Reference number  
DRS 350:2017  
© RSB 2017  
 
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
350 
First edition  
2017 -mm-dd 
 
Iron bio -fortified dry beans  — Specification  
  DRS 350:2017  
©RSB 2017 - 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  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB2017  
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 reproduce thi s document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 252 586103/ 582945  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www. rsb.gov.rw  DRS 350:2017  
iii                ©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Quality requirements ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  5 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  5 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  5 
4.3 Iron content requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  5 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  6 
5.1 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 6 
5.2 Other contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  6 
5.2.1  Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  6 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  6 
8 Weights and meas ures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  6 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  7 
10 Sampling methods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  7 
 DRS 350:2017  
©RSB 2017 - 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 standards.  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.  
DRS350 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 003, Cereals, Pulses and Cereal Products . 
In the pr eparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standard:  
RS EAS 46: 2017 , Dry beans – Specification  
The assistance de rived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Cereals, pulses and cereals 
products  (RSB/TC 003) in the preparation of this standard.  
Paragraph of p articipants  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  
 DRS 350:2017  
1                ©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved  
 Iron bio -fortified beans  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for iron bio -fortified dry common 
beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris  L.) intended for human consumption.  
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of  their content constitutes 
requireme nts 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.  
RS CAC/RCP 1,  
RS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Requirements  
RS ISO 605, Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety — 
Test methods  
RS ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
RS ISO 24557, Pulses — Determination of moisture content — Air-oven method  
AOAC 972. 25, Lead in food —– Atomic absorption spectrophotometric method  
AOAC 973.34, Cadmium in food — Atomic absorption spectrophotometric method  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the follow ing terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
iron bio-fortified dry beans  
dry beans produced from varieties that have higher level of iron  
3.2 
bio-fortification  
practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals 
(including trace elements) in a food, through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding   
©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved                  2 
 3.3 
conventional plant breeding  
natural crop variety development techniques  
3.4 
dry beans  
dry threshed field and garden beans of the variety Phaseolus vulgaris  L. 
3.5 
defective beans  
that are slightl y or seriously defective  
3.5.1  
slightly defective beans  
that are immature, slightly stained, wrinkled or brok en 
3.5.1.1  
immature beans  
which are light, not fully filled an d thin due to under development  
3.5.1.2  
slightly stained beans  
with extensive seed co at staining, witho ut the cotyledon being affected  
3.5.1.3 
wrinkled  
in which there is prono unced folding of the seed coat  
3.5.1.4 
broken beans  
in which the cotyledons are separated or one or both cotyledons have been broke n DRS 350:2017  
3                ©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved  
 3.5.2 
seriously defective beans  
that are pest damaged, mouldy , rotten, Seriously Stained beans, Germinated and heat damage d 
3.5.2.1 
pest damaged  beans  
which show damage owing to attack by rodents, insects, mites or other pests  
3.5.2.2 
Mouldy  beans  
with visible mycelia/fungal growth on th eir surface  
3.5.2.3 
rotten/decay  beans  
which are discoloured, swollen and soft as a result of decomposition by fungi or bacteria  
3.5.2.4 
seriously stained beans  
with cotyledon staining  
3.5.2.5 
germinated beans  
which have sprouted  
3.5.2.6 
heat-damaged beans  
that are materially discoloured and damaged by heat due to the exposure to severe heat during storage  
3.6 
foreign/extraneous matter  
fraction consisting of inorganic extraneous matter and organic extraneous matter other than filth   
©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved                  4 
 3.6.1 
inorganic  foreign/extraneous matter  
stones, glass, pieces of soil and other mineral matter  
3.6.2 
organic foreign/extraneous matter  
plant matter (twigs, seed coats , straws, weeds) other than grains of beans, damaged bean grains, other edible 
grains  
3.7 
filth 
impurit ies of animal origin such as dead insects, fragments or remains of insects  
3.8 
food grade material  
packaging 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  
3.9 
contrasting varieties  
beans of other varieties that are of a different colour, size, or shape from the beans of the designated variety  
3.10 
other edible grains  
other than common bean (phaseolis vulgaris), whole or broken such  as maize, sorghum, wheat, etc that are 
naturally comestible  
3.11 
harmful and toxic seeds  
seeds which, if present in quantities above a certain limit, can have a damaging or dangerous effect on health, 
sensory properties or  technological performance i:e Crotolaria (Crotalaria spp.), Corn cockle (Agrostemma 
githago L.), Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), Jimson weed (Datura spp.)  DRS 350:2017  
5                ©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved  
 4 Quality requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
Iron bio -fortified dry beans shall be:  
a) dried and mature ; 
b) well-filled;  
c) uniform in size, colour and shape  and produced from one variety;  
d) free from off flavours and musty or other undesirable odour . 
4.2 Specific requirements  
Iron bio -fortified dry beans  shall be categorised into three grades on the basis of the tolerable limits 
established in Table  1. 
Table 1 — Specific requirements  
S/N Characteristics  Maximum limits , 
%, m/m  Method of 
test 
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i)  Moisture  14 RS ISO 
24557  
ii)  Foreign/extraneous matter  0.5 0.75 1 
RS ISO 605  iii)  Inorganic foreign matter  0.1 0.2 0.3 
iv)  Filth 0.1 
v)  Other edible grains  0.1 0.2 0.5 
vi)  Contrasting varieties  0.5 1 1.5 
vii)  Slightly defective beansa 1 3 7 
viii)  Seriously defective beans  0.2 0.4 1 
ix)  Total defective  0.8 2.4 5.6 
x)  Harmful/noxious seeds  0.05 
a broken bean shall not exceed 3.0  % of the slightly  defective beans  
4.3 Iron content requirements  
Iron bio -fortified beans shall be classified and have iron content limits as per the Table 2.  
©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved                  6 
 Table 2 — Iron bio -fortification requirements  
S/N Class  Iron content 
mg/kg  Method of 
test 
i)  Class I  ≥ 90 
AOAC 
999.10  ii)  Class II  ≥ 80 and ˂ 90 
iii)  Class III  ≥ 60 and ˂ 70 
5 Contaminants  
5.1 Pesticide residues  
Iron bio -fortified dry beans shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity  
5.2 Other contaminants  
5.2.1  Heavy metals  
Iron bio -fortified dry beans shall comply with those maximum limits for heavy metals stated in Table 2  
Table 3-Heavy metals limits for beans  
 
 
 
6 Hygiene  
Iron bio -fortified dry beans  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with RS CAC/RCP 1.  
7 Packaging  
7.1 Iron bio -fortified dry beans shall be packed in food grade containers which will safeguard the hygienic, 
nutritional, and organoleptic qualities of the products.  
7.2 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed . 
8 Weights and measures  
The weight of the p ackage of the product shall comply with Weights and Measures regulations of the 
importing Partner State . Heavy metal  Maximum limit , 
mg/kg  Method of Test  
Lead  0.2 AOAC 972.25  
Cadmium  0.1 AOAC 973.34  DRS 350:2017  
7                ©RSB 2017 - All rights reserved  
 9 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements in EAS 38, each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the 
following:  
a) product name as “Iron bio-fortified dry beans”;  
b) grade as per the Table 1; 
c) class as per Table 2; 
d) name, address and physical location of the producer/ packer/importer;  
e) batch number;  
f) net weight, in kilograms;  
g) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
h) crop year;  
i) instructions on disposal of used package;  
j) country of origin; and  
k) declaration on whether the dry beans  were genetically modified or not.  
10 Sampling methods  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the RS ISO 24333.  
  DRS 350: 2017  
ICS 67.060 
 
 
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