ICS 67.060  
 
Reference number
DRS 445: 2020
© RSB 2020
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS
445
First edition
2020 -mm-dd
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s — 
Specification  
 
   
DRS 445: 2020  
©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2020  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without  
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reprodu ce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS  445: 2020  
iii                ©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 3 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...3 
4.1 Essential ingredients ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 3 
4.2 Optional ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 3 
4.3 General re quirements ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 4 
4.4 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 4 
4.5 Hydrocyanic acid content  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 4 
4.6 Ant nu tritional factors  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 5 
5 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..5 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 5 
7 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...5 
7.1 Mycotoxin  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 5 
7.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 6 
7.3 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....6 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 6 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 6 
9.1 General labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 6 
10 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 7 
 DRS 445: 2020  
©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword   
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards 
adop ted by Technical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards.  
DRS  445 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 003, Cereals, pulses, legumes and derived 
products.  
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standard  (s): 
1) IS 12566:1989, Ready -to-eat extruded snacks —  Specification  
2) PNS/BFAD 22: 2010, Fried corn snacks (Chichacorn) — Specification  
3) KS 523 -2:2015, Breakfast cereals —  Specifi cation —Part 2: Flaked / puffed cereals (ready to eat).  
The assistance de rived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Comm ittee on Cereals, pulses, legumes and 
derived products (RSB/TC 003) in the preparation of this standard.  
ADMA International  
Africa Improved Food (AIF)  
MANOSALIWA Food Industries Ltd  
Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources  (MINAGRI)  
National Industrial Research  and Development Agency (NIRDA)  
Radisson Blu Hotel and Convention Centre  
Rwanda Consumer's Rights Protection Organization (ADECOR)  
SOSOMA Industries  DRS  445: 2020  
v                ©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved  
 University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture, Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (UR -CAVM)  
ZIMA Enterp rise 
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  
  DRS  445: 2020  
1                ©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved  
 Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies  the requirements, sampling and test methods  for ready -to-eat puffed 
cereal s intended  for human consumption.   
This standard does not apply to popcorn.  
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) a pplies.  
AOAC 2001.04 , Determination of Fumonisins B -1 and B -2 in Corn and Corn Flakes by Liquid Chromatography 
with Immunoaffinity  
AOAC 952.13 , Arsenic in food. Silver diethyldithiocarbamate method  
AOAC 999.10,  Official Method Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, and Iron  in Foods  Atomic Absorption 
Spectrophotometry  after Microwave Digestion  
ISO 729, Oilseeds — Determination of acidity of oils  
RS CAC/RCP 1 , General principles for food hygiene — Code of practice  
RS CODEX STAN 192, General standard for food additives  
RS EAS 1, Wheat flour — Specification  
RS EAS 128,  Milled rice — Specification  
RS EAS 321, Edible fats and oils — Specification  
RS EAS 35 , Fortified food grade salt — Specification ’ 
RS EAS 38, Labelling of pre - packaged foods — General requirements  
RS EAS 44, Milled maize (corn) products — Specification  
RS EAS 740,  Cassava flour — Specification   
©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved                  2 
 RS EAS 744 , Cassava and cassava products —Determination of total cyanogens — Enzymatic assay method  
RS EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
RS EAS 804, Claims on foods — General requirements  
RS EAS 805, Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
RS ISO 11085 , Cereals, cereals -based products and animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude fat and 
total fat content by the Randall extraction method  
RS ISO 16 050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and 
G2 in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method  
RS ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
beta-glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli — Part 2: Colony -count technique at 44 degrees C using 5 -
bromo -4-chloro -3-indolyl beta -D-glucuronide  
RS ISO 1738,  Butter — Determination of salt content  
RS 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  
RS ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
RS IS O 3960, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of peroxide value — Iodometric (visual) 
endpoint determination  
RS ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms 
— Part 1: Colony count at 30 ° C by the pour plate technique  
RS ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination crude fibre Content -General method  
RS ISO 5506 , Soya bean products — Determination of urease activity  
RS ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
RS ISO 6540, Maize — Determination of moisture content (on milled grains and on whole grains)  
RS ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detec tion of Salmonella spp  
RS ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique using 
Baird -Parker agar medium  
RS ISO 9648 , Sorghum — Determination of tannin content  DRS  445: 2020  
3                ©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard , the follow ing terms and definitions apply. 
3.1 
