Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
هيئة التقييس لدول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية  
GCC STAN DARDIZATION ORGANIZATION ( GSO)  
 
 
 
 
 
final draft  
 
 
 
GSO 5/ FDS 000 / 2015  
 
 
Cinnamon : Sri Lankan type, Seychelles type and 
Madagascan type (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) - 
Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepared by :  
Gulf technical committee for standards of food and agriculture products  
 
This document is a draft Gulf standard circulated for comments, it is 
therefore, subject to change, and may not be referred to it as a Gulf 
standard, until approved by the board of directors  
 
 
  .220.10. ICS: 67 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
Foreword  
 
Standardization Organization for GCC (GSO) is a regional Organization 
which consists of the National Standard Bodies of GCC member States. 
One of GSO main functions is to issue Gulf Standard/ Technical  
regulation through specialized technical committees (TCs).  
 
GSO through the technical program of committee TC NO.5 " Gulf 
technical committee for standards of food and agriculture products " has 
update the GSO/ISO 6539:2007 " Cinnamon : Sri Lankan type, Se ychelles type 
and Madagascan type (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) - Specification : - " 
The Draft Standard has be en prepared by ( State of Qatar ). 
 
This standard has been approved as Gulf Technical regulation by GSO 
Board of Directors in its meeting No…../……… ..held on      /      /      H,         
/       /  and canceledthis standard andreplace them  . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
Scope  
 
This Gulf Standard specifies requirements for whole or ground (powdered) cinnamon, 
of the Sri Lankan, Madagascan and Seychelles types; this cinnamon is the bark of the 
tree or shrub Cinnamomumzeylanicum Blume. 1 
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions are given in Annex  A. 
NOTE  Requirements for cassia (Chinese type, In donesian type and Vietnamese 
type) are given in GSO/ISO 6538 .  
2 . Complementary Standards  : 
2.1  GSO 9 " Labeling of prepackaged foodstuffs  " . 
2.2 GSO 21 " "Hygienic regulation for food plants and their personnel " .  
2.3GSO 22  " METHODS OF TEST FOR COLOURING MATTER USED IN 
FOODSTUFFS "  
2.4 GSO 150 "Expiration dates for food products - Part 2 : Voluntary expiration 
dates".  
2.5GSO 382 " Maximum limits for pesticide residues in agriculural food products - 
Part 1 " 
2.6 GSO 383" Maximum limits for pesticide resticide residues in agricultural food 
products part  2. 
2.7GSO 841 "MAXIMUM LIMITS OF MYCOTOXINS PERMITTED IN FOODS 
AND ANIMAL FEEDS - AFLATOXINS " 
2.8 GSO /ISO 927 " Spices and condiment - determination of filth" .  
2.9 GSO/ISO 928 " Spices and condiments – Determination of total ash  
2.10 GSO/ISO 930 " Spices and condiments – Determination of acid insoluble ash " . 
2.11 GSO/ISO 939  "  Spices and condiments - Determination of moisture content - 
Entrainment method  
2.12 GSO/ISO 948 " Spices and condiments – sampling  " .  
2.13 GSO 988 " Limits of radionativity levels permitted in foods stuff part - 1."  
2.14 GSO 1016 "MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR FOODSTUFFS – PART 1" . 
2.15 GSO 1323 " Cereals and pulses - Determination of Hidden Insect Infestaion - 
Part3: Refence Method."  
 
                                                 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
2.17 GSO/ISO 1208 " Spices and condiments - Determination of filth.  
 
2.18 GSO/ISO 2825" Spices and condiment - preparation of a ground sample for 
analysis " . 
 
2.19 GSO/ISO 6571 1 " Spicesandherbs – Determination content ofoil 
 
volatile " . 
 
3. Definitions  :  
3.1 cinnamon quill full tube :  scraped peel of the inner bark of mature plantation 
cinnamon shoots joined together by overlaps, the hollow of which has been filled with 
small pieces of the same peel and thereafter dri ed in the sun after air  curing  . 
3.2 cinnamon quilling broken tube  : broken piece and split of varying sizes of all 
grades of cinnamon quills  
 
