DEAS 44: 2018  
ICS 67.060  
© EAS 2017                                                                                                                             Fourth  Edition 
2018  
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Milled maize (corn) products — Specification   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 44: 201 8 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  ii 
 Copyright notice  
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 DEAS 44: 201 8 
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 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 Community 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 Commit tee 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 S tandards Bodies in the Partner States. The comments 
received are discussed 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 44 was prepared by Technical Committee EASC / TC 014, Cereals, pulses and related products . 
This Fourth  edition cancels and replaces the third  edition (EAS 44: 201 7), which has been technically revised.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 44: 2017  
 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  1 
 Milled maize (corn) products — Specification  
1 Scope  
This East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for whole maize meal, 
granulated maize meal, sifted maize  meal, maize grits and maize flour from the grains of common maize ( Zea 
mays L.) intended for human consumption. Maize grits intended for brewing, manufacturing of starch , any 
other industrial use are not covered.  
This standard does not apply to fortified  milled maize (corn) products.  
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 referen ced 
document (including any amendments) applies.  
EAS 901, Cereal and Pulses - Test methods  
       
EAS 900, Cereal and Pulses - Sampling  
 
AOAC 952.13, Arsenic in food — Silver diethyldithiocarbamate   
CODEX STAN 192 , Codex general standard for food additives   
CODEX STAN 193 , Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
EAS 2 , Maize grains — Specification  
EAS 38 , Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Specification  
EAS 39 , Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practic e 
ISO 7305 Milled cereal products -- Determination of fat acidity  
AOAC 965.22 Sorting Corn Grits Sieving Method Modified  
ISO 2171, Cereals, pulses and by -products — Determination of ash yield by incineration   
ISO 4833 -1 Microbiology of the food chain -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms -- Part 1: 
Colony count at 30 degrees C by the pour plate technique  
ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
ISO 21527 -2 Microbiology of food and animal f eeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts and 
moulds -- Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0,95  
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 6579 -1 Microbiology of the food chain -- Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and serotyping of 
Salmonella -- Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp  DEAS 44: 201 8 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  2 
 ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 1: Method using 
graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  
ISO 6561 -2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 2: Method using 
flame atomic absorption spectrometry.  
ISO 6633, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless atomic absorption 
spectrometric method  
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   
ISO 11085, Cereals, cereals -based products and animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude fat and total fat content 
by the Randall extraction method  
ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determinatio n of crude fibre content — General method  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
3.1 
milled maize (corn) products  
products obtained from maize grains Zea mays L. through milling process  
3.2 
whole maize meal  
food prepared from fully mature, sound, un -germinated, whole kernels of maize, Zea mays  L., by a grinding 
process in which the entire grain is comminuted to a suitable degree of fineness  
3.3 
granulated maize meal  
coarse product obtained  from milling and sifting of clean shelled maize  
3.4 
sifted maize meal  
form of granulated maize meal that has been reduced to a certain degree of fineness  
3.5 
sifting  
particle size separation by sieving and aspiration of milled products  
3.6 
clean maize ker nel 
shelled maize that has been subjected to a cleaning process for the removal of foreign and objectionable 
matter originally present  
3.7 
maize flour  
product obtained by removing the germ and bran followed by grinding, clean maize kernels using roller mills 
or other methods and sifting the resulting product to suitable degree of fineness  
3.8 
food grade packaging material  
material which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, technological, and organoleptic qualities of the 
product  DEAS 44: 201 8 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  3 
 3.9 
foreign matter  
Organic  or inorganic material other than maize flour.  
4 Quality requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  Milled maize (corn) products shall be made from maize grain complying with EAS 2.  
4.1.2  Milled maize (corn) products shall:  
a) be characteristic of the colour of maize from which they were prepared;  
b) not contain any foreign matter such as insects, fungi or dirt;  
c) be free from fermented musty or other objectionable odour and colours; and  
d) be wholesome and fit for human consumption in all aspects.  
4.2 Specific  requirements  
Milled maize (corn) products shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance 
with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements for milled maize (corn) products  
S/N Characteristic  Type  
Sifted 
maize 
meal  Granulated 
maize meal  Whole 
maize 
meal  Maize 
flour  Maize 
grit Test method  
 
