reliable production base of consistent and safe crops that meet cu stomer 
requirements.  
 DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  1  
Dry beans  — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
 
This African Standard specifies requirements  and methods of sampling and test for  dry bean s 
(Phaseolus  vulgaris ) intended for  human consumption . It does not apply to processed beans.  
 
2 Normative references  
 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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.  
 
ARS 53, General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice  
 
ARS 56, Prepackaged foods — Labelling  
 
CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety 
— Test methods  
 
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — 
Part 1: 
Method using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — 
Part 2: 
Method using flame atomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ISO 6633, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless 
atomic absorption spectro metric method  
 
ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
 
ISO/TS 16634 -2, Food products — Determination of the total nitrogen content by combustion according 
to the Dumas principle and calculation of the crude protein content — Part 2: Cereals, pulses and milled 
cereal products  
 
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 
 
ISO 24557, Pulses — Determination of moisture content — Air-oven method  
 
ISO 27085, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, 
potassium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadmi um by ICP -
AES 
 
 
3 Terms and Definitions  
 
For the purpose of this standard the following definition s apply . 
 
3.1 
dry beans  
dried, threshed field and garden beans  (Phaseolus  vulgaris ),intended  for human consumption  
  
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 864: 2022  
2 © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  3.2 
rotten and damaged beans  
beans and pieces of beans that are materially damaged or discolo ured by frost, weather, disease, 
weevils or other insects, or other causes so as to materially affect the appearance and quality of the 
beans  
 
3.3 
broken/chipped/loose  coat  
beans whose cotyledons are separated or one or both of the cotyledons have been broken  
 
3.4 
germinated beans  
beans which have sprouted  
 
3.5 
shrivelled beans  
beans which are under -developed and wrinkled over their entire surface  
 
3.6 
defective  beans  
beans  that have been either damaged , pest -damaged, broken, shrivelled, immature, rotten, mouldy, 
diseased, germinated, discoloured and heat -damaged   
 
3.7 
pest damaged  
beans which show damage owing to attack by rodents, insects,  mites or other pests  
 
3.8  
contrasting varieties:  
other varieties that are of a different colour, size, or shape from the beans of the designated variety  
 
3.9 
discoloured beans  
beans which are damaged by heat, frost or water  
 
3.10 
foreign matter  
all organic and inorganic materials other than beans, broken kernels, and other grains  
 
3.10.1 
inorganic  foreign matter  
components, such as stone s, sand and dust  
 
3.10.2 
organic  foreign matter  
any animal or plant matter (e.g. dead insects, seed coats, straws, weeds) other than grain of maize and 
damaged maize grain . 
 
3.10.3 
filth 
impurities of animal origin, including  dead insect   
 
3.11 
split 
pieces of beans that are not damaged, each of which consists of 75 %  or less of the whole bean, and 
shall include any sound bean the halves of which are held together loosely  
  DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  3 3.12 
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  
 
3.13 
heat damaged bean s  
beans  which are discoloured and damaged by excessive high temperature.  
 
3.14  
poisonous, toxic and/or harmful seeds  
any seed which if present in quantities above permissible limit may have damaging or dangerous effect 
on health, organoleptic properties or technological performance such as Jimson weed — Datura ( D. 
fastuosa  L. and D. stramonium  L.) corn cockle ( Agrostemma githago  L., Machai Lallium remulenum  L.) 
Akra (Vicia species), Argemone mexicana , Khesari and other seeds that are commonly recognized as 
harmful to health  
 
3.15 
mature beans  
beans that have reached physiological maturity  
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General  requirements  
 
. Dry beans shall be:  
 
(a) the dried mature beans  of Phaseolus vulgaris  L; 
 
(b) well-filled, clean, who lesome, uniform in size, and shape;  
 
(c) free from substances which render them unfit for human or animal consumption or processing 
into or utilisation thereof as food or feed;  
 
(d) free from abnormal flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable odour,  obnoxious smell  and 
discolouration;   
 
 
(f)  free from mould, live pests, toxic or poisonous  weed seeds.  
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
4.2.1  Grading  
 
Dry beans  shall be graded  into three grades on the basis of the tolerable limits established in Table 1 
which shall be additional to the minimum  requirements set out in this standard.  
 
  DARS 864: 2022  
4 © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  Table 1 — Specific r equirements  
 
S/No.  Characteristics  Maximum limits  Method of 
test Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
(1) Foreign matter, % m/m  max . 0.5 0.75 1 
ISO 605  (2) Inorganic matter, % m/m  max. 0.1 0.2 0.3 
(3) Other edible grains, % m/m  max. 0.1 0.2 0.5 
(4) Pest damaged beans , % m/m  max. 1 2 3 
(5) Heat damaged beans , % m/m  max. 0.1 0.2 0.5 
(6) Contrasting varieties, %m/m  max.  1.5 3  5 
(7) Broken  and split beans  % m/m max. 1 2 3 
(8) Discoloured /shrivelled/diseased  beans, %m/m  
max.  1  1  1  
(9) Total defectives beans , % m/m  max. 3.5 6.3  9.1 
(10) Filth, % m/m  max. 0.1 0.1 0.1 
(11) Moisture, % m/m  max. 14.0 14.0 14.0 ISO 24557  
NOTE  1 The parameter, total defective beans  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 Heavy metals  
 
Dry beans  shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants specified in CODEX STAN 
193 and in particular those listed in Table 2.  
 
