a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ICS 67.160.20                          DMS 519:2016  
       Second edition 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
 
Thobwa powder – Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE – This is a draft proposal and shall neither be used nor regarded as a Malawi standard   
  ICS 67.160.20           DMS 519:2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thobwa powder – 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 
 
Price based on 4 pages 
 
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 iTABLE OF CONTENTS 
  
Contents                                                                                                                                                     page  
Foreword…………………………………………………………………..………………………………………… …… i  
Technical committee…………………………………………………………………………………… ……………….. i  
Notice……………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………… .... i  
Scope……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..  1 
Normative references………………………………………………………………………………… ………………… 1  
Terms and definitions..………………………………………………………………………… ………………………. 1  
Essential compostion and quality factors…………………………… ……………………………………………….. 2  
Fortification……………………………………………………………………………......... ....................................... 3 
Food additives………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………....3  
Contaminants……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……. 3  
Hygiene………………..…………………………………………………………………………………..... ................ 3  
Packaging and labelling……………………..……………………………………………… …………………………. 3  
Sampling and methods of test…………………………………………………………… ……………………………. 4  
 
FOREWORD 
 
This draft Malawi standard is a second edition of M S 519:2000, Thobwa powder – Specification . The revision 
of this Malawi standard has been prepared after con sideration of several issues that need to be amende d 
and re-addressed in order to incorporate technologi cal advances. This draft Malawi standard has been 
prepared by MBS/TC 11,  the Technical Committee on Beverages  to provide requirements for thobwa 
powder.   
 
In preparing this draft Malawi standard reference w as made to the following standard: 
 
South African Standard, CKS 289:2007, Magou powder (Fortified) – Specification.  
 
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the above st andard. 
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 
 
This draft Malawi standard was prepared by MBS/TC 1 1, the Technical Committee on Beverages , and the 
following companies, organizations and institutions  were represented: 
 
Blantyre Hotels Limited; 
 
Blantyre Water Board; 
 
Carlsberg (Malawi) Limited; 
 
Chibuku Products Limited; 
 
Consumers Association of Malawi; 
 
Dairibord Malawi Limited; 
 
Linga Fine Foods and Winery; 
 
Malawi Bureau of Standards; 
 
Mkombezi Wine Cooperatives; 
 
Peoples Trading Centre; and 
 
The Malawi Polytechnic (University of Malawi). 
 
 
NOTICE 
 
This draft standard shall be reviewed every five ye ars, or earlier whenever 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 519:2016 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD 
 
Thobwa powder  – Specification 
 
 
1 SCOPE 
 
This draft Malawi standard specifies the requiremen ts and methods of sampling and test for thobwa powd er.  
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES 
 
The following standards contain provisions, which t hrough reference in this text, constitute provision s of this 
Malawi standard. All standards are subject to revis ion and, since any reference to a standard is deeme d to 
be a reference to the latest edition of that standa rd, parties to agreements based on this standard ar e 
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the m ost recent edition of the standard indicated below.  
Information on current valid national and internati onal standards can be obtained from the Malawi Bure au of 
Standards. 
 
MS 19:  Labelling of prepacked foods – General standard;  
 
MS 21:  Food and food processing units – Code of hygienic conditions; 
 
MS 214: Drinking water – Specification;  
 
MS 237: Food additives – General standard;  
 
MS 411: Opaque beer  ̶  Methods of test;  and  
 
ISO 16050 : Foodstuffs  – Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and 
G2 in cereals, nuts and derived products – High-per formance liquid chromatographic method. 
 
 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS 
 
For the purposes of this draft standard, the follow ing terms and definitions shall apply; 
 
3.1 
extraneous matter 
includes inorganic matter such as sand, glass, meta l, gravel, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, c lay and 
mud and organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed s eeds and grains of crops, insects or insects’ fragm ents, 
rodent hairs or any other foreign matter 
 
3.2 
potable water 
water complying with the requirements of MS 214 
 
3.3 
thobwa powder 
the dehydrated or spray dried product produced by c rushing, extrusion and grinding to powder of maize,  
sorghum or millet or a combination of these, whethe r malted or unmalted, with or without the addition of  milk 
products and/or sugar 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
2 
 4 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS 
 
4.1 General requirements 
 
4.1.1  Thobwa powder shall be such that when 100 g to 150  g is added to 1 l of potable water it shall 
readily reconstitute and the resultant mixture shal l be an acceptable, palatable, homogeneous, and 
reasonably stable beverage that is free from lumps,  foreign flavour, foreign odour and any extraneous 
matter. 
 
4.1.2 The reconstituted product shall be able to stay in suspension for at least 5 minutes, and the 
suspension shall be homogenous. 
 
4.2 Specific quality requirements 
 
Thobwa powder shall comply with the specific qualit y requirements specified in Table 1. 
 
Table 1 ─ Quality requirements for thobwa powder  
 
S/N  Characteristic  Requirement  Test 
method  
Fortified  Not fortified  
1 Moisture content, % (m/m), max. 9 9  
 
 
 
 
MS 411 2 Protein, % (m/m), min. 12.0 6.0 
3 Vitamin B 2 (riboflavin), mg/100 g, 
min. 2.5  
4 Niacin, mg/100 g, min. 9.0  
5 Vitamin C, mg/l *, min. 70  
6 Fat, % (m/m), max. 3.0 3.0 
7 Crude fibre, % (m/m), max. 1.50 1.50 
8 Sucrose, % (m/m), max. 15 15 
 
* Per litre of the beverage prepared in accordance wi th the directions on the package. 
 
4.3 Microbiological limits 
 
Thobwa powder shall comply with limits for micro-or ganisms specified in Table 2. 
 
Table 2 ─ Microbiological limits for thobwa powder 
 
1 2 3 
S/N  Microorganism  Limit  
1 Total plate count, cfu/g max 10 5 
2 Staphylococcus aureus,  cfu/g max 10 2 
3 Escherichia coli , cfu/g absent 
4 Salmonella , per 25 g absent 
5 Bacillus cereus, per 25 g absent 
6 Yeasts and moulds, cfu/g, max. 10 3 
7 Vibrio cholerae, per 25 g  absent 
 
 
5 FORTIFICATION 
 
The product may be fortified with natural protein a nd vitamins. Protein fortification shall be derived  from 
natural sources (e.g. milk products, food yeast, so ya products, and the cereal itself) and having a di gestibility 
of at least 90 % and a biological value of at least  70 %, determined by the nitrogen balance technique . 
  
3 
 6 FOOD ADDITIVES 
 
Food additives may be used in the preparation of th obwa powder in accordance with MS 237.  
 
 
7 CONTAMINANTS 
 
7.1 Heavy metals 
 
The product shall not contain heavy metal contamina nts in excess of the limits stipulated in Table 3. 
 
                         Table 3 ─ Limits of heavy metal contaminants in thobwa powde r 
 
S/N  Characterist ic  Limit   
1 Arsenic (As), ppm, max. 0.1 
2 Lead (Pb), ppm, max. 0.1 
3 Mercury (Hg), ppm, max. 0.01 
4 Cadmium (Cd), ppm, max. 0.02 
 
7.2 Pesticide residues 
 
All the raw materials used in the production of tho bwa powder shall comply with the maximum residue li mits 
for pesticides as established by the Codex Alimenta rius Commission. 
 
7.3 Aflatoxin limits 
 
Total aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 μg/l and aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 μg/l when tested with ISO 16050. 
 
 
8 HYGIENE 
 
The product covered by the provisions of this draft  standard shall be prepared and handled in accordan ce 
with the requirements set out in MS 21.   
 
 
9 PACKAGING AND LABELLING 
 
9.1 Packaging requirements 
 
The products covered by the provisions of this stan dard shall be packaged in suitable, sound and clean  food 
grade packaging material to protect the product fro m contamination. The packaging materials and proces s 
shall not contaminate the product or otherwise affe ct its technological, nutritional or sensory qualit y. 
 
9.2 Labelling requirements 
 
In addition to the requirements of MS 19, the follo wing specific provisions shall apply: 
 
a) the name of the product. Where the product is fo rtified, the word “fortified”  shall accompany the name of 
the product; 
 
b) name, physical location and address of manufactu rer; 
 
c) best before date; 
 
d) the net contents shall be declared by volume in metric units; 
 
e) list of ingredients in descending order of propo rtion by mass; 
  
4 
 f) date of manufacture; 
 
g) batch identification number/code;  
 
h) storage conditions; and 
 
i) directions for use. 
 
 
10 SAMPLING AND METHODS OF TEST 
 
Sampling and testing of product shall be done in ac cordance with the procedures stipulated in MS 411 a nd 
ISO 16050. 
 
 
  
 
ICS 67.160.20           DMS 519:2016  
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS              CERTIFI CATION MARK SCHEME 
The Malawi Bureau of Standards is the 
standardizing body in Malawi under the aegis 
of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.  
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 standards 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 products.  This Mark gives confidence to 
the consumer of the commodity’s reliability.