PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS DEAS 920  
Second  Edition  
2018-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS DEAS 920 : 2017  
© UNBS 201 8 
  
Tea masala — Specification 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 920: 2017 
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  
© UNBS 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. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
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Uganda 
Tel: +256 417 333 250 /1/2 
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 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 920: 2017 
© UNBS  2018 - All rights reserved                iii National 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 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 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 representatives of 
consumers, 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 recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Uganda Standard, DUS DEAS 920: 2017 , Tea masala — Specification,  is identical with  and has been 
reproduced from an East African Standard, DEAS 920: 2017, Tea masala — Specification , and adopt ed as a 
Uganda Standard. 
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 2, Food and agriculture 
Subcommittee SC 4 , Fruits , Vegetables, Spices and related products.  
Wherever the words , “East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT
 DEAS 920: 2017  
ICS 67.220.10  
 
© EAC 2017                                                                                                                              First Edition 2017 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Tea masala — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTPUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017 
ii © EAC  2017  – 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 selling it should be addressed 
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be prosecuted. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017  
© EAC 2017  – 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 Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC) mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards (EAS).  The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards. XXXXXX. 
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.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 006, Spices culinary herbs 
and condiments . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTPUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDRAF T EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 920: 2017  
 
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  1 
 Tea masala — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for tea masala 
which is used as a flavouring material in the preparation of tea. 
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 document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. 
CODEX STAN 193 , General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — Specification  
EAS 39 , Hygiene in the food and drink industry — Code of practice 
EAS 99 , Spices and condiments — Terminology 
ISO 927 , Spices and condiments — Determination of extraneous matter and foreign matter conte nt 
ISO 928 , Spices and condiments — Determination of total ash 
ISO 930 , Spices and condiments — Determination of acid insoluble ash  
ISO 939 , Spices and condiments — Determination of moisture content Entrainment method 
ISO 948 , Spices and condiments — Sampling  
ISO 1108 , Spices and condiments — Determination of non-volatile ether extract  
ISO 4833-1 , Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of micro-organisms — 
Part 1: Colony-count at 30 degrees C — Pour plate technique 
ISO 7954 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — General guidance for enumeration of yeasts and 
moulds — Part 8: Colony count technique at 25 degrees C 
ISO 16050 , Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cereals, nuts and derived products 
ISO 7251 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli - Most probable number technique 
ISO 6579 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Part 6: Horizontal method for the detection of 
Salmonella spp.  
ISO 6571 , Spices and condiments — Determination of volatile oil content (hydrodistillation method) PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017 
2 © EAC  2017  – All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EAS 99 and the following apply. 
3.1 
masala 
is a mixture of spices prepared by grinding clean, dried and sound spices and condiments. 
3.2 
tea masala 
Is a mixture of spices used to season tea 
3.3 
extraneous matter 
includes dust, dirt, stones, clay particles and pieces of wood, all particles originating from the plant other than 
ingredients used in making tea masala 
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  Tea masala shall be prepared by grinding clean, dried and sound spices and condiments. The major 
ingredients shall include cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper and ginger . Tea masala shall be prepared by 
100 % spices and condiments as listed in EAS 99.  
4.1.2  The taste and odour of the tea masala shall be fresh, pleasant and characteristic of the designated 
product.  
4.1.3  Tea masala shall be free from extraneous matter visible to the naked eye. 
4.1.4  Tea masala shall be free from living insects, and practically free from moulds, dead insects, insect 
fragments and rodent contamination.  
4.2 Specific quality requirements  
4.2.1  Tea masala shall comply with the specific quality requirements specified in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Quality requirements for tea masala 
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i)  Moisture % m/m, max . 10.00  ISO 9 39 
ii)  Volatile oil ml/100 g %m/m, min . 1.5 ISO 6571  
iii)  Total ash % m/m, max . 8 ISO 928 
iv)  Acid insoluble ash % m/m, max . 2 ISO 930 
v)  Non-volatile ether extract % m/m, min.  7.5 ISO 1108  
vi)  Crude fibre %m/m, max.  15 Annex A  
 