3.3cinnamon feathering  
piece of inner bark, obtained by peeling and/or scraping the bark of small twigs and 
stalks  of plantation cinnamon shoots, which may include a quantity of chips as specified  
3.4cinnamon chip  
dried unpeelable bark of plantation cinnamon, inclusive of the outer bark, which has 
been obtained by beating or scraping the shoots  . 
3.5ground cinnamon  
powder obtained by grinding cinnamon of the types considered in this International 
Standard, excluding all additives  . 
3.6whole cinnamon  
all commercial forms of cinnamon except cinnamon powder  
3.7foxing  
occurrence of reddish -brown patches on the surface of  the quills, which may become 
dark brown with time  
3.8bale  
package of any one particular grade of quills wrapped in a suitable material for export 
purposes  
 
 
1.Gulf standard will be  adopted later .  
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
4. Types and classification  : 
4.1 Types  
     4.1.1 Sri Lankan type cinnamon  
This is the dried bark of cultivated varieties of the species 
Cinnamomumzeylanicum Blume of the Lauraceae family.  
Sri Lankan type cinnamon is produced in four forms:  
a) quills (see 3.1); 
b) quillings (see 3.2); 
c) featherings (see 3.3); 
d) chips (see 3.4). 
 
4.1.2  Seychelles type cinnamon  
 
This is the bark of trunks or branches of Cinnamomumzeylanicum Blume, cultivated 
on the Seychelles.Seychelles type cinnamon is produced in three forms:  
4.1.2.1  rough cinnamon bark, which consists of slightly curved, elongated, irregular, 
medium or small pieces of the whole un  scraped bark.  
4.1.2.2  scraped cinnamon bark, which is obtained from younger shoots from bushes 
of the same species; the shoots are scraped with a curved knife before the  bark is 
detached from the wood.  
4.1.2.3  quills and quillings, which are prepared from the young shoots, o f bushes in a 
way similar to that used for Sri Lankan type cinnamon.  
4.1.3  Madagascan type cinnamon  
This is the bark of trunks or branches of Cinnamomumzeylanicum Blume, which 
grows wild on Madagascar. It is produced either  
4.1.3.1  simple, hollow tubes of unscraped or scraped bark, of rather coarse 
appearance, about 30  cm long, cut from smaller branches with a knife, or more 
usually  
4.1.3.2  unscraped or scraped pieces of bark from the larger branches and trunks, 
broken off with he flat side of a hatchet.   Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
 
 4.2 Commercial grades  
4.2.1Sri Lankan type cinnamon  
4.2.1.1 Quills For classification, see Table  1.  
4.2.1.2  Quillings may contain up to 3  % (mass fraction) of featherings and chips.  
4.2.1.3 Featherings :  Featherings may contain up to 5  % (mass fraction) of chips.  
4.2.1.4 Chips  : Chips shall consist of well dried and unpeelable cinnamon bark.  
 
4.2.2 Seychelles type and Madagascan type cinnamon  
For classification, see Table  2. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
5. Ground cinnamon  
Ground cinnamon shall consist solely of the types of cinnamon listed in Clause  4. 
If there is a designation of origin, the ground cinnamon should be prepared 
exclusively from the barks concerned.  
Table  1 — Classification for quills for Sri Lankan type cinn amon  
Commercial 
designation 
of grades 
and 
qualities  Diameter 
of quills  Number of 
whole 
quills 
(1 050  mm) 
per kg  Extent 
of 
foxinga Minimum 
length of 
quills in a 
bale  Pieces 
of tube 
and 
broken 
pieces 
of the 
same 
quality 
per bale  
max.  min.  max.b  max.  
mm   % mm  % (mass 
fraction)  
Alba  6 45 Nil 200  1 
Continental  
  C 00000 special  6 35 10 
200  1   C 00000  10 31 10 
  C 0000  13 24 10 
  C 000  16 22 15 
  C 00  17 20 20 
  C 0 19 18 25 
Mexican  
  M 00000 
special  16 22 50 
200  2   M 00000  16 22 60 
  M 0000  19 18 60 
Hamburg  
  H 1 23 11 25 
150  3   H 2 25 9 40 
  H 3 38 7 65 
a   Foxing can be:  
      a) superficial (“malkorahedi”), or  
      b) heavy (“korahedi”). This subdivision is based on the depth of the patches.  
b   The extent is determined by visual examination.  
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
Table  2 — Classification of Seychelles type and Madagascan type cinnamon  
Commercial designation of the grade  Physical cha racteristics of the bark  
1  Whole tubes (full tubes)  Tubes of length about 15  cm and bark thickness up to 1  mm 
2  Pieces of scraped bark  Broken pieces, rough and grooved scraped bark of thickness 
up to 2  mm 
3  Pieces of unscraped bark  Broken pieces, rough and grooved, of width up to about 
3 cm and length up to 20  cm. The bark can be up to 5  mm 
thick  
4  Chips, flakes of unscraped bark  Small pieces of unscraped bark of cinnamon stems  
 
