Reference number  
DRS 224:2018  
© RSB 2018  
 
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
224 
 
Third edition  
2018 -mm-dd 
 
Urwagwa — Specification  
 
  DRS 224:2018  
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2018  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reprodu ce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw   
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 224:2018  
iii                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Type s of Urwagwa  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
5.1 Essential ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  3 
5.2 Optional ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  3 
5.3 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  4 
5.4 Specific quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  4 
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
6.1 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 4 
6.2 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
6.3 Aflatoxin limits  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
7 Hygien e ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
8 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  5 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
11 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  6 
 DRS 224:2018  
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national st andards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards 
adopted by Technical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards.  
DRS 224 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 031, Alcoholic beverages.  
This third edition  cancels and replaces the second edition (RS  224:2016), which has been technically revised.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Alcoholic beverages (RSB/TC 
031) in the preparatio n of this standard.  
Agashinguracumu Ltd  
ASCOM Ltd  
BUGANZA Wine Ltd  
CFRDTA Ltd  
COVAPROBA Ltd  
Enterprise Urwibutso  
GUBUCO Ltd  
IMPANO Products Ltd  
INEZA Ayurvedic  
INNOPRO Ltd  
Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK BIKA Ltd)  
Life Holistic Ltd  DRS 224:2018  
v                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Nsabimana  Banana Wine Ltd  
SOGONGERA Ltd  
UWSS Ltd  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  DRS 224: 2018  
1                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Urwagwa — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements , sampling and test methods for Urwagwa . 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of  their content constitutes 
requirements of this documen t. For dated references, only the edition  cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
AOAC 972.25, Lead in Food, atomic absorption spectrophotometric method  
AOAC 999.1 0, Lead, Cad mium, Copper, Iron and Zinc in Food, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry  
RS 164, Honey — Specification  
RS CAC/RCP1, Code of practice — General Principle for Food Hygiene  
AOAC 986.15 , Arsenic,  Cadmium,  Lead,  Selenium and zinc in human and pet foods.  
AOAC 999.1 0, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron and Zinc in, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry  
RS ISO 16050, Foodstuffs Determination of aflatoxin B1, and cereals, nuts and derived products — High 
performance  liquid chromatographic method the total content of aflato xins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in  
RS ISO 17240, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of tin content — Method using flame Atomic  
Absorption Spectrometry  
RS ISO 1842, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of pH  
RS ISO 6888 -3, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) -- Part 3: Detection and MPN 
technique for low numbers  
RS EAS 104, Alcoholic Beverages — Method of sampling and tes ting 
RS EAS 12, Potable Water — Specification  
RS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
RS EAS 757, Sorghum grains — Specification   
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  2 
 RS ISO 21527 -1 Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds -- Part 1: Colony count technique in products with water activity greater than 0,95  
RS ISO 4832,  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs —Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony -count technique  
RS 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  
RS ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain —Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp.  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the follow ing terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
Urwagwa  
alcoholic beverage derived from the fermentation of banana juice where sorghum grit has been added with or 
without honey and water  
3.2 
extraneous matter  
includes inorganic matter such as sand, glass, metal, gravel, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, clay and  
mud and organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed seeds and grains of crops, insects or insects fragments,  
rodent hairs or any other foreign matter  
3.3 
food grade packaging material  
packaging material, made of substances which are safe a nd suitable for their intended use and which will not  
impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product  
3.4 
Butunda  (B) 
