Vegetable ghee  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: This is a draft standard and it shall neither be used nor regarded as a Malawi Standard  ICS 67.200 .10              DMS 63 :2018 
Second  edition  
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT PROPOSAL  
 
 
  
  ICS 67.20 0.10             DMS 63 :2018 
  Second edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vegetable ghee  – Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obtainable from the  
Malawi Bureau of Standards  
P O Box 946  
BLANTYRE  
 
 Tel:   +265 1 870 488  
Fax:   +265 1 870 756  
 E-mail:   mbs@mbsmw.org  
                                                                       Website:   www.mbsmw.org  
 
Price based on 3  pages  
© Copyright reserved   
 i TABLE OF CONTENTS  
 
Cont ents Page  
 
Foreword   ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................          i 
Technical committee    ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................          i 
Notice    ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................          i 
Scop e   ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................         1 
Normative reference s   ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................         1 
Terms and d efinitions   ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................         1 
Process    ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................         1 
Essential composition and quality factors    ................................ ................................ ................................         1 
Food additives   ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........         2 
Contaminants   ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........         2 
Food h ygiene   ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........         2 
Packaging and labelling    ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................         3 
Methods of sampling and test   ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................         3 
 
FOREWORD  
 
This draft Malawi standar d has been prepared by MBS/TC 14 , the Technical Committee on  Edible oils and 
fats, to provide the requirements for vegetable ghee . It is the first revision of MS 63:1987. 
 
In preparing this standard  reference was made to the following standard : 
 
Indian Standard , IS 10633 :1999 (Reaffirmed 2004) , Vanaspati  – Specification . 
 
Acknowledgement is mad e for the use of the information.  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
In preparing this draft Malawi s tandard, the following companies and organisations in the MBS/ TC 14 , Edible 
oils and fats were represented:  
 
Blantyre City Assembly;  
Capital Oil Refining Industries;  
Consumers Association of Malawi;  
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR);  
Malawi Bureau of Standards;  
Ministry of Health and population;  
Mount Meru Millers Limited;  
Moti Oil Mill Limited;  
Peoples Trading Centre;  
Rab Processors Limi ted; 
SAFA Foods Limited;  
Sunseed Oil Limited;  
Universal Industries Limited; and  
University of Malawi – The Malawi Polytechnic.  
 
 
NOTICE  
 
This standard shall be reviewed every five years, or earlier when it is necessary, in order to keep abreast of 
progress . Comments are welcome and shall be considered when the standard is being reviewed .
  
 1 DMS 63 :2018 
 
DRAFT PROPOSAL  
 
Vegetable ghee  – Specification  
 
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This draft Malawi standard prescribes the requirements and methods of  sampling and test for vege table 
ghee .   
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCE S 
 
The following standards contain 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 agreements based on this standard are 
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the most recent edition of the standard indicated below. 
Information on current valid national and inte rnational standards can be obtained from the Malawi Bureau of 
Standards.  
 
MS 19: Labelling of prepacked foods – General standard;  
 
MS 21: Code of hygienic conditions for food and food processing units;  
 
MS 51: Fortified edible oils – Specification;  
 
MS 56:  Edible fats and oils – Methods of test;  
 
MS 237:  Food additives  – General standard;  
 
MS 302:  Contaminants and toxins in foods   ̶  General standard;  and 
 
MS 935: Principles for the establishment and application of microbiological criteria for foods . 
 
 
3 TERM AND DEFINITION  
 
For the purpose of this draft standard, besides t he definitions given in MS 51, the following shall apply : 
 
3.1 
vegetable ghee  
any refined edible vegetable oil or oils subjected to a proce ss of hydrogenation in any form or chemical or 
enzymatic interesterification  
 
 
4 PROCESS  
 
Vegetable ghee  shall be  prepared by process of hydrogenation in any form or chemical or enzymatic 
interesterification  
 
 
5 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS  
 
5.1 Raw materials  
 
Edible vegetable oils or mixtur e thereof, complying with MS 51.  
 
 
  
 2 5.1 Requirements  
 
5.1.1  Colour  
 
The vegetable ghee  shall be of creamy white to yellow in colour.  
 
