DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
        DUS 1810  
First Edition  
2018 -mm-dd 
  
 
 Reference number  
DUS 1810: 2018  
© UNBS 2018   
  
Beeswax  — Specification  
 DUS 1810 : 2018  
ii © UNBS 2018  – 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  
© UN BS 2018  
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 written 
permission from UNBS.  
Requ ests 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 7 333 250/1/2  
Fax: +256 414 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 1810:2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  iv 
Introduction  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  v 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Types of beeswax  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  2 
4.1 Beeswax shall be of the following two types:  ................................ ................................ ...........  2 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
5.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
5.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
5 Contami nants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
5.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
5.2 Residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs  ................................ ................................ ............  3 
6 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 3 
7 Weights and Measures ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  3 
9 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of specific gravity  ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
Annex  B  (normative)   Determination ash content  ................................ ................................ ................  6 
Annex  C (normative)  Test for sulphated ash  ................................ ................................ .........................  7 
Annex  D (normative)  Test for total volatile matter  ................................ ................................ ................  8 
Annex  E (normative)  Test for paraffin and other waxes  ................................ ................................ ....... 9 
Annex  F (normative)  Sampling and sample preparation  ................................ ................................ .... 10 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  12 
 DUS 1810 : 2018  
iv © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated t o 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  Agreement  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 key stakeholders including 
govern ment, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
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.  
The committee responsible for this document is UNBS/TC 2 [ Food and Agriculture standards ], Subcommittee 
SC 6, [ Food Additives and contaminant s]. DUS 1810:2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
Beeswax is a complex mixture of saturated and unsaturated linear and complex monoesters, hydrocarbons, 
free fatty acids, free fatty alcohols, and other minor substances secreted in form of scales by worker bees 
through their wax glands. I t is extracted from honeycombs of either wild or domesticated bees after the removal 
of honey. The beeswax as obtained from the combs is called 'raw beeswax' and is progressively modified by 
physical treatment to yield crude and refined beeswax, and by che mical treatment to yield bleached beeswax.  
Beeswax has many uses such as making adhesives, candles, cosmetics, electrical insulation, explosives, 
polishes, lubricants, pencils, pharmaceuticals, printing inks, shoe creams, varnishes and in leather. Additio nally, 
it is used in the moulding, paper and rubber industries.  
In the  food industry, b eeswax is used:  
 as  a glazing agent on confectionery,  small products of fine bakery wares coated with chocolate, snacks, 
nuts and coffee beans ; 
 as a texturiser for chew ing gum base;   
 as a clouding agent;  
 for the surface treatment on ly of fruits such as fresh citrus fruits, melons, apples , pears, peaches and 
pineapples ; and  
 as a carrier for food flavours and colours.  
This Standard has been  developed to ensure the safety and quality of beeswax produced and/or traded in the 
country.DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 1810: 2018  
 
© UNBS 2018  – All rights  reserved  1 
 Beeswax  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Uganda S tandard specifies requirements  and methods of sampling and test for crude and refined 
beeswax . 
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (inclu ding any amendments) applies.  
AOAC 999.11 , Determination of Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron, and Zinc in Foods, Atomic Absorption 
Spectrophotometry after Dry Ashing  
US 277, General standard for the labelling of food additives when sold as such  
US 641 , Code of practice for apiary management, handling and processing of bee products  
US 1659 , Materials in contact with food — Requirements for packaging materials  
US CAC/GL 50 , General guidelines on sampling  
FDUS ISO 760 , Determination of water  — Karl Fischer Method ( General method)  
US ISO 660, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of acid value and acidity  
US ISO 3657, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of saponification value  
US ISO 3961 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination  of iodine value  
US ISO 6320, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of refractive index  
US ISO 6321, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of melting point in open capillary tubes (Slip 
point)  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purpo ses of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.   
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following address:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:/ /www.iso.org/obp   
3.1  
beeswax  
the product obtained from the honeycombs of worker bees after the removal of honey  
3.2  
bleached beeswax  
refined beeswax that has been bleached and finely filtered  
 DUS 1810:2018  
2 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 3.3  
crude beeswax  
the wax obtained from the honey combs af ter the removal of honey and after being subjected to a preliminary 
treatment such as melting, scumming, decantation and/or moulding  
3.4 
food grade material  
material, made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which will not impart any 
toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product  
3.5  
refined beeswax  
the wax obtained after subjecting crude beeswax to further purification by melting using hot water or ste am 
followed by finer filtration  
4 Types  of beeswax  
4.1 Beeswax shall be of the following two types:  
a) Crude Beeswax  
b) Refined Beeswax  
5 Requirements  
5.1 General  requirements  
The production of beeswax shall be  in accordance with the relevant provisions of US 641.  
Crude and refined b eeswax shall : 
i. be pure and unadultera ted; 
ii. be whitish yellow to yellowish brown in colour  
iii. be very soluble in ether , sparingly soluble in alcohol  and i nsoluble in water ; 
iv. not contain any other waxes such as paraffin, microcrystalline or synthetic waxes ;  
v. be free of inorganic or organic matter su ch as bees, brood, debris, sand or  any other extraneous matter; 
and 
vi. have a characteristic honey aroma.  
  DUS  1810: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  3 
 5.2 Specific requirements  
All crude and refined beeswax shall conform to the specific requirements given in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Specific r equirements for beeswax  
S/N Characteristic  Limits  
Test method  Crude  Refined  
i Specific gravity at 25  °C 0.950 – 0.995  0.945 – 0.980  Annex A  
ii Refractive index at 75 °C  1.440 – 1.445  1.440 – 1.445  US ISO 6320  
iii Melting point, °C  58 – 64  59 – 66  US ISO 6321  
iv Acid value (mg KOH/g), max.  12 10 US ISO 660  
v Saponification value (mg 
KOH/g), max.  80 105  US ISO 3657  
vi Iodine value (mgI 2/g of product)  5.5 – 10.0 5.5 – 10.0 US ISO 3961  
vii Ash, %mm, max.  0.6 0.5 Annex B  
viii 1) Sulphated ash, %mm, max.  0.006 0.005  Annex C  
ix Total volatile matter, %mm, max.  1.0 0.75 Annex D  
xii Paraffin and other waxes  To pass test  Annex E  
1) Shall not contain any particles of gritty nature which are retained on a 425 µm IS sieve  
 
