a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ICS 67.160.1 0                        DMS 208:2021  
       Third  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Opaque beer  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE – This is a draft proposal and shall n either be used nor regarded as a Malawi standard  
 
 
  
  ICS 67.160.1 0         DMS 208:2021
               Third  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Opaque beer  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obtainable from the  
Malawi Bureau of Standards  
Moirs Road  
P O Box 946  
BLANTYRE  
 
                                                                               Tel:  +265 1 870 488  
                                                                              Fax:  +265 1 870 756  
                                                                          E-mail:  mbs@mbsmw.org  
                                                                      Web -site:  www.mbsmw.org  
 
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 i TABLE OF CONTENTS  
  
Contents                                                                                                                                                     page  
Foreword ……………………………… …………………………………..………………………………………… … ii 
Technical committee …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ii 
Notice ……………………………..……………………………………………………………………………… …….... ii 
Scope ………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………..  1 
Normative references ……………………………………………………………………………………………………  1 
Terms and definitions ..…………………………………… …………………………………………………………….  1 
Essential c omposition and quality factors …………………………………………………………………………….. 2 
Food additives………………………………………………………………………………………………………….... 2 
Contaminants …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….  2 
Hygiene ………………..………………………………………………………………………………….. ...................  3 
Packaging and l abelling ……………………..……………………………………………… ………………………….  3 
Sampling and m ethods of test ……………………………… …………………………… …………………… ……….  3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 ii FOREWORD  
 
This draft Malawi standard was  prepared by MBS/TC 11, the Technical Committee on  Alcoholic and non -
alcoholic b everages  to provide requirements for opaque beer . It is the second revi sion of MS 208, Opaque 
beer – Specification.  
 
In preparing this draft Malawi standard reference was made to  the following standard : 
 
East African S tandard,  EAS 61:2014 , Opaque beer  – Specification ; and  
 
South Afric an National Standard, SANS 183:2011 , the production of sorghum beer.  
 
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the above standard . 
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
This draft Malawi s tandard was prepared by MBS/TC 11 , the Technical Committee on Alcoholic and non -
alcoholic b everages , and the following compani es, organizations and institutions were represented:  
 
Castel Malawi Brewery Limited;  
Chibuku Products Limited;  
Competition and Fair Trading Commission;  
Consumer Association of Malawi;  
Environmental Affairs Department;  
Immortals Limited;  
Lilongwe Dairy (200 1) Limited;  
Malawi Environment Protection Authority;  
Malawi Revenue Authority;  
Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences;  
Ministry of Health;  
Ministry of Local Government;  
Ministry of Trade and Industry;  
Rab Processors Limited;  
Shoprite Limited;  
Universal Industries Limited; and  
University of Malawi.  
 
 
NOTICE  
 
This draft standard shall be reviewed every five years, or earlier when ever it is necessary, in order to keep 
abreast of progress. Comments are welcome and shall be considered when the standa rd is being reviewed .1 
 DMS 208:2021  
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
Opaque beer  – Specification  
 
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This draft Malawi  standard specifies the requirements, method of sampling and test for opaque beer .  
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES  
 
The following standards contai n provisions, which through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this 
Malawi standard. All standards are subject to revision and, since any reference to a standard is deemed to 
be a reference to the latest edition of that standard, parties to a greements based on this standard are 
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the most recent edition of the standard s indicated below. 
Information on current valid national and international standards can be obtained from the Malawi Bureau of 
Standar ds. 
 
MS 19:  Labelling of prepacked foods – General standard;  
 
MS 21:  Food and food processing unit s – Code of hygienic conditions;  
 
MS 237: Food additives – General standard;  
 
MS 302: Contaminants and toxins  in food – General standard ; 
 
MS 411 : Opaque beer  – Methods of sampling and test ; 
 
ISO 4832: Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs –Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms – Colony -count technique;  
 
ISO 4833: Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal method for the enumeration of mi croorganisms –  
Part 1: Colony count at 30 °C by the pour plate technique;  
 
ISO 6579:  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for t he detection of Salmonella 
spp; 
 
ISO 7251:  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizo ntal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli – Most probable number technique ; and 
 
ISO 16050:  Foodstuffs – Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G 1 and G 2 in 
cereals, nuts and derived pr oducts – High performance liquid chromatographic method . 
 