5.2 Appearance  
 
The material shall be clear in appearance on melting. The clarity of the material shall be judged by the 
absence of turbidity after heating the sample to 70  ± 0.5 ºC and keeping for 1 h at this temperature.  
 
5.3 Odour and Taste  
 
The material shall have a characteristic odour and taste , shall be free from rancidity or staleness, foreign 
odour and taste.  
 
5.4 Freedom from defect  
 
The material shall be free from sediments, suspended and other foreign matter , separated water  or any other 
substances deleterious to health.  
 
5.5 The material shall also conform to the requirements given in Table 1.  
 
Table 1 ─ Requireme nts for vegetable ghee  
 
1 2 3 4 
S/N Characteristic  Requirements  Methods of test  
1 Moisture content, % by mass, max.  0.25 
MS 56  2 Acid value, mgKOH/g, max  0.5 
3 Peroxide value, milliequivalents of 
oxygen/Kg, max  10 
4 Melting point, ºC  31 – 41 
5 Fat content, % m/m, min . 99.5 
 
 
6 FOOD ADDITIVES  
 
Only those food additives permitted for use in vegetable ghee and as pe r set maximum levels in MS 237, 
shall be used . 
 
 
7 CONTAMINANTS  
 
7.1 Heavy metals  
 
The products covered by this draft standard shall com ply with the maximum levels for contaminants that are 
specified for the product in MS 302 . 
 
7.2 Pesticide  residues  
 
Vegetable ghee  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits as laid down by the current Codex 
Alimentarius Commission . 
 
 
8 FOOD HYGIENE  
 
Vegetable ghee  shall be prepared and handled under hygienic cond itions as prescr ibed in MS 21. The 
products should comply with any microbiological criteria established in accordance with MS 935.   
 3 9 PACKAGING AND LABEL LING 
 
9.1 Packaging  
 
9.1.1  Vege table ghee shall be packed in  clear sachets or opaque containers  that shall not impart any 
foreign odour or taste to the product or contaminate the product, or  be affected by the product . 
 
9.1.1.1 Clear sachets shall be of food grade plastics  and each sach et shall contain  net weight of  
500 g to 1000 g  of the vegetable ghee . 
 
9.1.1.2  Opaque containers shall be of food grade material  and each container shall contain net weight of  
2 Kg to 5 Kg  of the vegetable ghee . The containers shall be provided with tamp er proof seals or closures.  
 
9.2 Labelling  
 
In addition to the provisions  of MS 19 , the following provisions shall apply  on packages of vegetable ghee : 
 
9.2.1 The name of the product ; 
 
9.2.2 Net quantity  by weight ; 
 
9.2.3 The name and address of the manufa cturer, packer, distributor, or vendor of the product shall be 
declared ; 
 
9.2.4 Batch number or  lot number ; 
 
9.2.5 Manufacturing date ; 
 
9.2.6 Best before date ; and  
 
9.2.7 Source of the vegetable ghee, whether from palm, coconut, sun flower , etc. 
 
9.3 Non-retail containers  
 
The above labelling  requirements shall be either on the  container or in accompanying documents, except 
that the name of the product, lot identification and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall 
appear on the container.   However, lot identification and the name and address of the manufacturer or 
packer may be replaced by an identification mark, provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the 
accompanying documents.  
 
 
10 METHODS OF SAMPLING AND TEST  
 
Samp ling a nd tests of vegetable ghee  shall be done in accordance with  MS 56 .ICS 67.200.10              DMS 63 :2018
            Second edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS              CERTIFICATION MARK SCHEME  
The Malawi Bureau of Standards is the 
standa rdizing body in Malawi under the aegis 
of the Ministry of Industry  and Trade .  Set up 
in 1972 by the Malawi Bureau of Standards 
Act (Cap: 51:02), the Bureau is a parastatal 
body whose activities aim at formulating and 
promoting the general adoption of stan dards 
relating to structures, commodities, materials, 
practices, operations and from time to time 
revise, alter and amend the same to 
incorporate advanced 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 pr oducts.  This Mark gives confidence to 
the consumer of the commodity’s reliability.