DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 998 
Second   Edition  
2021 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 998: 2021 
© UNBS 2021   
  
Plantain (gonja) — Specification  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 998: 2021  
 
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  1 
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct applica tion 
© UNBS  2021  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from U NBS.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug   
2 © UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 3 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 4 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 4 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 4 
4 Presentation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 4 
5 Classification  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 5 
5.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 5 
6 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 5 
6.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 5 
6.2 Minimum requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 6 
7 Sizing  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 6 
8 Tolerances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 6 
8.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 6 
8.2 Quality tolerances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..7 
8.3 Size tolerances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......7 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 7 
10 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 7 
11 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 7 
11.1  Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 7 
11.2  Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .7 
12 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................... 8 
13 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 8 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 9 
 
. DUS 998: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  3 
 Foreword  
Ugan da National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of In ternational Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda St andards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interes ted parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Ug anda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 204, Fruits, vegetables , 
tubers and processed products  
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition ( US 998:2014 ), which has been technically revised.   
4 © UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  
 Plantain (gonja) — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda Standard specifies requirements for plantain (gonja) (AAB genome) banana grown from 
Musa spp . (AAA -B) and of family Musaceae  
2 Normative references   
The follow ing referenced documents 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 d ocument (including any amendments) applies.  
US 28 EAS 39, Code of practice for  Hygiene in the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry   
US EAS 38,  Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
US EAS 803,  Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
US EAS 805 , Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
US 738, General standard for contaminants and toxins in foods   
CAC/RCP 44 , Code of practice for packaging and transport of fresh fruits and vegetables  
3 Terms and definitions   
:For the purposes of this do cument, the following terms and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/ obp 
3.1  
clusters  
fingers on the same crown of plantain (gonja)  
3.2  
fingers  
individual plantain (gonja) fruits  
3.3  
fused fingers  
two or more fingers joined  
4 Presentation  
Plantain (gonja) may be presented in one of the following styles:  
a) fresh, in for m of clusters or fingers;  DUS 998: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  5 
 b) other sufficiently distinctive styles of presentation.  
5 Classification  
5.1 General  
Plantain (gonja) may be classified in three classes namely  
a) “Extra” Class,  
b) Class I, and  
c) Class II.  
5.2 “Extra” Class  
Plantain (gonja) in this class shall be of superior quality and characteristic of the variety and/or commercial 
type. The fingers shall be free of defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these 
do not affect the general appearance and quality of the produ ce, the keeping quality and presentation in the 
package.  
5.3 Class I  
Plantain (gonja) in this class shall be of good quality and characteristic of the variety. The following slight 
defects of the fingers, however, may be allowed, provided these do not af fect the general appearance and 
quality of the produce, the keeping quality and presentation in the package:  
a) slight defects in shape and color; and  
b) slight skin defects due to rubbing and other superficial defects not exceeding 2 cm 2 of the total su rface 
area.  
The defects shall not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit.  
5.4 Class II  
This class includes plantain (gonja) which does not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfies the 
minimum requirements specified in 6.2.1 The fol lowing defects, however, may be allowed, provided the 
plantain (gonja) retains its essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and 
presentation:  
a) defects in shape and color, provided the product retains the normal characteristi cs of plantain (gonja); 
and  
b) skin defects due to scraping, scabs, rubbing, blemishes or other causes not exceeding 4 cm 2 of the total 
surface area.  
The defects shall not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit.  
6 Requirements  
6.1 General requirem ents  
Plantain (gonja) shall be of a colour, flavour and taste appropriately for the species, free fo organic and 
organic mineral impurities and free as far as possible from physical damage due to handling, disease and 
insects   
6 © UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  
 6.2 Minimum requirements  
6.2.1 In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class, fresh plantain (gonja) depending on the 
style shall be:  
a) whole (taking the finger as the reference);  
b) sound, that is, produce not affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it un fit for 
consumption;  
c) clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter;  
d) practically free of pests affecting the general appearance of the produce;  
e) practically free of damage caused by pests;  
f) free of damage caused by low temperatures;  
g) practically f ree of bruises;  
h) free of malformation or abnormal curvature of the fingers;  
i) with pistils removed (deflowered);  
j) with the stalk intact, without bending, microbial  damage or desiccation ;  
k) mature  
l) free from fused fingers;  
m) free from finger end rot;  
n) of the c orrect length ; and ; 
o) without splits or broken pedicels or tips.  
6.2.2  In addition, plantain (gonja) clusters shall include:  
a) a sufficient portion of the crown of normal colo uring, sound and free of microbial  contamination; and  
b) a cleanly cut crown, not be velled or torn, with no stalk fragments.  
7 Sizing  
The reference fruit for measurement of the length is the median finger on the outer row of the clusters.  
The minimum length shall not be less than 15.0 cm . 
8 Tolerances  
8.1 General  
Tolerances in respec t of quality and size shall be allowed for plantain (gonja) fruits not satisfying the 
requirements of the class indicated.  DUS 998: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  7 
 8.2 Quality tolerances  
8.2.1  “Extra” Class  
5 % by number or weight of plantain (gonja) not satisfying the requirements of the class , but meeting those of 
Class I  
8.2.2  Class I  
10 % by number or weight of plantain (gonja) not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of 
Class II  
8.2.3  Class II  
10 % by number or weight of plantain (gonja) satisfying neither the req uirements of the class nor the minimum 
requirements, with the exception of produce affected by rotting, major imperfections or any other deterioration 
rendering it unfit for consumption  
8.3 Size tolerances  
For all classes, 10 % by number or weight not sa tisfying the requirements, but falling within the size 
immediately above or below those indicated in Clause 5.  
9 Packaging  
9.1 Plantain (gonja) shall be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly.  
9.2 The materials used inside the package sh all be new, clean, and of a quality such as to avoid causing 
any external or internal damage to the produce during handling. The use of materials, particularly of paper or 
stamps bearing trade specifications is allowed, provided the printing or labelling h as been done with non -toxic 
ink or glue.  
9.3 Plantain (gonja) shall be packed in each container in compliance with  CAC/RCP 44  
9.4 The contents of each package shall be uniform with uniform net weight and shall contain only plantain 
(gonja) of the same com mercial type, origin, variety, and quality. The visible part of the contents of the 
package shall be representative of the entire contents.  
10 Hygiene  
Plantain (gonja) shall be produced and handled in accordance with US 28  EAS 39 . 
11 Contaminants  
11.1 Heavy metals  
Plantain (gonja) shall comply with those maximum levels for heavy metals in US 738.  
11.2 Pesticide residues  
Plantain (gonja) shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this c ommodity.   
8 © UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  
 12 Weights and measures  
Plantain (gonja) shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures legislation of Uganda . 
13 Labelling  
13.1  Plantain (gonja) shall be labelled in accordance with the requirements of US EAS 38 . In addition th e 
following specific provisions shall apply:  
a) name and address of  producer,  exporter, packer and/or dispatcher and identification code;  
b) name of the produce  as Plantain (gonja);  
c) name of the variety or commercial type;  
d) name of country of origin and, optio nally district where grown;  
e) commercial identification  
f) class;  
g) net weight; and  
h) official inspection mark (optional).  
13.2 Nutritional and health labelling claims may be made in accordance with US EAS 803 and US 805  DUS 998: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  9 
 Bibliography  
[1] US 988:2014, Plantain ( gonja) — Specification  
[2] CODEX STAN 205 -1997, AMD. 1 -2005, CODEX Standard for banana  
[3]  www.traditionaltree.org  
 DUS 998: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  11 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda N ational Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certifica tion mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of tha t standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further partic ulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 998: 2021    
 
ICS 67.080.10  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved