PUBLIC REVIEW 
DRAFT  
DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 920:2012  
 
First  Edition  
2012 -mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 920:2012 
©UNBS 201 2  
  
Dried a nd dry -salted fish — Specification  
  
i                         © UNBS 2012  – 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 correc t application  
© UNBS  2012  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or 
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without prior written permissi on 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: 256 312 262688/ 9 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: info@unbs .go.ug   
 Foreword  
Ugand a National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal  under the Ministry of Trade, Industry  
and Cooperatives  established by the Act of Parliament of 1983, of the Laws of Uganda.  UNBS is 
mandated 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 Agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparin g 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 consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and othe r 
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 recommending 
the draft standards for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards 
Council.  
This Draft Uganda Stand ard, DUS 920:2012 , was developed  by the subcommittee on F ish and 
Fishery products (SC 10 ) under supervision of technical committee on Food and Agriculture 
standards  (UNBS/TC 2).    
This Draft Uganda Standard has been developed  as a result of a need to provide guidance to industry 
in produc tion and  regulation of dried and dry -salted fish .  
iii                         © UNBS 2012  – All rights reserved  
 Dried and dry-salted fish  — Specification  
1 Scope  
 
This standard specifies  the requirements and t he methods of sampling and test for various types of 
dried and dry -salted fish  intended for human consumption .  
This standard does  not apply to  dried smoked fish.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the applicati on 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.  
US 7, General standard for the labelling of pre -packaged foods  
US 28, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry  
US 45, General standard for food additives  
US 201, Drinking (potable) water  ─ Specification  
US 203, Edible salt s – Specification  
US 500, Guidelines  for nutritional labelling of foods  
US 508, Guidelines  for nutritional and health claims for food 
US 566, Use of Nutrition claims — Requirements  
US 738, General standard for contaminan ts and toxins in food and feed  
FDUS EAS 217 -2, Microbiology of foods and animal feeding stuffs ─ Horizontal method for the 
enumeration of microorganisms – Part 2: Colony count technique at 30 °C 
FDUS EAS 217 -4, Microbiology of foods and animal feeding stuf fs ─ Horizontal method for the 
detection and enumeration of coliforms – Part 4: Most probable number technique  
FDUS EAS 217 -8, Microbiology of foods and animal feeding stuffs ─ General guidance for 
enumeration of yeasts and moulds – Part 8: Colony count te chnique at 25 °C  
US ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs Horizontal method for the 
enumeration of coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) Part 
1: Technique using Baird -Parker agar medium  
US ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection 
and enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
US ISO 11290 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method f or the 
detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes – Part 2: Enumeration method   
  
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-performance l iquid chromatographic method  
3 Description and de finitions  
3.1 Description  
Dried salted fish is the product obtained from fish which has been gutted, with or without -beheading, 
splitting or filleting, and subsequently washed, salted and dried. All parts of  the fish shall have 
reached salt/water equilibrium prior to drying.  
3.2 Process definition  
3.2.1  The product, its skin and flesh shall have  characteristics colour  should be firm. .  
3.2.2  The material shall be free from visible fungal, insect  or mite infes tation.  
3.2.3  Fish for salting and drying shall be subjected to one of the salting processes defined in 
3.2.3.1 and one or both of the drying processes defined in 3.2. 3.2. When the fish is split, a cut is 
made in a straight line close to one side of the ba ckbone from the neck to the caudal fin.  
3.2.3.1 Salting  
(a) Dry salting (kench curing)  — Is the process of mixing fish with suitable food grade salt and 
stacking the fish in such a manner  that the excess of the resulting brine drains away.  
(b) Wet salting (pickling)  — Is the process whereby fish is mixed with suitable food grade salt and 
stored in water -tight containers under the resultant brine (pickle) which forms by solution of salt 
in the water extracted from the fish tissue. The fish is subsequently re moved from the container 
and stacked so that the brine drains away.  
3.2.3.2 Drying  
3.2.3 .2.1 The fish shall be dried either in the sun or in artificial driers .  
3.2.3.2. 2 The fish, while drying  and during storage , shall be protected against contamination f rom dirt, 
sand , birds, vermins,  flies and insects.  
3.3 Presentation  
Dried  and dry-salted fish shall be presented, with or without the black membrane (belly lining), scaled 
or un -scaled  in one of the following ways:  
3.3.1 Split fish — Split and with approxi mately the anterior two -thirds of the backbone removed.  
3.3.2  Split fish with entire backbone  — Split with the whole of the backbone intact.  
3.3.3 Fillets  — Split and divided longitudinally into two parts and with fins, fin bones, tail and the 
whole of the  backbone removed.  
3.3.4 Cuts  — Split fish or fillets cut up transversely into fairly regular pieces.  
3.3.5 Any other presentation of the product shall be permitted provided that it :  
v                         © UNBS 2012  – All rights reserved  
 a)  meets all other requirements of this standard, and  
b)  is adequately descri bed on the label to avoid confusing or misleading the consumer.  
4 Essential composition and quality factors  
4.1 Raw material  
Dried  and dry -salted fish shall be prepared from sound fish of the designated species which are of a 
quality such as is fit to be s old fresh for human consumption.   
4.2 Salt 
Salt used to produce dried  and dry -salted fish shall be clean and not previously used, free from 
foreign matter and foreign crystals, show no visible signs of contamination with dirt, oil, bilge or other 
extraneou s materials.  
The salt used shall comply with the requirements of US 203 . 
4.3 Final product  
4.3.1 The flesh and the skin shall have the characteristic colour and shall not show any evidence 
of halophilic mould (dun) nor visible evidence of red, halophilic bacteria (pink).  
4.3.2 The product shall have the characteristic dried salted fish odour. It shall be free from any off -
odour indicative of spoilage.  
4.3.3 The material shall be free from artificial colouring  matter and firming agents except common 
salt.  
4.3.5  Dried and dry-salted fish shall also conform to the requirements given in Table 1 and Table 2 
respectively.   
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Table 1  — Physical requirements for d ry-salted fish and fish products  
S/No.  Characteristic  Dry-salted 
mackerel  Dry-salted 
seer fish  Dry-
salted 
leather 
jacket  Dry-
salted 
Surai 
(Tuna)  Dry-
salted 
shark  Dry-
salted cat 
fish Dry-
salted 
threadfin 
(Dara)  Dry-
salted 
Jew fish 
(Ghol)  Dry-
salted 
horse 
mackerel  Dry-
salted 
Dhoma  Method of 
test 
1 Moisture content, % 
by mass, max.  30.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 40.0 40.0 35.0 35.0 Annex A 
2 Sodium chloride, per 
cent by weight on 
moisture free basis, 
max.  25.0 – 30.0 25.0 – 30.0 25.0 – 
30.0 25.0 – 
30.0 25.0 – 
30.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 – 
30.0 10.0 – 
15.0 Annex B 
3 Acid insoluble ash, 
per cent by weight 
on moist ure free 
basis, max.  1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 Annex C 
 