i.  Crude fibre, % by m/m, 
max.  0.7 1.0 3.0 0.7 1.0 ISO 5498  
ii.  Crude fat on moisture free 
basis, % by m/m, max.  3.0 3.0 3.1* 3.0 3.0 ISO 11085  
iii.  Moisture content, % by 
m/m, max.  14 14 14 14 14 EAS 901  
Clause 5  
 
iv.  Total ash, % by m/m, max.  1.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 ISO 2171  
v.  Acid insoluble ash, % by 
m/m, max.  0.15 0.35 0.40 0.15 0.15 ISO 5985  
vi.  Fat acidity, mg KOH per 100 
g of product, on dry mass 
basis, max.  80 80 80 80 80 ISO 7305  
vii.  Residue on sieving through 
1000 -micron sieve, % by 
m/m, max  0.5 N/A  N/A  0.5 N/A  AOAC 965.22  
* Minimum crude fat on moisture free basis for whole maize meal  
N/A not applicable  DEAS 44: 201 8 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  4 
 5 Food additives  
Milled maize (corn) products may contain only the  permitted food additives specified in CODEX STAN 192.  
6 Hygiene  
6.1 Milled maize (corn) products shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39.  
6.2 The product shall conform to the microbiological limits in Table 2 when tested in accordance with  test 
methods specified therein.  
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for milled maize (corn) products  
S/N Micro -organism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i.  Total aerobic count, 
cfu/g  105 ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Escherichia coli , cfu/g  <1x 102   
 ISO 16649 -2  
iii.  Salmonella , per 25 g  Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
iv.  Yeast and moulds, 
cfu/g  104 ISO 21527 -2  
v.  Staphylococcus aureus , 
cfu/g  <10  ISO 6888 -1 
 
 
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Heavy metals  
Milled maize (corn) products 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 milled maize (corn) products  
S/N Heavy metal  Limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
i.  Arsenic (As)  0.1 AOAC 952.13  
ISO 6633  
ISO 6561 -1 
ISO 6561 -2 ii.  Lead (Pb)  0.2 
iii.  Cadmium (Cd)  0.1 
 
7.2 Pesticide residues  
Milled maize (corn) products shall comply with those maximum residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  DEAS 44: 201 8 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  5 
 7.3 Mycotoxins  
Milled maize (corn) products shall comply with mycotoxin limits specified in Table 4 when tested in 
accordance with test methods specified therein.  
Table 4 — Mycotoxins limits for milled maize (corn) products  
S/
N Mycotoxin  Maximum 
limit  Test method  
 
i.  Total aflatoxins, µg/kg  10 EAS 
901,Clause 9  
Clause 10  
 ii.  Aflatoxins B 1, µg/kg  5 
iii.  Fumonisins , µg/kg  2 000  Clause 11  
Clause 12  
 
 
8 Weights and measures  
Milled maize (corn) products shall be packaged in accordance with the weights and measures regulations 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.  
9 Packaging  
Milled maize (corn) products shall be packaged in food grade packaging materials. When the product is 
packaged in sacks , these must be clean, sturdy and strongly sewn or sealed.  
10 Labelling  
Labelling shall be done in accordance with EAS 38. At the minimum, the following information shall be 
displayed:  
a) Name of product as "Whole Maize Meal, Sifted Maize meal, Maize Flour or  Granulated Maize Meal";  
b) name and address of the manufacturer/packer/importer;  
c) brand name/registered trade mark;  
d) batch or code number;  
e) net weight in metric units;  
f) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
g) the statement "Food for human consumption";  
h) country of origin;  
i) date of manufacture;  DEAS 44: 201 8 
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 j) expiry date; and  
k) Instructions  for disposal of used package.  
11 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with EAS 900.  DEAS 44: 201 8 
© EAC 201 8 – All rights reserved  7 
 Bibliography  
CODEX STAN 154:1985(Rev.1:1995), Standar d for whole maize (corn) meal  
 DEAS 44: 2018    
 
© EAC 201 8– All rights reserved