DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
 
 
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
 
Composite flour — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY   DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
Foreword  
 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in East Africa. It is envisaged that through harmonized 
standardization, trade barriers which are encountere d when goods and services are exchanged within the 
Community will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African Standardization, 
Quality Assurance, Metrology and Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006)  to make provisions for ensuring 
standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing of products produced or originating in a third 
country and traded in the Community in order to facilitate industrial development and trade as well as 
helping to prot ect the health and safety of society and the environment in the Community.  
 
East African Standards are formulated in accordance with the procedures established by the East African 
Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committee is established und er the provisions of Article 4 
of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is composed of representatives of the National Standards Bodies 
in Partner States, together with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft 
East Afr ican Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner 
States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance 
with the procedures of the Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that “Within six months of the declaration of an East 
African Standard, the Partner States shall adopt, without deviation from the approved text of the standard, 
the East African Standard as a national standard and withdraw any existing national standard with similar 
scope and purpose”.  
 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing.  
 
© East African Community 2013 — All rights reserved* 
East African Community  
P O Box 1096  
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8  
Fax: 255 -27-2504481/2504255  
E-Mail: eac@eachq.org  
Web: www.each.int  
                                                      
* 2013 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs. 
  DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
Composite flour  ─ Specification   
1 Scope  
This draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for composite 
flour intended for human consumption.  
This standard does not apply where there are specific standards for blends or composites exist.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For 
dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the 
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
EAS 38, General standard for the labelling of pre -packaged foods  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry – Code of prac tice 
EAS 744, Cassava and cassava products — Determination of total cyanogens ─ Enzymatic assay method  
EAS 900,  Cereals and Pulses - Sampling  
EAS 901, Cereals and Pulses – Test Methods  
Codex Stan  192, General Standard of Food Additive  
 
CODEX STAN 193, Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed  
AOAC 952.13 , Arsenic in food. Silver diethyldithiocarbamate . 
ISO 4833 -1 Microbiology of the food chain -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms -- Part 
1: Colony count at 30 d egrees C by the pour plate technique  
AOAS Ba9 -58, Determination of Urease Activity  
ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method  
ISO 59 85, Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochlori c acid  
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products -- Determination of cadmium content -- Part 1: Method 
using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry   DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
ISO 6561 -2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products -- Determination of cadmium content -- Part 2: Method 
using flame atomic absorption spectrometry  
 ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain -- Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and serotyping 
of Salmonella -- Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp . 
ISO 6633  Fruits, vegetables an d derived products -- Determination of lead content -- Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric method  
ISO 7305, Milled cereal products -- Determination of fat acidity  
ISO 9648,  Sorghum -- Determination of tannin content  
ISO 14902 , Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of trypsin inhibitor activity of soya products  
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  
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 t han or equal to 0.95  
3 Product description  
Composite flour is a product obtained by blending of flour prepared from food plants and/or their 
products . It may also be obtained by blending grains/seeds before milling.  
4 Terms and definitions  
4.1 
sound/wholes ome  
free from disease and physiological deterioration (such as but not limited to decay, breakdown, 
freezing damage) or adulteration/contamination, that appreciably affects their appearance, edibility, 
the keeping quality of the produce or market value  
4.2 
practically free  
without defects  in excess of those that can be expected to result from, and be consistent with good 
cultural and handling practices employed in the production and marketing of the composite flour  
4.4 
foreign matter  
all organic and inorga nic material other than composite flour.  
 