Table 2  — Requirements for dried fish  
S/No.  Characteristic  Dried Bombay duck  Laminated Bombay 
duck  Dried white baits  Dried prawns  Dried shark fins  Dried fish maws  Method of test  
1 Moisture content, % 
by mass, max.  15.0 15.0 15.0 20.0 10.0 8.0 Annex A 
2 Sodium chloride, per 
cent by weight on 
moisture free basis, 
max.  7.5 6.0 2.5 5.0 — — Annex B 
3 Acid insoluble ash, 
per cent by weight 
on moisture free 
basis, max.  1.0 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.5 Annex C  
UNBS 2011 – All rig hts reserved  1 
 5 Food Additives  
Dried and salt -dried fish may contain only permitted additives in accordance with US 45.   
6 Hygiene  
Dried and salt -dried fish shall be produced and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with US 28.   
Dried and salt -dried f ish shall comply with the microbi ological limits given in Table 3 . 
Table 3  — Microbiological  limits for dried and salt -dried fish  
S/No.  Microorganism  Maximum limit  Method of test  
1 Pseudomonas  species/g , max.  Absent  ISO 13720  
2 Salmonella  in 30 g , max.  Absent  ISO 6579  
3 E. coli/g, max.  Absent  ISO 7251  
4 Coliforms /100 g , max.  Absent  ISO 4832  
5 Staphylococcus aureus /10 g, max.  2 × 103 ISO 6888  
6 Total viable count /g, max.  105 ISO 4833  
7 Clostridium perfrigens /g, max.  Absent  ISO 7937  
8 Listeria monocyt ogenes /25g, max.  Negative  ISO 11290 -2 
 
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Pesticides and veterinary drug residues  
Dried and salt -dried fish shall comply with those maximum pesticide  and veterinary drug  residue limits 
established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for this product.  
7.2 Heavy metals and o ther contaminants  
Dried and salt -dried fish shall comply with those maximum levels for heavy metals and other contaminants 
established specified  stipulated in US 738 . 
9 Packaging  
Dried and salt -dried fish shall be packa ged in food grade containers which will safeguard the hygienic, 
nutritional, technological, and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
The containers, including packaging material, shall be made of substances which are safe and suitable for 
their intended use. They shall not impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product.  
10 Weights and Measures  
Dried and salt -dried fish shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures legislation  of the 
destination country .  
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 10 Label ling  
10.1  In addition to the requirements in US 7 , the following specific labelling requirements shall apply and 
shall be legibly  and indelibly marked : 
a) common name of the product  as “dried and salt -dried fish” with the specific name of the fish in close 
proximity ; 
b) complete list of ingredients shall be declared on the label in descending order of proportion;  
c) net weight  in  metric units ;  
d) name and physical address of the manufacturer/packer/distributor of the product shall be declared on 
the label;  
e) date o f manufacture;  
f) list of ingredients ; 
g) lot identification ;  
h) expiry date ;  
i) country of origin ; 
j) the net weight  in metric units;  
k) storage instruction s; and  
l) instructions on disposal of used package.  
10.2 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 product, lot identification and the name 
and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the packages.  
10.3 Nutrition labelling and claims  
Nutritional labelling, nutrition and health claims may be made in accordance with US 500, US 508, US 56 6. 
11 Methods of sampling and test  
Dried and salt -dried fish  shall be sampled in accordance with the appropriate methods of sampling. Tests shall 
be cond ucted in accordance with appropriate methods where indicated in an appropriate clause or other 
international standard methods.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DUS 920:2012 
©UNBS 2012  – All rights reserved  3 
  
Annex A  
(normative)  
 
Determination of moisture content  
 
A.1 Principle  
The determination should be carried out in duplicat e and a reagent blank should be carried out.  
A.2 Preparation of the sample  
Cut the large portions of fish into small pieces and mix. Comminute the pieces as finely as possible to obtain a 
homogenous sample, care being taken that no moisture is lost during  the process.  Keep the product in an air -
tight container in order to prevent changes in moisture content during subsequent handling.  Use this product 
for testing.  
A.3 Procedure  
A.3.1 Place a steel dish containing about 20 g of acid washed sand and a glas s rod in an air oven and dry 
to constant weight at 103 ± 2 °C (1 hour should be sufficient). Cool in a desiccator for 30 minutes and weigh 
the dish with sand and glass rod (4 -place balance).  
A.3.2 Add about 5 g of the sample and reweigh.  
A.3.3 Add about 5 cm3 of industrial ethanol and stir with the glass rod to give a homogenous paste.  
A.3.4 Place on a water bath (temperature 60 °C to 80 °C) and stir occasionally until all the ethanol has 
evaporated.  
A.3.5 Place the dish and content (includin g the glass rod ) in an air oven  and dry to constant weight at 103 
± 2 °C. Cool in a desiccator for 30 minutes and weigh. Retain the product for the determination of sodium 
chloride ( see B.2.1) and acid insoluble ash ( see C.2.1). 
A.3.6 Calculation  
Moisture, per cent by ma ss = 
12100
MM     
where,  
M2 =  loss of mass, in g, of the sample, and  
M1 = mass, in g, of the sample taken.   
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Annex B  
(normative)  
 
Determination of sodium chloride  
 
B.1 Reagents  
B.1.1 Standard Silver Solution — 0.1 N, standardized against 0.1 N sodium chloride solution.  
B.1.2 Dilute Nitric Acid  — 1:4. 
B.1.3 Ferric Ammonium Indicator Solution  — A saturated solution of ferric alum  
Fe (NH 4) (SO 4)2.12H 2O. 
B.1.4 Standard potassium thiocyanate solution — 0.1N  
B.2 Procedure  
B.2.1 Take 0.3 g to 0.5 g of  the dried products (see D.3.5) in a 250 -ml Erlenmeyer flask. Add a known 
volume of the standard silver nitrate solution in quantity more than sufficient to precipitate all the chloride as 
silver chloride and then add 20 ml of dilute nitric acid. Boil on a  hot plate or sand bath until the solids, except 
silver chloride, dissolve. Cool and add 50 ml of water and 5 ml of the ferric ammonium indicator solution and 
titrate against the standard potassium thiocyanate solution until a permanent light brown colour appears.  
B.3 Calculation  
B.3.1 Sodium chloride, per cent by weight  
 
 
WNVNV.22 11855
 
where,  
V1 = volume of the standard silver nitrate solution;  
V2 = volume of the standard potassium thiocyanate;  
N1 = normality of the standard silver nitrate soluti on; 
N2 = normality of the standard potassium thiocyanate; and  
W = weight, in g, of the dried product taken for the test.  
 DUS 920:2012 
©UNBS 2012  – All rights reserved  5 
  
Annex C  
(normative)  
 
Determination of acid insoluble ash  
 
C.1 Reagent  
C.1.1 Dilute Hydrochloric Acid  — 1:1, prepared from concentrat ed hydrochloric acid.  
C.2 Procedure  
C.2.1 Weigh accurately about 2 g of the dried material ( see D.3.5) in a tared porcelain, silica or platinum 
dish. Ignite with a meker burner for about 1 hour. Complete the Ignition by keeping in a muffle furnace at 500 
°C to 570 °C until grey ash results.  
Cool and filter through whatman filter paper No. 42 or its equivalent.  Wash the residue with hot water until the 
washings are free from chlorides as tested with silver nitrate solution and return the filter paper and re sidue to 
the dish. Keep it in an electric air oven maintained at 135 ± 2 °C for about 3 hrs. Ignite the dish again for about 
30 minutes, cool and weigh. Repeat this process till the difference between two successive weighings is less 
than 1 mg. Note the lo west weight.  
C.3 CALCULATION  
C.3.1 Acid insoluble ash, per cent by weight  

MMMM

12 100
 
where,  
 M2 = the lowest weight, in g, of the dish with the acid insoluble ash;  
 M = weight, in g, of the empty dish; and  
 M1 = weight, in g, of the dish with the dried product taken for the test.  DUS 920:2012 
UNBS 2012  – All rights reserved   
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is go verned by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification 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 that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda N ational Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Executive Director, 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards.  
 
.DUS 920:2012    
 
ICS 67.120.3 0 
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