DEAS 779:2021  
ICS 67.230  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD   
 
 
High quality cassava flour — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© EAC 2021    
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 779:2021  
ICS 67.230  
 
 
Foreword  
 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in East Africa. It is envisaged that through harmonized 
standardization, trade barriers which are encountered when goods and services are exchanged within the 
Community will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African Standardization, 
Quality Assurance, Metrology and Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make provisions for ensuring 
standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing of products produced or originating in a third country 
and traded in the  Community in order to facilitate industrial development and trade as well as helping to 
protect the health and safety of society and the environment in the Community.  
 
East African Standards are formulated in accordance with the procedures established by the East African 
Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committee is established under the provisions of Article 4 
of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is composed of representatives of the National Standards 
Bodies in Partner States, together  with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer 
organizations. Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards 
Bodies in the Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated bef ore finalization of 
standards, in accordance with the procedures of the Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that “Within six months of the declaration of an East 
African Standard, the Partner States shall adopt, without deviation f rom the approved text of the standard, the 
East African Standard as a national standard and withdraw any existing national standard with similar scope 
and purpose”.  
 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Us ers of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing.  
 
© East African Community 2012 — All rights 
reserved * East African Community  
P O Box 1096  
Arusha 
Tanzani
a  
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8  
Fax: 255 -27-2504481/2504255  
E-Mail: eac@eachq.org  
Web: www.each.int   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 779:2021  
ICS 67.230  
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 Scope  
 
 
This draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for high quality cassava 
flour, which is obtained from the processing of cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz), intended for human 
consumption, and industrial use  
 
 
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.  
 
EAS 38 , General standard for labeling of prepackaged foods  
 
EAS 39 , Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry – Code of practice  
 
EAS 82, Milled cereal products — Methods of test (General methods)  
 
EAS 739 , Dried cassava chips — Specification  
 
EAS 744 , Cassava and cassava products — Determination of total cyanogens ─ Enzymatic assay  
method  
CODEX STAN 193 , Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
 
ISO 5498 , Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method  
 
ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of  
Salmonella spp.  
 
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 10520, Native starch — Determination of starch content — Ewers polarimetric method  
 
ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method  
enumeration of yeasts and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in products 
with  
 
for 
wate
r  
 
the 
less than or equal to 0.95  
 
EAS 738 -2010 Fresh sw eet cassava – Specification  
 
EAS778: 2012 Fresh bitter cassava – Specification) -Cassava chips  
 
AOAC 943.02 -1943, PH of flour. Potentiometric method  
 
AOAC 942.15  Acidity (Titratable) of Fruit Products  
 
EAS 900, Cereals and Pulses - Sampling  
EAS 901, Cereals and Pulses – Test MethodsDEAS 779:2021  
ICS 67.230  
 
  
 
 
 
3 Terms and definitions  
 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
 
3.1 
high quality cassava flour (HQCF)  
 is unfermented cassava flour prepared from fresh cassava roots through a process of peeling, 
chipping or grating followed by dewatering, drying and milling  
 
3.2  
food grade material   
material that is free from substances that are hazardous to human health  
 
3.3  
clean   
practically free from dirt or staining and or other foreign matter present in the container  
 
3.4  
specks   
tiny marks, spots or piece of any other object present in the flour  
 
3.5  
extraneous matter   
organic matter of cassava origin other than  high quality cassava flour  
 
3.6  
foreign matter   
inorganic matter such as sand, glass, metal, stones, clay, mud and organic matter such as chaff, 
straw, weed seeds and insects or insects fragments, rodent hairs  
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirements  
  
 
4.1.1 HQCF shall be produced from selected fresh cassava roots or from high quality intermediate 
products such as chips and grits  conforming to EAS 738/ EAS 778/EAS 739 . 
 
4.1.2 High quality cassava flour shall be:  
 
a) free from extraneous matter;  
 
b) free of off flavours and odours;  
 
c)  free from any living insects and foreign matter;  
 
d) safe and suitable for human consumption;  
 
e)  of colour characteristic of the variety.  
 
f) give a blue -black colouration when tested with iodine; and  
 
g) have a pasting tempera ture less than 75.                                                                                                                                                                                   
 DEAS 779:2021  
ICS 67.230  
 
 
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
4.2.1 High quality cassava flour shall conform to the compositional quality requirements shown in 
Table 1  
 
Table 1 — Compositional Quality requirements   
S/N Parameter  Requiremen
t Method of test   
     
1 Total acidity, %, by mass, max.  0.25 AOAC 942.15   
     
2 pH 5.5 – 7.0 AOAC 943.02   
     
3 Acid insoluble ash, %, by mass on dry matter 
basis,  
0.35 EAS 82   
 
max.   
    
     
4 Cyanide content, mg/kg, max.  10 EAS 744   
     
5 Starch content by mass, %, by mass, min.  60 ISO 10520   
     
6 Moisture content, %,  by mass, max.  12 EAS 901  
     
7 Crude fiber, %, by mass on dry weight basis, max.  5 ISO 5498   
     
 extraneous matter max limits/ specks/100cm2”  10   
 
4.2.2 Particle size   
 
Not less than 90 % shall pass through a 0.25 mm sieve for fine flour.  
 
  
5 Contaminants  
 
5.1 Pesticide residues  
 
High quality cassava flour shall conform to those maximum residue limits for pesticide residues 
established by Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
5.2 Other contaminants  
 
High quality cassava flour shall  conform to those maximum levels of the Codex General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193).  
 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
High quality cassava flour shall be handled in hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39 and shall 
conform to microbiol ogical limits specified in Table 2.  
 
  
 
 
 DEAS 779:2021  
ICS 67.230  
 
   
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for high quality cassava flour  
S/N Micro -organism(s)  Requirement  Method of test  
1 Escherichia coli, CFU/g, max.  Absent  ISO 7251  
2 Salmonella spp per , 25g, max.  Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
3 Yeasts and moulds, CFU/g, max.  104 ISO 21527 -2 
 
 
7 Packaging  
 
High quality cassava flour shall be packaged in food grade material to safeguard the safety, hygienic, 
nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
 
 
8  Labelling  
 
8.1 In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following labeling requirements shall apply and  
shall be legibly  and indelibly  marked:  
 
a) common name of the product 'High quality cassava flour';  
 
b) name and physical address of the manufacturer/ distributor and /or trade name/ brand name:  
 
c) date of manufacture;  
 
d) lot identification;  
 
e) expiry date;  
 
f) country of origin;  
 
g) net weight in metric units;  
 
h) the statement ‘Human Food’ shall appear on the package;  
 
i) storage instructions; and  
 
j) instructions on disposal of used package  
 
8.2 When labelling non -retail packages, information for non -retail packages shall either be given on  
the packages or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot id entification 
and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the packages.  
 
 
9 Method of sampling  
 
Sampling of high quality cassava flour shall be done in accordance with EAS 900 .