4.5  
filth’  
Impurities of animal origin like dead insects   DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
 
5   Quality requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1  The food plants or their products from which the flour is milled shall be clean, sound, and 
practically free from foreign matter . The raw materials shall comply with the relevant East African 
Standards.  
5.1.2  Composite flour shall be:  
a) practically free from foreign matter;  
b) free of off flavours and off -odours; and  
c) practically free from any livin g insects  and filth .  
5.2   Specific requirements  
Composite flour shall comply with the limits given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein . 
Table 1 – Specific requirements for composite flour  
S/N Characteristic  Requirements  Methods of test  
1 Acid insoluble ash, %, by mass, max.  0.40 ISO 5985  
2 Fat Acidity, mg KOH, max.  80  ISO 7305  
3 Moisture Content, %, by mass, max.  14  EAS 901, Clause 5  
4 on a dry matter basis , max.  5.0  ISO 5498  
 
5.5 Hydrocyanic acid content  
If cassava is used as a component of the composite flour, the total hydrocyanic acid content of 
composite flour shall not exceed 10 mg/kg, when tested using EAS 744 . 
 
5.6 Anti nutritional Factors  
If soy flour is used as a compone nt of the composite flour, trypsin inhibitor activity in the composite 
flour shall not exceed 5mg/g when tested by AOAS Ba9 -58. 
 
If sorghum flour is used as a component of the composite flour , the tannin content of the composite 
flour shall not exceed 0.3% by mass on a dry matter basis when tested according to ISO 9648.  
 
6. Food Additives  
Food additives may be used in the preparation of composite flour in accordance with Codex  Stan 192 .  
 
 
  DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
7. Hygiene  
Composite flour shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39. Composite flour shall 
conform to the limits of microorganisms in Table 2.  
Table 2  Limits for Microorganisms in composite flour  
 
 
 
 
8. Contaminants   
8.1 Pesticide residues  
Composite flour shall conform to those maximum residue limits for pesticides established by the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
8.2 Heavy metals  
Composite flour shall comply with the heavy metal limits in Table 3  when tested in accordance with 
test methods specified therein . 
Table 3  — Heavy metals limits for composite flour  
S/N Heavy metal  Limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
i.  Arsenic (As)  0.1 AOAC 952.13  
ISO 6633  
 
ISO 6561 -1/2 ii.  Lead (Pb)  0.2 
iii.  Cadmium (Cd)  0.1 
8.3 Mycotoxins  
Composite flour shall comply with mycotoxin limits specified in Table 4 when tested in accordance 
with test methods specified therein.  
Table 4 — Mycotoxins limits for composite flour  
S/N Mycotoxin  Maximum 
limit  
µg/kg  Test method  
EAS 901  
i.  Total aflatoxins,  10 Clause 9  
or 10  
 ii.  Aflatoxins B 1,  5 S/N Microorganisms  Requirement  Test  Method  
1 Escherichia coli, cfu/g, max  <1x 102   
  ISO 16649 -2 
 
2 Salmonella, 25 g, max  Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
 
3 Yeast and Moulds, per g, max  104 ISO 21527 -2  DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
iii.  Fumonisins ,  2 000  Clause 11or 12  
8.4 Other contaminants  
Composite flour shall conform to those maximum levels of the Codex General Standard for 
Contaminan ts and Toxins in Food and Feed ( CODEX STAN 193).  
9 Packaging  
Composite flour shall be packaged in food grade material to safeguard the safety, hygienic, 
nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
10  Weights and Measures  
Composite flour shall be packaged in accordance with the Wei ghts and Measures requirements of the 
destination country.  
NOTE  EAC Partner States are signatory to the International Labour Organizations (ILO) for 
maximum package weight of 50 kg where human loading and offloading is involved.  
11 Labelling  
11.1 In additi on to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific requirements shall apply and 
shall be legibly and indelibly marked;   
a) common name of the product, “ composite flour”” ; 
b) name and address of the manufacturer/packer/importer;  
c) brand name/registered trade mark  date of manufacture;  
d) list of ingredients;  
e) lot identification;  
f) net weight in metric units;  
g) expiry date;  
h) country of origin;  
i) the net weight in metric units;  
j) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
k) Instructions o n disposal of used package.  
11.2 When labelling non -retail packages, information for non -retail packages shall either be given 
on the packages or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the produce, lot 
identification and the name and address of  the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the package   
 
  DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018  
 
12  Method of sampling  
 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with EAS 900.  
  DEAS 782:2018  
ICS 67.060  
 
 
Second Edition 2018