alcoholic beverage derived from the fermentation of banana juice where sorghum grit has been added without 
addit ion of honey or water  
3.5 
Inkangaza  (I) DRS 224: 2018  
3                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 alcoholic beverage derived from the fermentation of banana juice (with or without addition of water) where 
sorghum grit has been added with addition of honey  
3.6 
Urwagwa  (U) 
alcoholic beverage derived from the fermen tation of banana juice where sorghum grit and water have been 
added without addition of honey  
3.7 
banana juice  
unfermented but fermentable liquid obtained from the edible part of sound, appropriately mature and ripe 
banana fruits.  
4 Types of Urwagwa  
Urwagwa  may be presented in the following types:  
a) Butunda;  
b) Urwagwa; or  
c) Inkangaza  
5 Requirements  
5.1 Essential ingredients  
The following ingredients shall be used for the production of Urwagwa:  
a) banana juice free from extraneous matter;  
b) sorghum grains complying with RS EA S 757.  
5.2 Optional ingredients  
The following ingredients complying with relevant Rwanda Standards may be used  
a) honey complying with RS 164  
b) potable water complying with RS EAS 12.   
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  4 
 5.3 General requirements  
Urwagwa shall:  
a) be free from any harmful ingredients, substan ces, additives and any other contaminants injurious to health 
or any extraneous matter;  
b) be free from any added artificial colouring matter;  
c) have the characteristic appearance, taste and aroma of Urwagwa, and  
d) be free from any added alcohol.  
5.4 Specific quality  requirements  
Urwagwa shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with test methods 
specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements for Urwagwa  
S/No.  Characteristic  Butunda (B)  Urwagwa (U)  Inkangaza (I)  Test method  
i.  Ethyl alcohol content, %, 
v/v   10.0 ≤ B ≤ 15.0  3.0 < U ≤ 9.0  7.0 < I ≤ 15.0  RS EAS 104  
ii.  pH 3.5 ≤ B ≤ 5.0  3.5≤ U ≤ 5.0  3.5 ≤ I ≤ 5.0  RS ISO 1842  
iii.  Total solid, %, m/v, max  7.0 7.0 7.0 RS EAS 104  
iv.  Total non -dissolved solids 
% max 5 5 5 
v.  Total acidity, g/ L, max.  
 12.0 12.0 12.0 
vi.  Volatile acidity as acetic 
acid,  g/L, max.  3.0 3.0 3.0 
vii.  Methanol mg/l  max.  100 100 100 
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Pesticide residues  
Urwagwa  shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides as established by the Codex  
Alimentarius Commission for the commodity used in the manufacture of Urwagwa . 
6.2 Heavy metals  
Urwagwa shall not contain heavy metals in levels exceeding the limits indica ted in Table 2.  DRS 224: 2018  
5                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
  Table 2 — Limits for heavy metal contaminants in Urwagwa  
S/N  Heavy metal  Limit  Test method  
i.  Arsenic (as As), mg/L, max.  0.01 AOAC 986.15  
ii.  Lead (as Pb), mg/L, max.  0.2 AOAC 999.10  
 iii.  Cadmium (as Cd) mg/L, max  0.1 
iv.  Tin (as Sn) mg/L max 150 RS ISO 17240  
6.3 Aflatoxin limits  
Total aflatoxin in Urwagwa shall not exceed 10 μg/kg and aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 μg/kg, when tested 
in accordance with RS ISO 16050.  
7 Hygiene  
7.1 Urwagwa  shall be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with RS CAC/RCP 1.  
7.2 When the alcohol is less than 10 %, Urwagwa shall comply with limits for micro -organisms specified in  
Table 3 when tested in accordance with test methods specified  therein  
Table 3 — Microbiological limits for Urwagwa  
S/No.  Microorganism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i.  Total viable count, cfu/ml  102 RS ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Escherichia coli , cfu/ml  Absent  RS ISO 16649 -2 
iii.  Salmonella spp  per 25 ml  Absent  RS ISO 6579 -1 
iv.  Staphylococcus aureus  per ml  Absent  RS ISO 6888 -3 
v.  Lactic Acid Bacteria  Absent  ISO 15214  
vi.  Moulds, cfu/ml  102 RS ISO 21527 -1 
8 Weights and measures  
The volume and fill of Urwagwa shall comply with national Weights and measures regulations.  
9 Packaging  
9.1 Urwagwa shall be packaged in food grade packaging materials that shall maintain the quality of the 
product including glass bottles, tin cans, aluminium foil and/or plastics certified by an accredited laboratory to 
be safe for packaging alcoholic beverages . 
9.2 The contents of the products shall occupy not less than 90 % of the total volume capacity of the 
container.   
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  6 
 10 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of RS EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall apply and 
shall be legibly and inde libly marked:  
a) name of the product “Urwagwa”;  
b) Type of Urwagwa, as Inkangaza, Butunda, Urwagwa  
c) name and physical and postal address of manufacturer;  
d) net contents in millilitres or litres;  
e) ethyl alcohol content;  
f) date of manufacture;  
g) Expiry date, if alcohol content is less than 10 %;  
h) storage instruction;  
i) statutory warnings;  
j) list of ingredients in descending order;  
k) a declaration that sugar was not added.  
11 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with RS EAS 104.  
 
 DRS 224: 2018  
7                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] RS 224:2016, Urwagwa —Spec ification  DRS 224:2018  
ICS 67.160.1 0 
 
 
©RSB 2018  - All right s reserved