4.2.2  Tea masala shall be ground to such fineness that all of it passes through a sieve of 500 micron (0.500 
mm). PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017  
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  3 
 5 Food additives 
Tea masala shall be free from added colouring matter, flavour and preservatives. 
6 Contaminants 
6.1 Pesticide residues 
Pesticide residues in tea masala shall not exceed maximum residue limit as established by the Codex Online 
Guideline for pesticide residue in food. 
6.2 Heavy metal 
Heavy metals in tea masala shall not exceed maximum residue limit as stipulated in Codex Stan 193. 
6.3 Aflatoxin limits. 
Total aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 µg/L and aflatoxin B 1 shall not exceed 5 µg/L when tested with ISO 16050. 
7 Hygiene  
Tea masala shall be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39 and shall 
conform to the microbiological limits stipulated in Table 2. 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for tea masala 
S/No.  Organism  Limit  Test method  
i) Total plate count, cfu/g, max.  105 ISO 4833 -1 
ii) Yeast and mould cfu/g, max . 103 ISO 7954  
iii) Salmonella spp. per 25 g, max . Absent  ISO 6579  
v) Escheri chia coli  MPN/g, max . Absent  ISO 7251  
8 Weights and measures 
The weight and fill of tea masala shall comply with the weights and measures regulations of Partner States or 
equivalent legislation. 
9 Packaging  
9.1 Tea masala shall be packed in clean and sound container made of food grade material and sealed with 
temper-proof seal. The container shall be made of a material which does not impart any smell, does not react 
with tea masala and protect it from ultra violet radiation, ingress of moisture and loss of volatile matter.  
9.2 The packaging shall not be a source of contamination, and shall protect the product safety and quality 
during transportation and storage. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017 
4 © EAC  2017  – All rights reserved  
 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 of the product; 
b) brand name or trade name if any;  
c) name, physical location and address of manufacturer; 
d) list of ingredients in descending order of proportion by mass; 
e) net weight;  
f) date of manufacture/packing; 
g)  batch identification number/code; 
h) best before; 
i) country of origin; and 
j) storage condition. 
11 Sampling  
Sampling of tea masala shall be done in accordance with ISO 948. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017  
© EAC 2017  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of crude fibre  
A.1 Reagents 
A.1.1 Petroleum ether:   
A.1.2 Dilute sulphuric acid : 1.25 % (m/v) accurately prepared.  
A1.3  Sodium hydroxide solution : 1.25 % (m/v) accurately prepared.  
A.1.4 Ethanol : 95 % (v/v) 
A.2 Procedure:  
Weigh accurately about 2.5 g of the ground material into a thimble and extract for about 1 hour with petroleum 
ether using a Soxhlet apparatus. Transfer the material in the thimble to a one-litre flask. Take 200 ml of the 
dilute sulphuric acid in a beaker and bring to boil. Transfer the whole of the boiling acid to the flask containing 
the fat-free material and immediately connect the flask with a water-cooled reflux condenser and heat so that 
the contents of the flask begin to boil within 1 minute. Rotate the flask frequently taking care to keep the 
material from remaining on the sides of the flask and out of contact with the acid. Continue boiling for exactly 
30 minutes. Remove the flask and filter through fine linen (about 18 thread to the centimetre) or through a 
coarse acid washed hardened filter paper, held in a funnel  and wash with boiling water until the washings are 
no longer acidic to litmus paper. Bring some quantity of sodium hydroxide solution to boil under reflux 
condenser. Wash the residues on the filter into the flask with 200 ml of boiling sodium hydroxide solution. 
Immediately connect the flask with the reflux condenser and boil for exactly 30 minutes. Remove the flask and  
immediately filter through the linen or the filter paper. 
Thoroughly wash the residue with boiling water and transfer to a Gooch crucible prepared with a thin but 
compact layer of ignite asbestos. Wash the residue thoroughly first with hot water and then with about 15 
ml of ethyl alcohol and with three successive washings of 15 ml of petroleum ether each.  Dry the Gooch 
crucible and contents at 105 ± 1 °C in an air-oven for 3 hours, cool and weigh. Repeat the process of drying 
for 30 minutes, cooling and weighing until the difference between two consecutive weighings is less than 1 
mg. Incinerate the contents of the Gooch crucible in the muffle furnace at 550 ±20 °C until all the 
carbonaceous matter is burnt. Cool the Gooch crucible containing the ash in a desiccator  and weigh.  
A.3 Calculation   
Crude fibre (on dry basis), percent by mass 
    = 100 (M 1 – M2) *  100 
                                 M        (100- H) 
Where:   M 1 = mass in g of Gooch crucible and contents before ashing,  
               M 2 = mass in g of Gooch crucible containing asbestos and ash,  
               M = mass in g of the material taken for the test 
                      H= moisture content of the sample as received  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 920: 2017 
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