5 Contaminants   
5.1 Heavy metals  
The h eavy metal contamination, expressed as Lead (Pb), shall not exceed 1 mg/kg  when  tested in accordance 
with AOAC 999.11 .  
5.2 Residues of p esticide s and veterinary drugs  
All beeswax shall  conform to the Maximum residue  limits for pesticides and veterinary dr ugs for foodstuffs of 
animal origin established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
6 Packaging  
Beeswax shall be securely packaged in greaseproof paper or a suitable packaging made of food grade  material , 
conforming to US 1659 . The packaging shall preclu de contamination from the external environment . 
7 Weights and Measures  
The weight of the package s shall comply with the  Weights and Measures Regulations . 
8 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of US 277 , the products shall be legibly and indelibly lab elled with the following:  
i. The product name as “beeswax” showing the type; either crude or refined;  
ii. The name and physical address of the producer/distributor . DUS 1810:2018  
4 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 iii. The conditions for  storage;  
iv. The net weight in metric units;  
v. The date of packaging; and  
vi. The best b efore date;  
9 Sampling  
Representative samp les of the product shall be obtained following the procedure elaborated in Annex H . DUS  1810: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of specific gravity  
A.1  Apparatus  
A.1.1  Water bath  — Maintained at 25  ºC ± 1 ºC.  
A.1.2  Specifi c gravity bottle  — 25-ml capacity.  
A.2  Reagents  
A.2.1  Rectified Spirit  of specific gravity , d 
A.3  Procedure  
Melt 2 g of  beeswax  in a porcelain crucible at a temperature of about 100 ºC.  Allow to cool at room temperature.  
Remove the solidified beeswax fro m the crucible, warming slightly if necessary.  Attach a tared silk thread that 
will suspend the beeswax during weighing.  Store the sample for 2 hours at a temperature of 25  ºC ± 1 ºC.  
Determine the mass of the sample, first in air  (M1) and then in rectifie d spirit maintained at 25 ± 1 ºC  (M2). 
Determine the  specific gravity at 25 ºC  of the rectified spirit by means of the specific gravity bottle.  
A.4 Calculation  
Specific gravity at 25 ºC  = 
M MdM
11  
where,  
M1 is the mass, in grams, of the samp le in air;  
d is the specific gravity of rectified spirit; and  
M2 is the mass, in grams, of the sample in rectified spirit.  DUS 1810:2018  
6 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  B  
(normative )  
 
Determina tion a sh content  
B.1  Apparatus  
B.1.1  Plati num Di sh — 100 ml capacity  
B.2  Procedure  
Heat the platinum dish to redness, cool to room temperature in a desiccator  and weigh.  Take about 5 g of the 
sample  in a watch -glass and weigh accurately  (M1). Transfer abou t three -quarters of the weighed sample  into 
the platinum dish and heat using a Bunsen  burner so  that the wax  burns gently at the surface. When abou t half 
of the wax  is burnt away, stop  heating, cool and add the remainder of the sample . Weigh the watch -glass again 
and find, by difference, the exact mass  of the sample transferred to the  platinum dish.  Heat again as before till 
the sample  is completely charred.  Incinerate  in a muffle furnace at 550 ºC – 650 ºC for 1 hour. Cool to room 
temperature in a desiccator  and weigh.  Repeat incineration, cooling and weighing until the difference between 
two successive weighing is  less than one milligram.  
B.3 Calculation  
Ash, percentage, mass by mass (%mm) = 100𝑀2
𝑀1  
where,  
M1 is the mass, in grams, of the sample analysed; and  
M2 is the mass, in grams, of the ash  obtained.     
 DUS  1810: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex  C 
(normative)  
 
Test for sulphated ash  
C.1  Reagent  
C.1.1  Sulphuric Acid  – 10% (min)  
C.2  Procedure  
Accurately  weigh about 5 g of the  sample  into a platinum dish and a dd 5 ml of sulphu ric acid. Gently heat the 
dish until the sample is well carbonis ed, and then increase the heat until the  evolution of sulphuric aci d fumes 
ceases. Ash the carbonis ed matter  in a muffle furnace at 550 °C ± 25 °C. Cool the ash and moisten it with  2 – 
3 ml of sulphuric acid . Heat strongly until the evolution of sulphuric acid fumes cease s and finally ash in the 
muffle  furnace at 550 °C ± 25 °C for 2 hours. Cool in a desiccator  and weigh. Heat again in the muffle furnace 
for 30 minutes at 550 ±  25 °C. Cool in a  desiccator and weigh. Repeat the process of heating in the  muffle 
furnace for 30 minutes, cooling and weighin g till the difference  between two succ essive weighings is less than 
1 mg. Record the lowest  mass.  
C.3  Calculation  
Sulphated ash, percentage, mass  by mass (%mm) = 100𝑀1
𝑀2 
where, 
M1 is the  mass , in grams,  of the ash, and  
M2 is the  mass , in grams of the sample  tested. 
 DUS 1810:2018  
8 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  D 
(normative)  
 
Test for total volatile matter  
D.1  Apparatus  
D.1.1  Air o ven – maintained at 105 ºC  
D.1.2  Analytical balance  
D.1.3  Metal or aluminium dish  
D.2  Procedure  
Weigh accurately about 10 g of the material in a metal/aluminium dish, previously dried and weighed, and heat 
in an air oven at 105 ºC for 6 hours. Cool the  dish in a desiccator and weigh with the lid on. Heat the dish again 
in the oven for 30 minutes. Repeat the process until the loss in mass between two successive weighings in less 
than one milligram. Record the lowest mass obtained.  
D.3  Calculation  
Total volatile matter, percentage, mass by mass (%mm) = 100(𝑀1−𝑀2)
𝑀1−𝑀3 
where,  
M1 is the mass, in grams , of the dish with the sample  before heating ; 
M2 is the mass, in grams, of the dish with sample after heating; and  
M3 is the mass, in grams, of the empt y dish.  
 DUS  1810: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  9 
 Annex  E 
(normative)  
 
Test for paraffin and other waxes  
E.1 Apparatus  
E.1.1 Weigh scale  – readable to 0.1 g  
E.1.2 Conical flask  – 250-ml capacity  
E.1.3 Reflux condenser  
E.1.4 Water bath or hot plat e 
E.2 Reagents  
E.2.1 Alcoholic Potassium Hydroxide Solution  approximately 0.5N, prepared by dissolving potassium 
hydroxide in 95 percent ethanol.  
E.2.2 Ethanol , 95% 
E.3 Procedure  
Weigh 1.0 g of the sample  and place it in a conical flask fitted with a water -cooled reflux condenser.  Add 10 ml 
of alcoholic potassium hydroxide solution. Boil under reflux for one hour. Detach the flask from  the condenser, 
insert suitably a thermometer into the liquid in the flask and allow to cool, stirring constantly. The mater ial shall 
be taken to have passed the test if the following conditions are satisfied:  
a) The liquid does not become cloudy at a temperature higher th an 61 °C but becomes cloudy at a 
temperature between 61  °C and 59  °C and 
(b) Precipitation of large flocks occurs at not more than 2  °C below the temperature at which the liquid  
becomes cloudy.  
 DUS 1810:2018  
10 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  F 
(normative)  
 
Sampling and sample preparation  
F.1  General requirements of sampling  
In drawing, preparing, storing an d handling samples, the following precautions and directions shall he observed.  
a. Samples shall be taken in a protected place not exposed to damp air, dust or soot.  
b. The sampling instruments shall be clean and dry.   
c. The samples shall be placed in clean and dr y glass containers. The sample containers shall be of such 
a size that they are almost completely filled by the sample.  
d. Each container shall be sealed air -tight after sampling and marked with full details of the sample, such 
as; batch or code number, name of the manufacturer, and other important particulars of the 
consignment.  
e. Samples shall be stored in such a manner that the temperature of the material does not vary unduly 
from the normal temperature.  
F.2  Scale of sampling  
F.2.1 Lot 
All the containers  in a single consignment of the same material drawn from a single batch of  manufacture shall 
constitute a lot. If the consignment  is declared to consist of different batches of  manufacture, the batches shall 
be marked separately  and the groups of containers in  each batch shall  constitute a separate lot.  
F.2.1.1  Samples shall be tested for each lot for  ascertaining the conformity of the material to the  requirement of 
this specification.  
F.2.1.2 The number of containers to be selected from  the lot shall depend on  the size of the lot and shall  be in 
accordance with the sampling criteria given in Table 2. 
F.2.1.3 The containers shall be selected at random  from the lot and for this purpose a random number  table 
shall be used. If such a table is not available,  the fol lowing procedure shall be adopted:  
Starting from any c ontainer in the lot, count them as I, 2, 3 up to r in a systematic manner, where  r is equal to 
the integral part of N/ n, N being the  total number of containers in the lot and n the number  of containers to be 
chosen (see Table 2). Every rth  container thus counted shall be separated until the  requisite number of 
containers is obtained from the  lot to give samples for test.  
F.3 Test and referee samples  
F.3.1 Preparation of individual samples  
Using suitable  sampling instrument, draw equal quantities of the product from different parts of the container till 
500 g of product is drawn and divide it into three equal parts. Each part of the three parts shall constitute an 
individual sample representing the contai ner and shall be transferred immediately to thoroughly cleaned and 
dry containers, sealed air -tight and marked with particulars given under F.1 d. The individual sample so obtained 
shall be divided into three sets in such a way that each set has a sample r epresenting each selected container. 
One of these shall be marked for the purchaser, another for the seller and the third for the referee.  DUS  1810: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  11 
 F.3.2 Preparation of composite s ample  
From the product remaining after the individual sample has been taken  from the selected containers, 
approximately equal quantities of the product  shall be taken and mixed together so as to form a composite  
sample weighing 150 g. This composite sample shall  be divided into three equal parts and transferred to  clean 
and dry containers,  sealed air -tight and labelled  with particulars as given in H.1 d . One of these  composite 
samples shall be for the purchaser, another  for the vendor and the third for the referee.  
F.3.3 Referee s amples  
Referee samples shall  consist o f a set of individual s amples (F.3.1) and a composite sample (F .3.2) marked for 
this purpose and shall bear the seals of  the purchaser and the selle r. These shall be kept  at an agreed  place. 
F.4 Number of tests  
F.4.1 Tests for melting point, total volatile matter,  ash and sulpha ted ash shall be conducted on each  of the 
samples constituting a set of individual samples.  
F.4.2 Tests for speci fic gravity, refractive index , acid value, saponification value and iodine  value, matter 
insoluble in benzene and matter soluble  in water shall  be conducted on the composite sample.  
F.5 Criteria for conformity   
A lot shall be declared to have satisfied all  the requirements of th is specification when t he test results on each 
of the individual  samples and the composite samples satisfy the correspon ding requirements given in Table 1.  
Table 2 : Number of containers to be s elected  for Sampling  
(Clause F.2.1.2 ) 
Lot size  
(N) Number of containers to be selected  
(n) 
Up to 25  3 
26 – 100  4 
101 – 500  5 
  501 – 1000  7 
1001 and above  9 
 DUS 1810:2018  
12 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] ES 1203 : 2005, Beeswax — Specification (First edition)  
[2] EFSA (2007), Beeswax (E 901) as a glazing agent and as carrier for flavours    
[3] ET 1504: 2005, Beeswax — Specification (First  Revision)  
[4] IS 1504: 1996 (Reaffirmed in 2008), Beeswax, Crude and refined — Specification (Third Revision)  
[5] IS 4028 (1977),  Beeswax, Bleached for Cosmetic Industry — Specification (First Revision)  
[6] JECFA (2005) — BeeswaxDUS 1810 : 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights  reserved  13 
 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 governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certific ation 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 National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are continually checked by UNBS 
for conformity to that standard.  
Further parti culars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda National 
Bureau of Standards.  
 
 
DUS 1810: 2018    
 
ICS 67.220.20  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved