DEAS 948:2018  
ICS 67.080.10  
 
© EAC 2019                                                                                                                              xxx Edition 2018 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Fruit drinks  — Specification   
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 948:2018  
ii © EAC  2018 – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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Violators may be pr osecuted .             DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Conformance  ................................ ................................ ............................. Error! Bookmark not defined.  
3 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
4 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
5 Symbols (and abbrevia ted terms)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  2 
6 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  3 
6.1 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.1.1 Subclaus e (level  2) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.1.2 Subclause (level  2) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.2 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
7 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  5 
8 Special  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ Error! Bookmark not defined.  
Annex  A (normative)  Annex title  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  10 
A.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.2 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.2.1 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.2.2 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.3 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
Annex  B (informative)  Which styles correspond to which element  — Quick reference guide Error! Bookmark not defined.  
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  11 
 
 DEAS 948:2018  
iv © EAC  2018 – 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.  
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 th e 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 p rocedures for development of East African Standards.  
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 ###, [name of committee] , 
Subcommittee SC ##, [name of subcommittee] . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this d ocument may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
This second/third/…  edition cancels and replaces the first/second/…  edition ( EAS nnn-n:yyyy), which has 
been technically revised.              DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  v 
  FINAL DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  FDEAS 948 : 2018  
 
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  1 
 Fruit drinks  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This draft East African Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for 
fruit drinks either as ready to drink or dillutables containing  fruit juice  
This standard does not apply to the following c ategories of products for which other standards apply:  
 fruit juices and nectars;  
 vegetable juices and nectars;  
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requir ements 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 192, General standard for food additives  
Codex STAN I93, General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
EAS 804, Claims on foods — Requirements  
EAS 805, Use of nutritional and health claims — Requirements  
EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry  
EAS 153, Drinking water — Specification  
Codex Stan 192, Use of nutrition claims — Requirements  
ISO 4833 -2, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method f or the enumeration of microorganisms — 
Part 2: Colony count at 30  °C by the surface plating   
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 product s with water activity greater than 0,95  
ISO 4832, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony -count technique  
ISO 763, Fruit and vegetable products ─ Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
ISO 2173, Fruit and vegetable products ─ Determination of soluble solids ─ Refractometric method  DEAS 948:2018  
2 © EAC  2018 – All rights reserved  
 ISO 2448, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of ethanol content  
ISO 6636 -2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of zinc content — Part 2: Atomic 
absorption spectrometric method  
ISO 6634, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of arsenic content — Silver 
diethyldithiocarbamate spectro photometric method   
ISO 7952, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of copper content — Method using flame 
atomic absorption spectrometry  
ISO 6633  Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric method  
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of th is document, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www .iso.org/obp  
3.1  
fruit  
edible part of the plant that contains the seeds  
3.2  
fruit juice  
liquid obtained from the edible part of sound, appropriately mature and fresh fruit or of fruit maintained in 
sound condition by suitable means  
3.3  
fruit pulp  
edible portions of the fruit, mashed, or cut into pieces, but not reduced to a puree’  
3.4  
one gas (carbonation) volume  
amount of carbon dioxide the water volume absorbs at the standard atmospheric pressure at 15.6 °C  
3.5  
carbonation  
process of additio n of carbon dioxide to fruit drinks to achieve the characteristics of the product at the 
specified temperature and pressure  
3.6  
standardized  fruit juice  
juice made by blending single strength fruit juices to a standard or reference brix value  
3.7  
single strength fruit juice  
natural liquid obtained from fruit without any blending or modification  
3.8  
brix  
soluble solids content of the juice              DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  3 
 3.9 
Ready -to-drink  
fruit drink is of a single strength or that the fruit drink which had been concentrated int o a solid or liquid form, 
has been reconstituted or diluted according to the instructions on the container and may contain the following;  
a)  Acidity regulator;  
b)  Permitted food conditioner  
c)  Permitted flavouring substances;  
d) Permitted preservativ es; 
e) Permitted colouring substances;  
f) Permitted nutrient supplement like vitamin C;  
g) Salt and  
h) Permitted sweeteners   
 