Table 2 —Heavy  metal contamina nts 
 
S/N Parameter  Limit (ppm max)  Test method  
(3) Lead  (Pb) 0.1 ISO 6633 ( AAS)  
(4) Cadmium  (Cd) 0.1 ISO 6561 -1 or 6561 -2 
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Dry beans  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity . 
 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
Dry beans shall be produced and handled under hygienic conditions in accordance with ARS 53 .  
 
 
7 Packaging  
 
7.1 Dry beans  shall be packaged in suitable packages which shall be clean, sound, free from insect, 
fungal infestation and the packing material shall be of food grade quality  and shall be securely closed 
and sealed.    DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  5 7.2 Dry beans shall be packaged in containers which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, 
technological and organoleptic qualities of the products.  
 
7.3 Each package shall contain dry beans  of the same type and of the same grade designation.  
 
7.4 If dry beans are  presented in bags, the bags shall also be free of pests and contaminants.  
 
 
8 Labelling  
 
8.1 General labelling  
 
The following specific labelling requirements shall apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked in 
accordance with the requirements of ARS 56:  
 
(i) product name as “ Dry beans ”; 
 
(ii) variety;  
 
(iii) grade;  
 
(iv) name, address and physical location of the producer / packer/importer;  
 
(v) lot/batch/code number;  
 
(vi) net weight, in kg; 
 
(vii) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’  
 
(viii) storage instruction as “ Store in a cool and dry place  away from any contaminants’’;  
 
(ix) crop year;  
 
(x) packing date;  
 
(xi) instructions on disposal of used package;  
 
(xii) country of origin;  
 
(xiii) a declaration on whether the dry beans  were  genetically modified or not.  
 
8.2 Labelling of non-retail containers  
 
Information detailed 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.  
 
For products  purchased for use by the buyer /retailer , at least the name of producer, l ot number and/or 
‘crop year’  shall be indicated on the container.  
 
Lot identification and the name and address of the processor or packer may be replaced by an 
identification mark pr ovided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents.  
 
 
9 Sampling   
 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the ISO 24333 . 
 
  DARS 864: 2022  
6 © ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  Annex A  
(informative)  
 
Classification of pulses  
 
 
FAO recognizes 11 primary pulses.  
1. Dry beans ( Phaseolus spp.  including several species now in Vigna )  
o Kidney bean, haricot bean, pinto bean, navy bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) 
o Lima bean, butter bean ( Phaseolus lunatus ) 
o Azuki bean, adzuki bean ( Vigna angularis ) 
o Mung bean, golden gram, green gram ( Vigna rad iata) 
o Black gram, urad ( Vigna mungo ) 
o Scarlet runner bean ( Phaseolus coccineus ) 
o Ricebean ( Vigna umbellata ) 
o Moth bean ( Vigna aconitifolia ) 
o Tepary bean ( Phaseolus acutifolius ) 
2. Dry broad beans ( Vicia faba )  
o Horse bean ( Vicia faba equina ) 
o Broad bean ( Vicia faba) 
o Field bean ( Vicia faba ) 
3. Dry peas ( Pisum spp. )  
o Garden pea ( Pisum sativum var. sativum ) 
o Protein pea ( Pisum sativum var. arvense ) 
4. Chickpea, garbanzo, Bengal gram ( Cicer arietinum ) 
5. Dry cowpea, black -eyed pea, blackeye bean ( Vigna unguiculata  ) 
6. Pigeon pea, Arhar /Toor, cajan pea, Congo bean, gandules ( Cajanus cajan ) 
7. Lentil ( Lens culinaris ) 
8. Bambara groundnut, earth pea ( Vigna subterranea ) 
9. Vetch, common vetch ( Vicia sativa ) 
10. Lupins ( Lupinus spp. ) 
11. Minor pulses, including:  
o Lablab, hyacinth bean ( Lablab purpureus ) 
o Jack bean ( Canavalia ensiformis ), sword bean ( Canavalia gladiata ) 
o Winged bean ( Psophocarpus teragonolobus ) 
o Velvet bean, cowitch ( Mucuna pruriens var. utilis ) 
o Yam bean ( Pachyrrizus erosus ) 
 
  DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved  7 Bibliography  
 
 
 
EAS 46 :2011, Dry beans — Specification  
 
United States Standards for Beans , Effective December 19, 2008  
 
Beans,  Official Grain Grading Guide, August 1, 20 12, Canadian Grain Commission  
 
Pulses Grading and Marking Rules , 2003, Ministry of Agriculture, India, 7th April 2004  
 
CODEX STAN 171:1989 (Rev. 1:1995), Standard for Certain Pulses  
 
Malawi Standard, MBS 245:1991, Bean — Specification  
 
Department of Agriculture, Regulation Gazette No. 23571, 5 July 2002, Agricultural Product Standards 
Act, 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990), Regulations relating to the grading, packing and marking of dry beans 
intended for sale in the Republic of South Africa  
 
Ethiopian Standards Regulations No. 12/1990, Pulses  
 
 
 
 DARS 864: 2022  
© ARSO 2022 — All rights reserved