6.  Requirements  
6.1Odour and flavour  
 
The odour and flavour shall be fresh and characteristic of cinnamon of the origin 
concerned. It shall be free from foreign flavours, including mustiness.  
6.2 Colour  
Ground cinnamon shall be yellowish to reddish -brown in colour.  
3. Freedom from moulds, insects, etc.  
Whole cinnamon shall be free from live insects, mould growth, mites and insect remains, 
for example  cocoons, and shall be practically free from dead insects, insect fragments 
and rodent contamination  visible to the naked eye (corrected, if necessary, for 
abnormal visio n), with such magnification as may be necessary in any particular case. If 
the magnification exceeds ×10, this fact shall be stated in the test report.  
In case of dispute, contamination in ground cinnamon shall be determined by the 
method described in item   2.16 . 
6.4 Extraneous matter  
Extraneous matter includes leaves, stems, chaff and other vegetable matter together 
with sand, earth and dust.  
The proportion of extraneous matter in whole cinnamon shall not exceed 1  % (mass 
fraction) when determined by the method described in item 2.11  
6.5 Chemical requirements  
Whole cinnamon and ground cinnamon shall comply with the requirements given in 
Table  3. 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
7. Sampling  
Sampling shall be carried out as specified in  item 2.12   
8. Test methods  
8.1 The samples shall be analysed to ensure conformity with the requirements of this Gulf  
Standard s  by the methods of physical and chemical analysis as specified in 2.3, 2.9,2.10 
,2.11,2.14,2.16,2.17,2.18,2.19  and in Table  3. 
Table  3 — Chemical requirements  
Characteristic  Requirements by cinnamon type  
Test method  
Sri Lankan type  Seychelles and 
Madagascan type  
Moisture content, % (mass 
fraction), max.    
GSO 2.19  — whole cinnamon  14 15 
— ground cinnamon  12 14 
Total ash,  % (mass 
fraction),  
on dry basis, max.  5 7 
GSO 2.9  
Acid -insoluble ash,  % (mass 
fraction),  
on dry basis, max.  1 2 
GSO 2.10  
Volatile oils, ml/100  g,  
on dry basis, min.    
GSO 2.17  — whole cinnamon  1,0 0,7 
— ground cinnamon  0,7 0,3 
 
 
8.2For the preparation of a ground sample for analysis, coarsely crush the product until 
particles of 5  mm or less are obtained, before applying the general method described 
inGSO in item (2.18 ) .  
9. Packaging and marking  
9.1  Packaging  
Whole cinnamon shall  be packed in clean, sound and dry containers made of a material 
which does not affect the product but which protects it from the ingress of moisture and 
loss of volatile matter.  
The packaging shall also comply with any national legislation relating to environmental 
protection.   Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
10. Marking  
Without prejudice tothe provisions ofthe GSO standards mentionedinitems  
(2.1, 2.4) should includeexplanatorystatementsas follows:  
10.1  name of the product.  
10.2  trade name or brand name, if any.  
10.3  name and addres s of the manufacturer or packer.  
10.4  batch or code number.  
10.5  net mass.  
10.6  grade of the material.  
10.7  producing country.  
10.8  any other marking required by the purchaser, such as year of harvest and date of 
packing.  
11. Storag e andtransport  
11.1 Packaging mustbe improved way to keepsthem  away fromodors andrain,sunlight 
orany other sourceof high temperature , in addition to 
thepreservationofcontaminationand mechanicaldamage.  
 
11.2  The product should bestored infree ofodors andinsectsaway fromsources 
ofdrystoresand protectsthe productfrom the sunand rainraysand sources ofhigh heat . 
You shouldventilation , humidity and pollutioncontrolfactors . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 2015    
                                                                                                
 
Annex A  
(informative)  
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions  
A.1 The containers of cinnamon should be stored in covered premises, well 
protected from the sun, rain and excessive heat.  
A.2 The store room should be dry, free from objectionable odours and proofed 
against entry of insects and vermin. The ventilation should be controlled so as to give 
good ventilation under dry conditions and to be fully closed under damp conditions. 
In a storage warehouse, suitable facilities should be available for fumigation.  
A.3 The containers should be so handled and transported that they a re protected 
from the rain, from the sun or other source of excessive heat, from objectionable 
odours and from cross -infestation, especially in the holds of ships.