PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS DEAS 1 
Second  Edition  
2016-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS DEAS 1: 2016 
© UNBS 201 6 
  
Wheat flour — Specification  
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 1: 2016 
ii                © UNBS  2016  - 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 2016 
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 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: 256 417 333 2 50/1/2/3 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 1:2016 
© UNBS  2016 - 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 Draft Uganda Standard, DUS DEAS 1: 2016, Wheat flour — Specification,  is identical with  and has been 
reproduced from a Draft East African Standard, DEAS 1 : 2016 , Wheat flour — Specification,  and is being 
proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard. 
This standard cancel and replaces US EAS 1 :2011, Wheat flour — Specification , which has been technically 
revised.  
This standard was developed by the Food and agriculture Standards Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 2).  
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT DEAS 1:2016 
ICS 67.060 
© EAS 2016                                                                                                                              First Edition 2016  
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Wheat flour — Specification 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTPUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016 
ii © EAC  2016  – 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 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community 2016  — All rights reserved 
East African Community  
P.O. Box 1096 
Arusha 
Tanzania 
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8 
Fax: 255 27 2504481/2504255 
E-mail: eac@eachq.org 
       Web: www.eac-quality.net 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be prosecuted. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016  
© EAC 2016  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents 
  
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................ iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ ...................... 1 
2 Normative references  ................................................................ ................................ ............................ 1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................................................ ................................ ........................... 1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ ......... 2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................................................ ................................ ........................... 2 
4.2 Specific requirements ........................................................................................................................... 3  
5 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................................... 4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ ................... 4 
7 Contamina nts ................................ ................................ ................................................................ ......... 4 
7.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ .......... 4 
7.2 Pesticide residues  ................................................................ ................................ .................................  4 
7.3 Mycotoxins  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ .............  4 
8 Weights and measures  ................................................................ ................................ ......................... 5 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ ............... 5 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................................................ ................. 5 
11 Methods of sampling  ................................................................ ................................ ............................. 5 
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................................ 6  
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016 
iv © EAC  2016  – All rights reserved  
 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 Committee 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 Standards 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 1 was prepared by Technical Committee EAS/  TC 014 , Cereals and pulses . 
This second/third/... edition cancels and replaces the first/second/... edition (EAS nnn-n:19xx), [clause(s) / 
subclause(s) / table(s) / figure(s) / annex(es)] of which [has / have] been technically revised. 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1: 2016  
 
© EAC 2016  – All rights reserved  1 
 Wheat flour — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, methods of sampling and test for wheat flour 
prepared from common wheat. Triticum aestivum L . or club wheat, Triticum compactum Host , or mixtures 
thereof intended for human consumption. It does not apply to wheat flour obtained from Triticum durum  and 
fortified wheat flour. 
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 referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies. 
EAS 35, Edible salt — Specification 
EAS 38, Labelling of prepackaged foods — Specification 
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice 
EAS 51, Grades of wheat grain — Specification 
EAS 82, Milled cereal products — Methods of test 
EAS 103, Schedule for permitted food additives 
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 liquid chromatographic method 
ISO 13690, Cereals, pulses and milled products — Sampling of static batches 
CODEX Stan 193, Codex general Standards for contaminants and toxins in food and feed 
ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination crude fibre content — General method 
ISO 2171, Determination of ash content 
ISO 1871, Food and feed products — General guidelines for the determination of nitrogen by the Kjeldahl 
method 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016 
2 © EAC  2016  – All rights reserved  
 3.1 
wheat flour 
product prepared from common wheat grain, Triticum aestivum  L. or Club wheat, Triticum compactum Host , or 
mixtures thereof by grinding or milling process  
3.2 
white wheat flour 
wheat flour obtained by milling wheat grains at extraction rates that leaves negligible amounts of bran 
3.3 
baker’s flour  
white wheat flour made from semi hard/hard wheat which has a medium to high protein content intended for 
bread making  
3.4 
home baking /all-purpose flour 
white wheat flour obtained by milling either soft wheat grains or blends of hard and soft wheat grains  used for 
making wide range of baked products 
3.5 
biscuit flour 
white wheat flour obtained by milling soft wheat or a blend of hard and soft wheat with a high percentage of 
soft wheat for biscuit manufacture 
3.6 
cracker flour 
white wheat flour obtained by milling medium protein wheat with no improvers 
3.7 
self-raising flour 
white wheat flour obtained by milling soft or a blend of soft and hard wheat to which raising agents are added 
3.8 
standard flour 
wheat flour obtained by milling wheat grains at a higher extraction than home baking flour 
3.9 
wholemeal flour 
wheat flour obtained by milling the entire wheat grain to fine particle size without any separation 
3.10 
atta flour 
wheat flour of high extraction rate or white wheat flour to which pollard and or bran are blended 
3.11 
food grade container 
container which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, technological, and organoleptic qualities of the product 
3.12 
foreign matter  
organic or inorganic material other than wheat flour 
4 Requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
4.1.1  The wheat grain from which the flour is obtained shall comply with EAS 51.  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016  
© EAC 2016  – All rights reserved  3 
 4.1.2  Edible salt, if used, shall conform to EAS 35. 
4.1.3  Wheat flour shall have the characteristic colour and shall  
a) be free from any objectionable flavours and odours; 
b) be free from insects, worms, fungal infestation, rodent contaminations and foreign matter; 
c) not contain flour from other cereals .  
However, the addition of malted barley flour not exceeding 1 % is permissible in the case of baker’s flour.  
4.2 Specific requirements 
All types of wheat flour shall conform to the compositional requirements given in Table 1. 
In addition to the requirements in Table 1, self-raising flour shall contain th e following: 
a) Sodium bicarbonate in sufficient amounts to provide not less than 0.4 % of available carbon  dioxide; 
b) Acid ingredients singly or in combination including  sodium acid pyrophosphate, mono acid calcium 
phosphate and sodium aluminium phosphate; and 
c) Edible salt may be added in self raising flour. 
Table 1 — Specific requirements 
 
S/No.  
Types of flour  Moisture 
content, 
max. %,  
m/m Crude 
fibre 
content, 
max. %,  
m/m Total ash 
content, 
max. %,  
m/m Residue on 
sieving 
through 180 
micron sieve, 
max. %  Crude 
protein 
content, 
min. %,  
m/m 
i)  White wheat flour : 14 1.0 0.8 0.5 9.0 
ii)  Baker’s flour  14 1.0 0.8 0.8 11.0 
iii)  Home baking flour  14 1.0 0.8 0.8 8.0 
iv)  Biscuit flour  14 1.0 0.8 0.8 8.0 
v)  Cracker flour  14 1.0 0.8 0.8 8.0 
vi)  Self-raising flour  14 1.0 3.0 0.80 8.0 
vii)  
Standard flour 14 1.5 1.10 30.0 11.0 
viii)  
Atta flour  14 2.0 2.0 55.0 8.0 
ix)  
Whole -meal flour 14 2.0 2.0 30.0 8.0 
x)  
Test methods  ISO 6540  ISO 5498  ISO 2171   ISO 1871  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016 
4 © EAC  2016  – All rights reserved  
 5 Food additives 
Wheat flour may contain only the permitted food additives in the Codex Stan 192. The use of 
Azordicarbonamide (ADA) and potassium bromate is not allowed.  
6 Hygiene 
6.1 Wheat flour shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39. 
6.2 The product shall conform to microbiological limits in Table 2. 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits 
S/No. Micro -organism  Maximum limit  Methods of test  
i)  Total aerobic count per g  105 ISO 4832 
ii)  E. Coli  per 1 g  Absent  ISO 16649 -1 
iii)  Salmonella  per 25 g  Absent  ISO 6579 
iv)  Yeast and Moulds cfu/g  104 ISO 7954 
v)  S.aureus  per 25 g  102 ISO 6888 -1 
7 Contaminants 
7.1 Heavy metals 
Wheat flour shall conform to those maximum limits for heavy metals established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission as specified in Table 3 .  
Table 3 — Heavy metals limits 
S/N Heavy metal  Limits (mg/kg)  Test methods  
i)  Arsenic (As)  0.1 ISO 2 7085  
ii)  Lead (Pb)  0.2 ISO 6633  
iii)  Cadmium (cd)  0.1 ISO 6561 -1 or ISO  6561 -2 
 
7.2 Pesticide residues 
Wheat flour shall conform to those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity.  
7.3 Mycotoxins 
Wheat flour shall conform to the maximum mycotoxin limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission as specified in Table 4 .  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016  
© EAC 2016  – All rights reserved  5 
  
Table 4 — Mycotoxins limits 
S/N Mycotoxins  Limits  Test methods  
i)  Total aflatoxins, µg/kg, max 10  ISO 16050.  
ii)  Aflatoxins B1, µg/kg , max 5 
iii)  Fumonisins, µg/kg, max 2000  AOAC 2001.04  
8 Weights and measures 
The fill and the weight of the product shall conform to weights and measures regulations of the importing 
partner states.  
9 Packaging 
Wheat flour shall be packaged in food grade containers. 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) product name as “wheat flour” ; 
b) name, address and physical location of the manufacturer/ packer/importer; 
c) lot/batch/code number; 
d) net weight, in kg;  
e) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’;  
f) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
g) date of manufacture; 
h) expiry date; 
i) instructions on disposal of used package; and 
j) country of origin; 
11 Methods of sampling 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the ISO 24333. 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016 
6 © EAC  2016  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography 
CODEX STAN 152-1985 (Rev. 1 - 1995), CODEX Standard for wheat flour  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 1: 2016    
 
© EAC 2016 – All rights reserved