ready -to-eat puffed cereal s 
ready to eat cereals made by exploding cooked grains from a pressurized chamber  
3.2 
food grade packaging material  
packaging material made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which w ill not 
impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Essent ial ingredients  
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall be made from single  or combination of  the following ingredients  complying 
with relevant standards : 
a) maize flour complying with RS EAS 44;  
b) rice complying with RS EAS 128 ; 
c)  wheat flour RS EAS  1;  
d) other cereal s complying with relevant standards ; and  
e) edibl e oil complying with RS EAS 321.  
4.2 Optional ingredients  
The following ingredients may be used in r eady -to-eat puffed cereal s and shall comply  with relevant 
standards . They include but are not limited the following:  
a) salt complying with RS EAS 35;  
b) permitted flavouring agents such as tomato, cheese, chili , chicken,  onion or garlic powder, and other 
spices or sweetening agent s;  
c) cassava flour complying with RS EAS 740 ;  
©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved                  4 
 d) sorghum flour ; and  
e) soya. 
4.3 General requirements  
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall:  
a) be prepared from clean, sound, good quality flour complying with relevant standards;  
b) have characteristic  colour , aroma, flavour  and taste of cereal, flavours and spices used;  
c) have a soft , crispy and crunchy  texture;  
d) have uniform size and shape;  
e) be free fr om rancid, soap, bitter, musty, sour, burnt and other undesirable tastes and odours ; 
f) be free from insects, sand and any other extraneous matter;  
4.4 Specific requirements  
Ready -to-eat puffed  cereal s shall comply  with the specific requirements in table 1 when tested in accordance 
with test methods specified therein.   
Table 1 Specific  requirements  for ready -to-eat puffed cereal s 
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Moisture content, % by mass, max.  4.5 RS ISO 6540  
ii.  Fat (on dry basis), percent by mass max.  25 RS ISO 11085  
iii.  Peroxide value meq  oxygen/kg max.  5.0 RS ISO 3960  
iv.  Free fatty acids on dry weight basis, %, max.  0.5 ISO 729  
v.  Crude fibre on moisture free basis % m/m, max.  1.0 RS ISO 5498  
vi.  Acid insoluble ash, %, by mass, max  0.15 RS ISO 5985  
vii.  Sodium chloride (NaCI) on dry weight basis, %, 
max.; when used  2.0 RS ISO 1738  
4.5 Hydrocyanic acid content  
If cassava is used as a component of the  ready -to-eat puffed cereal s the total hydrocyanic acid conte nt of 
ready -to-eat puffed cereals  shall not exceed 10 mg/kg, when tested in accordance with RS EAS 744.  DRS  445: 2020  
5                ©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved  
 4.6 Ant nutritional  factors  
4.6.1  If soya flour is used as a component of the ready -to-eat puffed cereal s urease activity in ready -to-eat 
puffed  cereal s shall not exceed 0.3 mg N/g/min (for trypsin inhibitor activity, 5 mg/g) when tested in 
accordance with RS ISO 5506.  
4.6.2  If sorghum flour is used as a component of the ready -to-eat puffed  cereal s, the tannin content of the 
ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall not exceed 0.3 % by mass on a dry matter basis when tested in accordance 
with RS ISO 9648.  
5 Food additives  
Food additives which may be used in ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall comply with RS CODEX STAN 192.  
6 Hygiene  
6.1 Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with RS CAC/RCP 
1. 
6.2 Ready -to-eat puffed  cereal s shall not exceed  microbiological limits given in Table 2 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 2— Microbiological li mits for Ready -to-eat puffed cereals  
S/N Microorganism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i. Total Plate C ount, cfu/g  max.   102 RS ISO 4833 -1 
ii. Escherichia coli,  cfu/g  Absent  RS ISO 16649 -2 
iii. Salmonella spp  in 25 g  Absent  RS ISO 6579 -1 
iv. Staphylococcus aureus , cfu/ g Absent  RS ISO 6888 -1 
v. Yeasts and moulds, cfu/g   50 RS ISO 21527 -2 
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Mycotoxin  
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall comply with mycotoxin limits specified in Table  3 when tested in accordance 
with test methods specified therein.   
Table 3—Mycotoxin  limits for ready -to-eat puffed cereal s 
S/N Mycotoxin  Maximum limit µg/kg  Test method  
i. Total aflatoxins  10 RS ISO 16050  
ii. Aflatoxins B1  5 
iii. Fumonisins  2 000  AOAC 2001.04   
©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved                  6 
 7.2 Pesticide residues  
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall comply with the maximum residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission.  
7.3 Heavy metals  
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall comply with maximum limits for heavy metals as given in Table 4 when 
tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table  4— Heavy metals limits for Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s 
S/N Heavy metal  Limit mg/kg  Test method  
i. Arsenic (As)  0.1 AOAC 952.13  
ii. Lead (Pb)  0.2 AOAC 999.10  
iii. Cadmium (Cd)  0.1 
8 Packaging  
Ready -to-eat puffed cereal s shall be packaged in suitable food grade packaging materials that shall not affect 
the quality of the product”  
9 Labelling  
9.1 General  labelling  
In addition to the requirements in RS EAS 38, each package shall be legibly and indelibly marked wit h the 
following:  
a) Name o f the product as “ Ready -to-eat puff ed cereal s””; 
b) Name of the cereal (s) used ; 
c) List of ingredients in descending order ;  
d) List of food additives, if used  
e) Name, location and physical address of the manufacturer;   
f) net content ; 
g) batch number ; 
h) Country of origin;  DRS  445: 2020  
7                ©RSB 2020  - All rights reserved  
 i) Date of manufacture;  
j) Expiry date;   
k) declaration  of food containing allergens  
l) instructions for use; and  
m) storage condition s. 
n) no claims concerning medicinal, preventive, alleviative, curative or other beneficial effects related to the 
health of consumers shall be made  if not complying with RS  EAS 803, RS EAS 804, RS EAS 805  
10 Sampling  
Sampling of ready -to-eat puffed cereals  shall be done in accordance RS ISO 24333.  
 
 
 
  DRS  445: 2020  
 
Price based on  nnn pages  
©RSB 2020 - All right s reserved