DEAS  1009 : 2019  
ICS 67.100.20  
 
© EAC 2019                                                                                                                               First Edition  2019   
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Cheese  — Specification  — Gouda cheese  
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 1009 : 2019  
ii © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
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Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 1009 : 2019  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Product description  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  2 
4.1 Gouda cheese  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  2 
4.2 Baby Gouda cheese  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  2 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
5.1 Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  2 
5.2 Essential ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  2 
5.3 Optional ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  2 
6 Characteristics for Gouda cheese  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 3 
6.1 Consistency  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  3 
6.2 Rind  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  3 
6.3 Body  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  3 
6.4 Holes  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  3 
6.5 Shape, dimensions and weights  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
6.5.1  Gouda cheese  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  3 
6.5.2  Baby Gouda cheese  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  4 
6.6 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  4 
6 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
7 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
8 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  5 
9. Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
11 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
12 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  6 
 DEAS 1009 : 2019  
iv © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing qual ity of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has establis hed an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public an d private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures f or develop ment of East African Standards . 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standard s 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC /TC 017, Milk and milk products.  
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall no t be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1009 : 2019  
 
© EAC 2019  – All righ ts reserved  1 
 Cheese  — Specification  — Gouda cheese  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements , sampling and test methods for Gouda cheese 
intended for direct consumption or for further processing . 
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, Determination of Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, and Iron in foods, Atomic Absorption 
Spectrophotometry after Microwave Digestion  
CAC/RCP 1,  General pr inciples of food hygiene — Code of practice  
CODEX STAN 192,  General standard for food additives  
CODEX STAN 193, General standard for contaminants in food and feed  
CODEX STAN 283, General standard for cheese  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General  requirements  
ISO 14501, Milk and milk powder — Determination of aflatoxin M1 content — Clean -up by immunoaffinity 
chromatography and determination by high -performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 1735, Cheese and processed cheese products — Determination of fat content — Gravimetric method 
(Reference method)  
ISO 4832, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony -count technique  
ISO 5534, Cheese and processed cheese — Determination of the total so lids content (Reference)  
ISO 5538, Milk and milk products — Sampling — Inspection by attributes  
ISO 5738, Milk and milk products — Determination of copper content — Photometric method (reference 
method)  
ISO 6611, Milk and milk products — Enumeration of col ony-forming units of yeasts and/or moulds —Colony -
count technique at 25 degrees C  
ISO 707, Milk and milk products — Methods of sampling  
ISO 8197, Milk and m ilk products — Sampling — Inspection by variables   
2 © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions  
No terms and definitions a re listed in this document.  
4 Product description  
4.1 Gouda cheese  
A ripened firm/semi -hard cheese in conformity with CODEX STAN  283. The body has a near white or ivory 
through to light yellow or yellow colour and a firm -textured (when pressed by thumb) te xture, suitable for 
cutting, with few to plentiful, more or less round pin´s head to pea sized (or mostly up to 10 mm in diameter) 
gas holes, distributed in a reasonable regular manner throughout the interior of the cheese, but few openings 
and splits are acceptable. For  gouda ready for consumption, the ripening procedure to develop flavour and 
body characteristics is normally from 3 weeks at 10 °C - 17 °C depending on the extent of maturity required. 
Alternative ripening conditions (including the addition of ripening enhancing enzymes) may be used, provided 
the cheese exhibits similar physical, biochemical and sensory properties as those achieved by the previously 
stated ripening procedure. Gouda intended for further processing and Gouda of low weights (< 2 .5 kg) need 
not exhibit the same degree of ripening when justified through technical and/or trade needs.  
4.2 Baby Gouda cheese  
Small cheeses complying with the requirements for Gouda cheese, except those under 4.2 may be 
designated as ‘Baby Gouda cheese’, provided they comply with the following: Shape, Cylindrical with convex 
sides, curving smoothly into the flat top and bottom, the height/diameter is about ½.  
5 Requirements  
5.1 Raw materials  
Cow’s milk or buffaloes’ milk, or their mixtures, and product obt ained from these milks.  
5.2 Essential ingredients  
The ingredients used shall comply with relevant standards:  
a) starter cultures of harmless lactic acid and/ or flavour producing bacteria and cultures of other 
harmless micro -organisms;  
b) Rennet or other safe a nd suitable coagulating enzymes;  
c) Sodium chloride;  and  
d) potassium  chloride as a salt substitute.  
5.3 Optional ingredients  
a) Safe and suitable enzymes to enhance the ripening process;  
b) Safe and suitable processing aids; and 
c) Rice, corn  and potato flours and st arches  complying with C ODEX STAN  266.  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  3 
 6 Characteristics for Gouda cheese  
6.1 Consistency  
The Gouda cheese shall be firm and semi -hard as per the classification in CODEX STAN  283. 
6.2 Rind  
The rind of Gouda cheese shall be as follows:  
a) consistency: hard;  
b) appearance: the rind shall be dry or coated with either wax, a suspension of plastic of a film of edible  
vegetable oil; and  
c) colour: the rind shall be as specified in 4.1.  
6.3 Body  
The body of Gouda cheese shall be as follows:  
a) texture: the texture of the chees e shall be firm and suitable for cutting ; and 
b) colour:  the body shall have a near white or ivory through to light yellow or yellow colour . 
  