3.10  
Dilutables  
fruit drinks that require dilution to taste by consumers  
 
3.11 
fruit puree_  
means any unfermented pulpy fruit  juice product obtained by finely comminuting and sieving only the edible 
portion of fruit or the fruit as a whole after removal of the rind and seeds or pits or pips, and preserved in a 
permitted manner  
  
3.12 
Blended fruit drink_   
fruit drink obtained by  mixing two or more fruit juice pulp and purées from different kinds of fruit species  
 
3.12 
food grade materials  
material that will safeguard the hygienic, safety, nutritional, technological, and organoleptic qualities of the 
product.  
4 Product descripti on  
4.1 Fruit  drink  (ready to drink)  is a manufactured beverage intended for direct human consumption which 
contains fruit juice, fruit pulp or other edible parts of the fruits. It may be made from a single or a mixture of two 
or more fruits. It may be s weetened with either nutritive or non -nutritive (intense) sweeteners with or without 
added carbon dioxide and other permitted food additives. These beverages may be clear, cloudy, or may 
contain particulate matter (for example, fruit pieces, crushed pips, seeds and/or peel of the fruit).  
4.1.1 Fruit Cordial_ Means a syrup concentrated drink which has to be diluted to a minimum ration of one to 
three, to produce a suitable drink after dilution. The product is obtained by blending clarified fruit juice with DEAS 948:2018  
4 © EAC  2018 – All rights reserved  
 either nutritive or non -nutritive (intense) sweeteners, water, with or without salt and peel oil and any other 
ingredients suitable to the product.  
4.1.2 Fruit squash_ Means cordial, containing after dilution in a minimum of one to three fruit juice at stand ard 
strength . It is  made from fruit juice, nutritive or non -nutritive (intense) sweeteners, water, and diluted sugar 
syrup.  Squashes may also contain food colouring and additional flavouring.  
4.1.3 Fruit Crush_ Drinks obtained by squeezing/crushing fruits  without further straining  
 
5 Requirements   
5.1 General  requirements  
Fruit drinks shall  
a) have the essential physical, chemical, nutritional characteristics, colour, aroma and flavour of juice 
from the same kind of fruits from which it is made.  
b) have a unifo rm appearance and consistency and characteristic of the product, .  
c) have not undergone any kind of  deterioration or spoilage  
d) be clean and free from foreign matter  
Clear fruit drinks shall remain so when stored under normal storage conditions  
5.2 Ingredient s 
5.2.1 Fruits  
Fruit drink shall be prepared from fruits picked at the proper stage of maturity. The fruits used shall be free 
from damage or contamination as to make them unfit for human consumption.  
5.2.2 Sweetening agents  
a) Honey, s ucrose, glucose (d extrose  anhydrous) or fructose, and other nutritive  sweeteners  or non-nutritive 
sweeteners may be added.  
b) Syrups (as defined in the Standard for Sugars), liquid sucrose, invert sugar solution, invert sugar syrup, 
fructose syrup, liquid cane sugar, isoglu cose and high fructose syrup may be added only to fruit drinks from 
concentrate’  
5.2.3 Water  
The water used for the manufacture of fruit drinks shall be drinking  water and complying with the requirements 
of EAS 153 . 
 
5.2.4   Fortification  
For the purposes  of product fortification , essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals may be added to 
fruit drinks. Such additions shall comply with national legislation established for this purpose.  
             DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  5 
 5.3 Specific requirements  
Fruit drinks shall conform to the com positional requirement in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Compositional requirement of fruit drinks  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Method of test  
I.  Ethanol content, % , max.  0.3  ISO 2448  
II.  Acid insoluble ash, %, max.  0.02  ISO 763  
III.  Min (%) of fruit juice/frui t puree in the final product;  
Ready to drink(RTD)  
Fruit Squash (in the undiluted form)  
Fruit Crush  
Fruit Cordial   
                     10 
24 
24 
24  
 
GMP  
IV.  Total soluble solids, min (%)  
Ready to drink(RTD)  
Fruit Squash (in the undiluted form)  
Fruit Crush  
Fruit Cordial   
10 
40 
55 
30  
 
ISO 2173  
V.  pH (Min)  2.5  
VI.  Co2 Not less than one volume  Annex A  
***For the carbonated fruit drinks the volume of carbon  dioxide shall be not less than one  
 
6  Food additives  
6.1 Fruit drinks may contain only permitted additive s in accordance with  Codex S tan 192 . 
6.2 For tomato drink, Salt, spices and aromatic herbs may be used.   
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Pesticide residues  
Fruit juice drinks shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentariu s Commission for this product.  
7.2 Metal contaminants  
Fruit drinks shall not exceed levels of metals  specified  in Table 2; 
 
 
 DEAS 948:2018  
6 © EAC  2018 – All rights reserved  
 Table 2 — Metal contami nants 
 
 
 
 
 
8 Hygiene  
Fruit drinks shall be produced and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39 . Fruit  drinks shall 
conform to the limits for microbiological contaminants in Table 3.  
Table 3 ─ Mi crobiological limits for fruit drinks  
s/n Microorganisms  Maximum limit  Method of Test  
I.  Total aerobic count, CFU/mL  100 ISO 4833 -2 
II.  Total coliforms, per 100 mL  Absent  ISO 4832   
III.  E. coli , per 100 mL  Absent   ISO 7251  
IV.  Yeast and moulds, CFU/m L   10 ISO 21527 -1 
 
9 Packaging  
Fruit drinks shall be packaged in food grade containers  
10 Weights and measures  
Fruit drinks shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures of Partner States’ regulations  
11 Labelling  
11.1 General  
In add ition to the requirements of EAS 38, 803,804 and 805 the following specific labelling requirements shall 
apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked  on the container;  
11.2 Name of the product  
11.2.1 The name of the product shall be "----------  drink”  or “-----------  fruit drink”, or “ ------------  squash,  or “--------
--- cordial or  ---------- crush,  where “ ------------ ” shall be replaced with the common name of the fruit(s) from 
which the drink is made.  Metal  Maximum (mg/kg)  Method of test  
Arsenic (as As )  0.2 ISO 6634  
Copper (as Cu)  1.5 ISO 7952  
zinc  (as Zn)  5 ISO 6636 -2, 
Lead (as Pb)  0.03  ISO 6633              DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  7 
 11.2.2 In the case of fruit drink products manufac tured from two or more fruits, the product name 
shall include the names of the fruit drinks comprising the mixture in descending order of proportion 
by weight (m/m) or the words "fruit drink blend", " a fruit drink mixture", "mixed fruit drink" or other 
similar wording  
In case of fruit squash, cordial or crush the word “drink” shall be substituted respectively  
11.5 Name of business and Address of the manufacturer, packager, distributor, importer, 
exporter or vendor of the product, whichever may apply, shall  be declared.  
 
11.6     Instructions for use shall be declared  
 
11.7      Storage conditions  
 
Net Content — the net content shall be declared by volume in metric units (Systeme Internationale).  
 
11.8 Lot Identification — each container shall be embossed o r otherwise permanently marked in 
code or in clear identity the producing factory and the lot.  
 
11.9      Place/country of origin  
 
11.10        Date of Manufacture  
 
11.11        Date of expiry  
 
11.12        irradiation status, where applicable  
 
11.2.2 The following designations shall be used where applicable:  
 
a) where the product has been sweetened exclusively with non -nutritive sweeteners, the words "contains 
non-nutritive sweeteners” or “sweetened with non -nutritive sweeteners" shall appear in close proxim ity 
to the name of the product followed by an indication of the quantity of non -nutritive sweeteners added;  
b) where the drink contains more than one gas volume of carbon dioxide, the term carbonated /sparkling 
shall appear in in the name of the product;  
 
11.3 Fruit juice content declaration  
Fruit drinks, squashes, crushes and cordials shall be labeled with declaration of juice content as specified in 
Table 1.  
11.4 Nutritional labelling, nutrition and health claims  
Nutritional labelling, nutrition and heal th claims may be made in accordance with EAS 803,  EAS 804 and EAS 
805.  DEAS 948:2018  
8 © EAC  2018 – All rights reserved  
  
11.5 Labelling prohibitions  
The following are prohibited:  
if the product is a drink that contains the juice whose color , taste or other organoleptic properties have been 
modified to  the extent that the original juice is no longer recognizable by the end processing or if the content of 
the juice is less than 10 %, then the source fruits shall not be depicted on the label by sketch or pictorial 
presentations.  
No fruit drink  may be rep resented pictorially on the label except the species of fruits or fruit juices present, in 
the fruit drink in amounts constituting 10 % or more, provided that where two or more fruits or fruit juices are 
used, the combination of the fruits or fruit juices whose content individually constitutes 10 % or more may be 
used in the pictorial.  
12 Sampling of fruit drinks  
12.1 Scale of sampling  
12.1.1 Lot  
All containers in a consignment belonging to the same batch of manufacture shall constitute a lot. If the 
consignment is declared to consist of different batches of manufacture, containers of the same batch shall be 
grouped together and each group so formed shall constitute a separate lot.  
Sample shall be tested from each lot for ascertaining conformity to the r equirements of this standard.  
12.1.2 Sample size  
The number of containers to be selected from a lot for testing for microbiological and other requirements shall 
depend on the size of the lot and shall be in accordance with Table 3.  
Table 3 – Number of c ontainers to be selected 
for sampling Number of containers in the lot, N  Number of containers to be selected (n)  
Microbiological  Other tests  
up to 1300  12  18  
1301 to 3200  18  24  
3201 and above  24  30  
12.1.3 Sampling method  
The containers to be selected for testing shall be chosen at random from the lot by the following procedure. 
Starting from any container, count them as 1,2,3…... up to r. Every rth containers thus counted shall be 
withdrawn, r being the integral part of N/n, where N is t he total number of containers in the lot and n is the total 
number of container to be chosen (see Table 3).  
12.2 Test samples and reference samples  
12.2.1 Samples for microbiological tests  
The sample containers selected for microbiological tests (see co l. 2 of Table 3) shall be divided at random into 
three equal sets and labelled with all particulars of sampling. One of these sets of sample containers shall be 
for the buyer; another for the supplier and the third set is the reference.  
12.2.2 Samples for  other tests              DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  9 
 The sample containers selected for other tests (see col. 3 of Table 3) shall be divided at random into three 
equal sets and labelled with all the particulars of the sample. One of these sets of sample containers shall be 
for the buyer, anothe r for the supplier and third is the reference.  
12.2.3 Reference samples  
Referee samples shall consist of a set of sample containers for microbiological tests (see 12.2.1) and a set of 
sample containers for other tests (see 12.2.2) and shall bear the seal s of the buyer and supplier or as agreed 
to between the two.  
13 Methods of analysis  
Test of fruit drinks shall be done in accordance with the East African Standards stated in the relevant clauses.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 948:2018  
10 © EAC  2018 – All rights reserved  
 ANNEX A  
 
Method of me asuring gas volume  
 
Principle  
 
The method involves snifting of the top gas.  The pressure reading should drop to 2 psi, to remove the air 
before testing for carbon dioxide volume.  In so doing correction of altitude as per table should be considered 
as pr essure is affected by altitude.  
 
The apparatus consists of pressure gauge having a hollow spike with holes in its side.  The bottle is inserted 
from the side into the slot provided in the neck of the carbon dioxide tester and is secured in place by 
tighten ing with a threaded system.  The pressure gauge is inserted until the needle point touches the crown 
cork.  There is a snift valve on the gauge stem which is kept closed until the needle point of the pressure 
gauge is forced through the crown cork.  The re ading is noted on the gauge.  
 
Procedure  
 
Clamp the bottle in the f rame of the gas volume tester. Pierce the crown cork but do not shake the bottle.  
Snift off the top gas quickly until the gauge reading drops to zero.  Make certain to close the valve inst antly the 
needle touches zero in the pressure gauge.  Shake the bottle vigorously until the gauge gives the reading that 
additional shaking does not change.  Record the pressure.  Note the temperature and record.  Obtain the 
volume of ga s from pressure -temperature chart  (Carbon dioxide chart)  
. 
 
             DEAS 948:2018  
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  11 
 Bibliography  
[1] US 62, Fruit  drinks specification  
  .            DEAS 948:2018    
 
© EAC yyyy – All rights reserved