 
3 TERM S AND DEFINITION S 
 
For the purposes of this draft standard , the following te rms and definition s shall apply;  
 
3.1 
extraneous matter  
includes inorganic matter such as sand, glass, metal, grave l, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, clay and 
mud and organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed seeds and grains of crops, insects or insects fragments, 
rodent hairs or any other foreign matter  
 
3.2 
opaque beer  
product  derived from the fermentation  of a mash of cereal grain, and /or other products of plant origin,  with or 
without honey, sugar or a mixture of any of these; containing the  mash or the residual mash from which it is 
derived   
2 
 4 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS  
 
4.1 General requiremen ts 
 
Opaque beer shall:  
 
4.1.1 Be free from extraneous matter ; 
 
4.1.2 Be free from an y substances deleterious to health;  and 
 
4.1.3  Have the characteristic appearance, taste and aroma of their type.  
 
4.2 Specific requi rements   
 
Opaque beer shall conform to  the compositional requirement s in Table 1 . 
 
Table 1 – Composition al requirements for opaque beer  
 
S/N Characteristic  
 Requirement  
 Test methods  
1 pH 2.5 – 5.0  
 
 
     MS 411  2 Total acidity as tartaric acid, g/100 L, max.   0.55 
3 Lactic  acid, g/100 L, max.  0.6 
4 Ethyl alcohol content , %, v/v  1.5 – 8.0 
5 Total solids, %, m/v.  3.0 – 9.0  
6 Soluble solids content, %, m/v  3.0 – 6.0  
7 Specific gravity at 20 ˚C  1.005 – 1.045  
 
4.2.5 Opaque beer  shall comply with limits for microorganisms  speci fied in Table 2 . 
 
Table 2  – Microbiological limits for  opaque beer  
 
1 2 3 4 
S/N Characteristic  Maximum limit  Test methods  
1 Coliforms, cfu/ml  Absent  ISO 4832  
2 Total plate count, cfu/ml  102 ISO 4833 -1 
3 E. coli,  per 100 ml  Absent  ISO 7251  
4 Salmonella  spp. per 25 ml  absent  ISO 6579  
 
 
5 FOOD ADDITIVES  
 
Only those food additives listed under this product in MS 237 , may be used and o nly within the limits 
specified .  
 
 
6 CONTAMINANTS  
 
6.1 Heavy metals  
 
The products covered by this standard shall comply wi th the maximum levels of heavy metals and toxic 
substances prescribed in MS 302.  
 
6.2 Pesticide residues  
 
All the raw material s used i n the production of opaque beer shall comply with the maximum residue limits for  
pesticides as established by the  Codex Al imentarius Commission.  
 
6.3 Aflatoxin limits  
 
Total aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 μg/L and aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 μg/L when tested in accordance  
with ISO 16050.   
3 
 7 HYGIENE  
 
The product  covered by the provisions of this draft standard shall be prepared and handled in accordance 
with the require ments set out in MS 21.   
 
 
8 PACKAGING AND LABELLING  
 
8.1 Packaging   
 
8.1.1  Opaque beer shall be packaged in suitable food grade containers.  
 
8.1.2  Opaque beer shall be packaged for bulk delivery and storage i n containers that shall prevent 
contamination of the product and preserve its safety and quality.  
 
8.2 Labelling  
 
In addition to provisions prescribed in MS 19, the following information shall be marked or labelled indelibly 
and legib ly on the opaque beer  packages : 
 
8.2.1  Name of the p roduct ; 
 
8.2.2  Name, p hysical location and address of manufacturer, packer, distributor, importer, ex porter or 
vendor of the product ;  
 
8.2.3  List of ingredients in descendi ng order of proportion by mass;  
 
8.2.4  Net contents  in volume;  
 
8.2.5  Best before date;  
 
8.2.6  Date of ma nufacture;  
 
8.2.7  Storage instruction ; 
 
8.2.8  A statement “Sale to and consumption by persons under 18 years of age is prohibited” or use 
relevant symbols e.g. +18 years to represent the statement ; and  
 
8.2.9  Batch identification number/code.  
 
 
9 SAMPLING AND METHODS OF TEST  
 
The product s covered by the provisions of this standard  shall be  sampled and tested using appropriate 
standard methods declared in this standard.  
 
 
 
  
 
ICS 67.160.1 0           DMS 208:2021
               Third  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS              CERTIFICATION MARK SCHEME  
The Malawi Bureau of Standards is the 
standardizing body in Malawi under the aegis 
of the Ministry of Trade and Industry .  Set up 
in 1972 by the Malawi Bureau of Standards 
Act (Cap: 51:02), the Bu reau is a parastatal 
body whose activities aim at formulating and 
promoting the general adoption of standards 
relating to structures, commodities, materials, 
practices, operations and from time to time 
revise, alter and amend the same to 
incorporate advanc ed technology.  To bring the advantages of standardization 
within the reach of the common consumer, the 
Bureau operates a Certification Mark Scheme. 
Under this scheme, manufacturers who 
produce goods that conform to national 
standards are granted permits to use the 
Bureau’s “Mark of Quality” depicted below on 
their products.  This Mark gives confidence to 
the consumer of the commodity’s reliability.