6.4 Holes  
The holes of Gouda cheese shall be as follows:  
a) distribution: from few to plentiful, all over the interior of the cheese, distribution regularly as well as  
irregularly;  
b) shape: the sh ape of the holes shall be round;  and 
c) size: the size of the holes shall vary from a pin’s head to a pea.  
6.5 Shape, dimensions and weights  
6.5.1 Gouda cheese  
6.5.1.1  Shape  
The shape of the Gouda cheese shall be as follows:  
a) cylindrical, with convex sides, curving smoothly into the flat top and bottom;  
b) the Height/Diameter varying from ¼ - ⅓; 
c) flat block with square and/or rectangular sides (not being a loaf) and with or without rind; and  
d) loaf, the length of the long side more than twice that of the shortest . 
6.5.1.2  Dimensions  
The dimensions of Gouda chee se shall be as follows:   
4 © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 a) cylindrical, with convex sides fixed by prescribed shape and weights;  
b) flat block -fixed by prescribed shape and weights; and  
c) loaf-fixed by prescribed shape and weights.  
6.5.1.3  Weights  
The weights of Gouda cheese shall be as follows:  
a) cylindrical, with convex sides: from 2.5 kg to 30 kg;  
b) flat block: not less than 5 kg; and  
c) loaf: from 2.5 kg to 5 kg.  
6.5.2 Baby Gouda cheese  
6.5.2.1  Shape  
a) cylindrical with convex sides, curving smooth ly into the flat top and bottom;  and 
b) height/diameter is  about ½.  
6.5.2.2  Dimension  
The dimension of baby Gouda cheese shall be filed with prescribed shape and weight.  
6.5.2.3  Weight  
The weight of baby Gouda cheese shall be from 0.180 kg to 2.500 kg.  
6.6 Specific requirements  
Table 1 — Specific  requirements for  Gouda cheese  
S/N  Quality  Requirements  Test method  
Gouda cheese  Baby Gouda 
cheese  
i.  Milk fat content in dry matter , % 30 (min)  40 - 48 ISO 1735  
ii.  Dry matter content, %,  min 48 50 ISO 5534  
 
6 Food additives  
Food additives may be added in Gouda cheese  in accordance with CODEX STAN 192 .  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  5 
 7 Contaminants  
7.1 Gouda cheese shall comply with those maximum limits for pesticides and veterinary residue as 
provided by  Codex Alimentarius Commission for the ingredients used in cheese manufacturing.  
7.2 When tested in accordance with ISO 14501, the level of Aflatoxin M1, shall not exceed 0.50 μg/kg.  
8 Heavy metals  
The heavy metal requirements in the product shall comply  with the limits in the Table 2.  
Table 2 — Maximum limits of heavy metals  
S/N Heavy metal  Maximum l imits   Test method  
i.  Lead , mg/kg  0.02 AOAC 999.10  
9. Hygiene  
9.1 Gouda cheese shall be processed, packaged, stored and distributed under hygienic conditions 
complying with CAC/RCP 1 and CAC/RCP 57.  
9.2 Gouda cheese shall not exceed the microbiological limits in Table 3  when tested in accordance with test 
methods specified therein . 
Table 3 ▬ Microbiological limits  
S/N  Microorganism  Maximum limits  Test method  
i.  Salmonella spp  per 25g   Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
ii.  E. Coli , cfu/g, max.  Absent  ISO 11866 -1 
iii.  Coliforms, max/g  10 ISO 4832  
iv.  S.aureus cfu/g  102 ISO 6888 -1 
v.  Listeria monocytogenes / 25g, max.  Absent  ISO 11290 -2 
 
10 Packaging  
The products shall be packaged in food grade containers made of suitable material and shall be well sealed in 
order to prevent contamination of the contents during storage and transportation.  
11 Labelling  
In addi tional to the requirements of EAS 38, labelling of Gouda cheese shall include the following:  
a) name of product as cheese;  
b) type of the cheese as “Gouda ” or “Baby Gouda ” 
c) name and address of manufacturer;  
d) date of manufacture;   
6 © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 e) list of ingredients;  
f) coagulating enzyme used;  
g) date of expiry;  
h) source of milk (cow/buffalo);   
i) storage conditions;  
j) batch number ; and 
k) country of origin.  
12 Sampling  
12.1 Test sampling shall be taken in accordance with ISO 707.  
12.2 In addition to the provision in ISO 707, samplin g shall comply with ISO 8197 or ISO 5538 when the  
sampling is purposely for inspection.  
 DEAS 1009 : 2019    
 
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved