DRAFT ZANZIBAR NATIONAL STANDARD  
 
 
Essential oil of  lemongrass - specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ZANZIBAR BUREAU OF STANDARDS  
 
 
© ZBS 202 2 — All rights res erved                  First edition  
 
 
PCD 327: 202 2 
          ICS 71.100.60  
                                                        PCD 327: 2022  
 
©ZBS 202 2 - All rights reserved  
 ii 
 Foreword  
 
This draft Zanzibar standard has been developed Cooking and Essential Oil Standard Technical 
committee (TCFA4). In accordance with ZBS general procedures, this draft standard is presented to 
the public in order to receive any technical and editorial comment concerns.  
 
The Zanzibar Bureau of Standard (ZBS) was established under Standard Act No. 1 of 2011.  
 
 
 
 
                          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zanzibar Bureau of Standards (ZBS)  
P.O.Box 1136  
Zanzibar  
Tel:  +255 24 2232225  
Fax: +255 24 2232225  
E-mail: info@zbs.go.tz  
Web: www.zbs.go.tz  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 PCD 327: 2022  
 
1                                                                                             ©ZBS 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Essential Oil of lemongrass  
 
1  Scope  
 
This draft Zanzibar National  Standard specifies requirements , methods of sampling and test  for 
essential Oil of Lemongrass derived from grass of Cymbopogon Citratus .  
  
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.   
 
CODEX STAN 193, General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods  
ISO 279, Essential oils — Determination of relative density at 20 °C — Reference method  
 
ISO 280, Essential oils — Determination of refractive index  
 
ISO 592, Essential oils — Determination of optical rotation  
 
ISO 1279, Essential oils — Determination of carbonyl value — Potentiometric methods using 
hydroxylammonium chloride  
 
ISO/TR 11018 , Essential oils — General guidance on the determination of flashpoint  
 
ISO 875, Essential oils — Evaluation of miscibility in ethanol  
ZNS 94, Rounding off numerical values  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following (terms and) definitions apply  
 
3.1  
essential oil of lemongrass  
oil obtained by steam distillation of the grass cymbopogon citratus )  A.P. de Candolle) Stapf.  
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 Raw material  
 
Essential oil of lemongrass shall  be extracted by  steam distillation of the lemongrass of Cymbopogon 
citratus  
 
4.2 General requirement  
 
Essential oil of lemongrass shall  
a) be clear and mobile liquid  
b) have odour characteristic with a strong note of citral  
c) have colour greenish, pale yellow to orange yellow  
d) be free from sediment and suspended matter  
e) be free from admixture with other oils when tested according to appropriate method  
 PCD 327: 2022  
 
©ZBS 202 2 - All rights reserved  
 2 
 4.3 Specific requirement  
 
Essential oil of lemongrass shall comply with specific requirements given in table 1 when tested in 
accorda nce with test methods specified therein.  
 
 
Table 1: Specific requirements  Essential Oil of lemongrass  
 
S/N Characteristic  Requirements  Method of test   
i.  Relative density at 20  0C/water at 20 0C 0.872  - 0.897  ISO 279  
ii.  Refractive index at 20 0C 1.483  - 1.489  ISO 280  
iii.  Optical rotation at 20 0C - 30 - + 10 ISO 592  
iv.  Citral level %  ≥70 ISO 1279  
v.  Miscibility in   ethanol at 20 0C (V/V)  % 70-90 ISO 875  
vi.  Flash  point  0C +71 ISO/TR 11018  
 
 
5 Contaminants   
 
5.1 Pesticide residues  
 
Essential oil of lemongrass shall comply with pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
5.2 Heavy metal  
 
Heavy metal in Essential oil of lemongrass shall not exceed maximum residue limits as established in 
the Codex Stan 193. 
 
6 Weights and measures  
 
Essential oil of lemongrass shall be packaged in accordance with the Zanzibar weights and measures 
regulations.  
 
7 Packaging and labelling  
  
7.1 Packaging  
  
Essential oil of lemongrass shall be packaged in grade containers and sealed in manner to ensure the 
safety and quality requirements specified in this standard are maintained throughout th e shelf life of 
the product.  
 
7.2 Labelling  
  
7.2.1  Essential oil of lemongrass shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the following:  
  
a) name of the product ‘ essential oil of Lemongrass  and botanical name (Latin name including 
the botanical authority  of the plant ),  
b) brand name/trade name  if any ;  
c) date of manufacture;  
d) best before  date;  
e) the percentage of the Citral  
f) name and physical address of the manufacturer or packer  or the distributor ; PCD 327: 2022  
 
3                                                                                             ©ZBS 2022 - All rights reserved  
 g) directions for use and storage condition  
h) lot identification or batch or code number;  
i) net weight in metric unit;   
j) country of origin; and  
 
7.2.2  The language on the label shall be ‘Kiswahili’ and/or English. Additional language may be 
used depending on the designated market.  
 
8 Sampling   
  
Sampling of Essential oil of lemongrass shall be done according to ISO 212