PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT DRAFT UGAND A 
STANDARD  
  DUS ARS  857 
First Edition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS ARS 857: 2022 
© UNBS 2022  
   
Finger millet grains  — Specification  
 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS ARS 857: 2022  
ii                © UNBS  2022  - All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
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 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS ARS 857: 2022  
© UNBS  2022  - All rights reserved                 iii National foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda, as amen ded. UNBS is manda ted to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisatio n for Standardisation (ISO),  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT Agreement of t he World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, tr aders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommendi ng the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Draft Uganda Standard, DUS ARS 857: 2022 , Finger millet grains — Specification , is identical with and 
has been reproduced from an African  Standa rd, ARS 857: 2022 , Finger millet grains — Specification , and 
adopted  as a Uganda Standard . 
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/ TC 203, Cereals, pulses and 
related products and processes . 
Wherever the words, “ African  Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard ". AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
857  
Second  Edition 2022 
 
 Reference No. DARS 857:2022(E) 
ICS 67.060 
 
 
© ARSO 2022 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finger millet grains — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 857:2022 
ii © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  1 
3 Definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 2 
4 Quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
4.1 Minimum requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
4.2.1  Grading  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 3 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  4 
5.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  4 
5.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 4 
8 Marking or labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  4 
9 Sampling ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
Annex A (normative)  Determination of ergot ................................ ................................ ..........................  6 
A.1 Test for presence of ergot in food grains  ................................ ................................ ...................  6 
A.2 Determination of quantity of ergot ( Claviceps purpurea  Tul.) ................................ ....................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  10 
 
  DARS 857:2022 
© 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* 
 
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  
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
  
                                                 
* 2022 ARSO  — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member  States’ NSBs. 
 DARS 857:2022 
iv © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved   
Copyright notice  
 
This ARSO document is copyright -protected by ARSO. While the reproduction of this document 
by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted with out prior permission 
from ARSO, neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or 
transmitted in any form for any other purpose without prior written permission from ARSO.  
 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the  purpose of selling it should be 
addressed as shown below or to ARSO’s member body in the country of the requester:  
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 20 22 — 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 subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be p rosecuted.  
 
 
 
  DARS 857:2022 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Finger millet ( Eleusine coracana ) is one of the few special species that currently sup port the world's 
food supplies a nd its annual world production is at least 4.5 million tons of grain, of which Africa 
produces perhaps 2 million tons.  
 
Of all major cereals, this crop is one of the most nutritious. Indeed, some varieties appear to have high 
levels of methionine, an amino acid lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on 
starchy foods such as cassava and plantain. Its grain tastes better than most; Africans who know it 
usually prefer finger millet over all others. The pla nt is also productive and thrives in a variety of 
environments and conditions. Moreover, its seeds can be stored for years without insect damage, which 
makes them lifesavers for famine -prone areas.  
 
This standard has been revised to take 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, USA, I SO 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 kee ping 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 promote g ood 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 custom er 
requirements . 
  
 
The grain's protein content (7.4 per  cent) is comparable to that of rice (7.5 per  cent). However, it shows 
considerable variation, and at least one Indian cultivar contains as much as 14 per  cent protein.  
 
The main protein fraction ( eleusinin) has high biological value, with good amounts of tryptophan, 
cysteine, methionine, and total aromatic amino acids (Total aromatic acids" is the combination of 
phenylalanine and tyrosine). All of these are crucial to human health and growth and ar e deficient in 
most cereals. For this reason alone, finger millet is an important preventative against malnutrition. The 
methionine level —ranging around 5 per  cent of protein —is of special benefit, notably for those who 
depend on plant foods for their prot ein. 
 
Finger millet is also a rich source of minerals. Some samples contain 0.33 percent calcium, 5 -30 times 
more than in most cereals. The phosphorus and iron content can also be high.  
 
This African Standard has been prepared to facilitate trade in finger  millet grains as a means of 
achieving food security and nutrition in Africa.  
 DARS 857:2022  
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  1  
Finger millet grains — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
 
This African Standard specifies the requirements , methods of sampling and test for finger millet grains 
of varieties (cultivars) grown from Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner  intended for human consumption.  
 
 
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) ap plies.  
 
ARS 53, General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice  
 
ARS 56, Prepackaged foods — Labelling  
 
AOAC Official Method 2001.04, Determination of Fumonisins B 1 and B 2 in corn and corn flakes — Liquid 
chromatography with immunoaffinity column cleanup  
 
CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
 
ISO 520, Cereals and pulses — Determination of the mass of 1000 grains  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety 
— Test methods  
 
ISO 711, Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture content (Basic reference method)  
 
ISO 712 , Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture content — Routine reference 
method  
 
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 1: 
Method using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ISO 6561 -2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 2: 
Method using flame a tomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ISO 6633, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless 
atomic absorption spectrometric method  
 
ISO 9648, Sorghum — Determination of tannin  
 
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 performance liquid chromatographic method  
 
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 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
 
ISO 27085, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, 
potassium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadmium by ICP -
AES 
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 857:2022  
2 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  ISO 5498 , Agricultural food products — Determination crude fibre content — General method  
 
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 6579  - Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the de tection of 
Salmonella spp.  
 
 
3 Terms and d efinitions  
 
For the purpose of this standard the following terms and definition s shall apply . 
 
3.1 
finger millet grain  
dried grain having the characteristics of the species Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner  
 
3.2 
whole grains  
grains of finger millet obtained after proper threshing  
 
3.3 
foreign matter  
all organic and inorganic material other than finger millet , broken kernels and other grains.  
Foreign matter includes loose finger millet  seed coats.  
 
3.4 
other edible grains  
any edible grains (including oil seeds) other than finger millet   
 
3.5 
insect damaged grains  
grains that are partially or wholly bored by insects injurious to grains but does not include germ eaten 
grains and egg spotted grains  
 
3.6 
immature / shrivelled grains  
grains which are underdeveloped, thin and papery in appearance  
 
3.7  
food grade packages  
packages which safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, technological and organoleptic qualities of the 
products.  
 
3.8  
poisonous, toxic and/or harmful  seeds  
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  Linn and D. stramonium  Linn.) corn cockle  (Agrostemma githago  L., Machai Lallium 
remulenum  Linn.) Akra ( Vicia species ), Argemone mexicana , Khesari and other seeds that are 
commonly recognized as harmful to health  
 
3.9 
filth 
impurities of animal origin  
  DARS 857:2022  
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  3 4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirements  
 
4.1.1  Finger millet  shall meet the following general  requirements  as determined using the relevant 
standards listed in Clause 2 . Finger millet shall be :  
 
a) the dried mature grains of Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner ; 
 
b) clean, wh olesome, uniform in size,  colour and in sound condition ; 
 
c) safe and suitable for human consumption;  
 
d) practically free from foreign odours, live pests, toxic or noxious weed seeds, and other injurious 
contaminants as determined from samples representative of the lot.   
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
4.2.1  Grading  
 
Finger millet grain shall comply with maximum limits given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with 
the test methods specified therein.  
 
 Table 1 — Specific requirements  
 
S/NO  Characteristic  Grade  Method of 
test 1 2 3 
1 Foreign matter, whole grains, 
% m/m, max. 
 Organic  0.25 0.50 0.75  
ISO 605  
 2 Inorganic  0.10 0.25 0.25 
3 Other edible grains, % m/m, max. 1.5 2.0 4.0 
4 Filth  0.1 0.1 0.1 
5 Damaged grain, % m/m, max.   2.0 3.0 5.0 
6 Immature and shrivelled, % m/m, max.  3.0 4.0 4.0 
7 Insect damaged grains  % max. by count  0.2 0.3 0.5 
9 Moisture content, % m/m, max  13.5 13.5 13.5 ISO 711/712  
10 Ergot affected grains  %m/m,max  0.05 Annex A  
11 1000 Kernel weigh t, g   
12  Whole millet  grains  5.0 to 10.0  ISO 520  
16 Tannin content, % by mass, max.    0.5  ISO 9648  
17 Crude fibre, % by dry mass basis:  3.0 to 4.5  ISO 5498  
18 Total aflatoxin (AFB1+AFB2+AFG1 +AFG2)), 
ppb, max 10 ISO 16050  
19 Aflatoxin B1 only, ppb max  5 
20 Fumonisin  ppm max  2 AOAC 
2001.04  
 
  DARS 857:2022  
4 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  5 Contaminants  
 
5.1 Heavy metal contaminants  
 
Finger millet grains  shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants specified in CODEX 
STAN 193  
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Finger millet grains  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
Finger millet shall be produced and handled under hygienic conditions in accordance with ARS  53. 
 
 
7 Weights and measures  
 
Finger millet grains shall be packaged in accordance with the weights and measures regulations of 
the destination country.  
 
NOTE: Maximum package weight of 50 kg where human loading and offloading is involved’  
 
 
8 Packaging  
 
Finger millet grains shall be packed in food grade packaging material, which will safeguard the 
hygienic, nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the products. Each package shall be securely closed 
and sealed.  
 
 
9 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 “ Finger Millet Grains ”  
 
ii) variety;  
 
iii) grade;  
 
iv) name, address and physical location of the producer / packer/importer;  
 
v) lot/batch/code number;  
 
vi) net weight, metric units ;  
 
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;  
 DARS 857:2022  
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  5 xi) best before date  
 
xii) instructions on disposal of used package;  
 
xiii) country of origin;  
 
xiv) a declaration on whether the finger millet  was genetically modified or not.  
 
 
10 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the requirements of ISO 24333 . 
 
  DARS 857:2022  
6 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  Annex A  
(normative)  
 
Determination of ergot  
 
 
A.1 Test for presence of ergot in food grains  
 
A.1.1 Reagents  
 
(a) Petroleum ether  — 40 – 60 °C 
 
(b) Solvent ether  
 
(c) Dilute Ammonia  10 % (v/ v)  
 
(d) Tartaric acid solution  — 1 % (freshly prepared)  
 
(e) p-dimethyl amino benzaldehyde (PDAB)  — Dissolve 0.125 gm of PDAB in  a cold mixture of 
65 ml of conc sulphuric acid and 35 ml of distilled water.  
 
Add 0.1 ml of 5 % Ferric chloride solution and let it stand for 24 hours  before use.  
 
A.1.2 Apparatus  
 
(a) Grinding mill  
 
(b) Electric shaker  
 
A.1.3 Procedure  
 
Grind about 50 gm of sample in the grinding mill to a fine powder. Take 10 gm  of powdered sample in 
a stoppered conical flask. Add sufficient petroleum ether  and shake for half an hour in the electric 
shaker. Allow to  settle and decant off  the petroleum ether. Dry the material in air. Add to the material 8 
ml of dilute  ammonia and sufficient quantity of solvent ether. Again shake for ½ hour. Filter  ether portion 
in a beaker and concentrate to a small volume. Add 2 ml o f tartaric  acid solution to the beaker and 
shake thoroughly.  Mix 1 ml of this tartaric acid – sample solution with 1 or 2 ml of p -dimethyl 
benzaldehyde solution.  
 
The appearance of blue colour indicates presence of ergot. 
 
A.2 Determination of quantity of  ergot ( Claviceps purpurea  Tul.)  
 
A.2.1 Objective and field of application  
 
The method is used for both qualitative and quantitative determination of ergot  in food and feed . The 
method is suitable for the examination of  food and feed  of different particle sizes. In pelleted feedingstuff 
only qualitative  determination is possible.  
 
A.2.2 Principle  
 
Ergot in food and feed  is determined by the macroscopic and microscopic  identification of the ergot 
sclerotia and fragments. Quantification is done by  weighing the amount of identified sclerotia and 
fragments with a particle size >0.5 mm.  
 
A.2.3 Reagents  
 
A.2.3.1 Chloral hydrate,  = 60%  
 DARS 857:2022  
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  7 A.2.3.2 Sodium hydroxide (pelleted)  
 
A.2.3.3 Potassium hydroxide (pelleted)  
 
A.2.3.4 Ethanol,  = 50%  
 
A.2.3.5 Acetone  
 
The reagents listed can be replaced by others which produce comparable  results.  
 
A.2.4 Equipment and accessories  
 
A.2.4.1 Optical equipment  
 
A.2.4.1.1  Stereo microscope (up to 70x magnification)  
 
A.2.4.1.2  Magnifier (up to 10x magnification)  
 
A.2.4.2 Mortar and pestle  
 
A.2.4.3 Sieves fitted with wire nettings or perforations with different mesh sizes  (e.g. 2.0 mm, 1.0 mm, 
0.5 mm, 0.25 mm) and collecting tray;  recommended additional equipment: sieve towers, sieve shaker  
 
A.2.4.4 Analytical balance (accuracy 0. 001 g)  
 
A.2.4.5 Oven (up to 130 °C)  
 
A.2.4.6 Laboratory glassware  
 
A.2.4.7 Filters (e.g. paper, gaze)  
 
A.2.4.8 Freeze dryer  
 
A.2.4.9 Hot plate or Bunsen burner  
 
A.2.4.10 Reference material  
 
A.2.5 Procedure  
 
The examination is performed in non -pelleted food and feed. Pelleted food and feed have to be 
depelleted before examination (A.2.4.2; A.2.8.1).  
 
Qualitative determination of the sclerotia is performed macroscopically and  microscopically considering 
ergot and its fragments in both the sieve fraction >0.5mm and < 0.5mm.  
 
