UGANDA STANDARD  
  US EAS 146 
First  Edition  
2014-10-15 
 
 Reference number  
US EAS  146: 2014 
© UNBS 201 4 
  
Rum — Specification  
 US EAS 146: 2014 
ii                © UNBS  2014 - All rights reserved  
 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 application  
© UNBS 20 14 
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 wr itten 
permission from UNBS.  
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 41 505 995  
Fax: 256 41 286 123  
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 US EAS 146: 2014 
© UNBS  2014 - All rights reserved                 iii National foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda. UNBS is mandat ed to co -ordinate the elaboration 
of standards and is  
(a) a member of International 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/SPS Agreeme nts of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consu mers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders.  
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 re commending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Uganda Standard, US EAS 146: 2014, Rum  — Specification , is identical with  and has been reproduced 
from an East African  Standard , EAS 146: 2014, Rum  — Specification , and adopted  as a Uganda Standard.  
Wherever the words, “ East African  Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard."  
 
   EAS 146: 2014  
ICS 67.160.10  
© EAC 2014                                                                                                                         Second  Edition 2014   
 
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Rum ― Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  FDEAS 146: 2014  
ii © EAC  2014  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
This EAC document is copyright -protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of s elling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community  2014  — 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.eac -quality.net  
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be persecuted  FDEAS 146: 2014  
© EAC 2014  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Commun ity will be removed.  
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.   
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 African Standards 
are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner States. The comments 
received are discus sed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures 
of the Community.  
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 .  
EAS 146 was prepared by Technical Committee EASC/TC 007, Alcoholic and non -alcoholic beverages . 
This second edition cancels and replaces the fir st edition EAS  146:2000, which has been technically revised.  EAST A FRICAN STANDARD  EAS 146: 2014  
 
© EAC 2014  – All rights reserved  1 
 Rum ― Specification  
1 Scope  
This East African Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for rum.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the applicat ion 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.  
CAC/GL 66, Guidelines for the use of flavourings  
CODEX STAN 192, Codex gen eral standard for food additives  
EAS 12, Drinking (potable) water —Specification  
EAS 38, General standard for the labelling of pre -packaged foods  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink industry — Code of practice  
EAS 100,  Food stuffs — Methods of determinat ion of Lead  
EAS 144, Neutral spirit — Specification  
EAS 123, Distilled water — Specification  
ISO 6634,  Fruits, vegetables and derived products —- Determination of arsenic content — Silver 
diethyldithiocarbamate spectrophotometric method  
3 Terms and defini tions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
rum  
potable alcoholic distillate obtained from sugarcane products fermented by the action of yeast or a mixture of 
yeast and other organisms or a mixture of such dis tillates, which has either been  aged or not aged  and may 
contain caramel and may be flavored with fruit or other botanical substances  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Ingredients  
The ingredients for rum shall include the following:  FDEAS 146: 2014  
2 © EAC  2014  – All rights reserved  
 a) distilled water conforming to EAS  123 or demineralised water;  
b) neutral spirit , if used  for blending, conforming to EAS 144 ; and  
c) flavouring  agents , if used, in accordance with  CAC/GL 66 . 
4.2 General requirements  
Rum : 
a) shall have the aroma and taste characteristic of the product known in the tr ade;  
b) shall be free from sediments or suspended matter of any type even at subzero temperature  and any 
extraneous matter ;  
c) shall be free from any ingredients injurious to health ; 
d) that has been aged shall possess the colour developed during maturation or by  addition of caramel  to 
adapt the colour. Rum that is not aged shall be designated as 'White Rum' ; and  
e) when labelled, as 'Matured' shall have been matured for not less than one year . 
4.3 Specific quality requirements  
Rum shall comply with the requirements  in Table 1 when tested in accordance with EAS 104.  
Table 1 ― Quality requirements for rum  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  
 Ethyl alcohol, % by volume at 20 °C, min.  37.5 
i Total solids, mg/L, max.  0.8 
ii Total acids as acetic acid, mg/L of absolute alco hol, max.  1 200 
iii Volatile acids as acetic acid,  mg/L of absolute alcohol, max.  50 
iv Esters as ethyl acetate, mg/L of absolute alcohol, max.  2 000 
v Higher alcohols as amyl alcohol, mg/L of absolute alcohol, max.  1 000 
vi Methyl alcohol , mg/L, m ax. 50 
vii Aldehydes as acetaldehyde, mg/L of absolute alcohol, max.  45 
viii Furfural   to pass test  
ix Total ash, % by volume, max.  0.2 
 
5 Food additives  
Food additives may be used in the preparation of rum in accordance with CODEX STAN 192.  
6 Heavy m etal contaminants  
Rum shall not contain heavy metals at levels exceeding the limits indicated in Table 2.  FDEAS 146: 2014  
© EAC 2014  – All rights reserved  3 
  
Table 2 — Limits for heavy metal contaminants in rum 
S/No.  Type of impurity  Limit  Test method  
(i) Arsenic (as As), ppm, 
max.  0.1 ISO 6634  
(ii) Lead (as Pb), ppm, max.  0.1 EAS 100  
7 Hygiene  
Rum shall be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39.  
8 Weight s and measures  
The volume and fill of rum shall comply with the weights and measures regulations of Partner States or 
equivalent legislation.  
9 Packaging  
9.1 Rum shall be packaged in suitable food grade containers.  
9.2 Rum shall be packaged for bulk delivery and storage in containers that shall prevent contamination of 
the product and preserve its safety and quality .  
10 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall apply and shall be 
legibly and indelibly marked:  
a) common name as ‘Rum’ or White Rum where not aged;  
b) name, physical location and address of manufactur er; 
c) ethyl alcohol content, % by volume;  
d) net content;  
e) a declaration by common name of any additives used;  
f) date of manufacture;  
g) batch identification number/code;  
h) country of origin; and  
i) statutory warnings . 
11 Sampling and test  
Sampling and testing of rum sha ll be done in accordance with EAS 104.  
 EAS 146: 2014    
 
© EAC 2014  – All rights reserved