Quantification is performed by selecting and weighing of ergot and its  fragments with a particle size 
>0.5mm out of the laboratory sample or an  aliquot of it.  
 
A.2.5.1 Preparation of the lab oratory sample  
 
A.2.5.1.1  Whole kernel feedingstuff (at least 250g) are weighed (A.2.4.4) and used directly for the 
investigation (A.2.5.2 and A.2.5.3).  
 
A.2.5.1.2  Non-pelleted feedingstuff (at least 10g) are weighed (A.2.4.4) and fractionated bysieving . The 
obtained fractions > 0.5mm and  0.5mm are weighed (A.2.4.4).  
 
A.2.5.2 Identification of ergot  
 
Ergot sclerotia are identified based on their characteristic features. The  identification may be facilitated 
by comparison to reference material (A.2.4.10 ) and existing descriptions.  DARS 857:2022  
8 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved   
Morphology : Ergot sclerotia  Tul. are elongated with a length up to  several centimetres, coloured dark 
violet to black. The shape is similar to  cereal kernels. They only consist of fungal hyphae.  
 
Anatomy : Cross sections through the random parts of ergot sclerotia  show very small, narrow 
interconnected hyphae which yield a dense  pseudoparenchymatic tissue. The cells contain lots of fat 
oil. The outer  layers of the hyphae are coloured dark violet to black, whereas the inner  parts are coloured 
light pink to violet.  
 
For the identification of ergot fragments in the sieve fractions <0.5mm  the following colour reaction can 
be used. This staining procedure is only  applicable to fresh sclerotia material.  
 
A filter paper is soaked with a solution of 3ml ethanol (A.2.3.4) and 2 sodium hydroxide pellets (A.2.3.2) 
or 2 potassium hydroxide pellets (A.2.3.3). The sample is distributed on the filter paper.  
 
After app. 5 min. a red -violet halo around the ergot fragments is observed.  
 
The d ark violet colouring of the outer hyphae layers is dissolved also in chloralhydrate (A.2.3.1) and 
colours it violet.  
 
A.2.5.3 Quantification  
 
The quantification of ergot is performed using the sieve fractions > 0.5  mm. 
 
Material identified as ergot in each fraction is selected and weighed. An aliquot of the sieved fractions 
may be used if necessary. The ergot content of the fractions >0.5mm is summarized and expressed in 
mg/kg feedingstuff (A.2.6.1).  
 
A.2.6 Calculation an d report  
 
A.2.6.1 Calculation  
 
The amount of ergot fragments in mg/kg (ppm) feeding  stuff (original  sample) is calculated using the 
following formula:  
 
EBCC1000
 [mg/kg]  
 
C = amount of component in mg/kg feeding  stuff (ppm)  
 
BC = selected fragments of component in the  laboratory sample or an aliquot of it [mg]  
 
E = total weight of the laboratory sample or an examined aliquot  of the laboratory sample [g]  
 
A.2.6.2 Report  
 
A.2.6.2.1  Negative result:  
 
As far as was discernible using  a microscope, ergot was not found in the  submitted sample.  
 
A.2.6.2.2  Positive result:  
 
As far as was discernible using a microscope xx mg ergot/kg feedingstuff  were found in the submitted 
sample. For quantification ergot particles >0.5 mm are considered.  
 
A.2.6.2.3  Possible adding to the report:  
 
In pelleted feedingstuff only qualitative determination of ergot is  possible.  
 DARS 857:2022  
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  9 A.2.8 Remarks  
 
A.2.8.1 For the identification of ergot in pelleted feedingstuffs , the sample is depleted using either of 
the following procedures:   
 
(a) At least 10 g of the pressed material is mixed with at least three times as much water. The 
suspension is stirred up several times and left standing until the pellets disintegrate. Then the 
depelletised material is filtered (A.2 .4.7) and dried at room temperature or freeze -dried 
(A.2.4.8).  
 
(b) For depelletising at high humidity pressed material (at least 10 g) is left standing in humid 
atmosphere at 70 °C (A.2.4.5) until the pellets disintegrate. The material is crushed, sieved 
(A.2.4.3) and dried at room temperature immediately to prevent the particles from sticking 
together again.  
 
A.2.8.2 Ergot are the permanent forms or sclerotia of ergot which mainly occur  in rye, more seldom in 
wheat, triticale and barley.  
 
A.2.8.3 This method also is suitable for the examination of raw material and  food.  
 
 
  DARS 857:2022  
10 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  Bibliography  
 
 
EAS 758 :2012, Finger millet grains — Specification  
 
 
 
 DARS 857:20 22 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved