FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS 953 
First Edition  
2013 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS 943: 2013 
© UNBS 2013   
  
Amaranth flour — Specification 
 FDUS 953: 2013  
ii © UNBS 2013  – 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 applicati on 
© UNBS 2013  
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 UN BS. 
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: 256 414 505 995 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 FDUS 953:2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda.  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/SPS Agreements 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.  
Committee membership 
The following organisations were represented under the Cereals and cereal producs sub-committee (SC 3) of 
the Food and Agriculture Standards Technical Committee, UNBS/TC 2, during the development of this 
standard: 
 East Africa Basic Foods (U) Limited 
 Hortexa  
 Maganjo millers 
 Makerere University 
 Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooporatives 
 NARO- NARL 
 Seba foods (U) Ltd 
 Smart foods Ltd 
 Uganda Consumer Protection Association (UCPA) 
 
 FDUS 953: 2013  
iv © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 Introduction 
The Amaranth grain is a grain obtained from the genus Amaranth . Amaranth grows as short-lived herbs that 
occur in temperate and tropical regions. There are about 60 species, of which, mainly three are cultivated fo r 
grain purposes namely; A.hypocodriacus, A. cruentus and A.caudatus . when cultivated. Amaranth produces a 
large amount of biomass in a short period of time and therefore has the potential to contribute to a substantial 
increase in the world ’s food production.  
Amaranth grain has various nutritional and health benefits due to its having high protein content and also 
having high quality proteins. Amaranth grain are also rich in unsaturated fatty acids especially linoleic acid an d 
contain substantial levels of essential micronutrients. The grain is used for the vulnerable groups. 
Because of this advantage, the grain amaranth conforming to FDUS 982 has to be used to produce the flour 
for the development of products such as the flour for porridge, meal flour, cookies and snacks.  
Following this, FDUS 953, Amaranth grain flour has been developed to specify the minimum requirements. 
 FINAL DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  FDUS 953: 2013  
 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  1 
 Amaranth flour — Specification  
1 Scope 
This Final Draft Uganda Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for flour 
prepared from dried amaranth grain obtained from ( Amaranthus caudutus, A.hypochondaricus, A.cruentus)  
intended for human consumption.  
2 Normative references 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies.  
ISO 605, Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odour, insects, and species and variety  — Test 
methods  
US 7, General standard for labelling of pre-packaged fo ods 
US 28, Code of Practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry   
US 97 (ISO 13690),  Cereals, pulses and milled products — Sampling of static batches  
US 217-2 , Methods for microbiological examination of foods — Part 2: General guidance for the enumeration 
of micro-organisms — General guidance for the enumeration of micro -organisms — Colony Count 
Technique at 30  C 
US 217- 5, Methods for microbiological examination of foods — Part 5: Enumeration of coagulase -positive 
Staphylococci  
US 217-8 , Methods for microbiological examination of foods — Part 8: Enumeration of yeast and moulds in 
foods  
US 246, Specification for woven bags made from natural fibres for cereals and pulses  
US 343/ISO 1871, Agricultural food products ― General directions for the determination of nitrogen by the 
Kjeldahl method  
US 345/ISO 5498, Agricultural food products ― Determination of crude fibre content  ― General Method 
US 738, General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed   
US ISO 2171, Cereals, pulses and by-products ― Determination of ash yield by incineration  
FDUS 952, Amaranth grain specification 
 FDUS 953: 2013  
2 © UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
amaranth flour  
product in powder form prepared from dried amaranth grain ( A. caudutus, A.  hypochondaricus  or A. cruentus)  
by grinding or milling processes  
3.2 
food grade material 
one that will not transfer non-food chemicals into the food and contains no chemicals which would be 
hazardous to human health 
4 Essential composition and quality factors 
4.1 Raw material 
The Amaranth grain from which the flour is milled shall be clean, sound, mature, dry seeds essentially free 
from other seeds and foreign matter in accordance with FDUS 952. 
4.2 Essential composition factors 
Amaranth flour shall conform to the compositional requirements in Table 1. 
Table 1 — Compositional requirements for amaranth flour 
Characteristic  Limit  Method of test  
Ash content , % by mass, max.  5.0 US ISO 2171  
Protein content , % by mass, min.  12 US 343  
Moisture content, % by mass, max.  10 US 98  
Crude fibre content, % by mass  on a dry 
matter basis , max.  1.8 US 345  
 
4.3 General quality factors  
Amara nth flour shall:  
a) be practically free from filth in amounts that may represent a hazard to human health;  
b) be free of off flavours and odours; 
c) be practically free from any living insects and foreign matter; 
d) be safe and suitable for human consumption; and 
e) have  a colour characteristic of the variety.  
4.4 Particle size  
Not less than 90 % shall pass through a 0.60 mm sieve for fine flour and not less than 90 % shall pass through 
a 1.20 mm sieve for coarse flour.  FDUS 953: 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserv ed 3 
 5 Food additives 
The product shall contain only permitted additives in accordance with US 45 .  
6 Contaminants 
Amaranth flour shall conform to those maximum levels of the US 738.  
7 Hygiene 
Amaranth flour shall be prepared and handled in accordance with US 28. 
When tested by appropriate standards for sampling and examination in Clause 2, the product shall be free 
from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health and shall not exceed the limits 
specifi ed in Table 2. 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for amaranth flour 
S/No  Type of micro -organism  Limits  Test method  
i) Yeasts and moulds, per g , max.  103 US EAS 217 -8 
ii) S.aureus  per 25 g  Not detectable  US EAS 217 -5 
iii) E. coli, per g , max.  Not detectable  US/EAS 217 -4 
iv Total aerobic count , per g  105 US EAS 217 -2 
8 Packaging  
Amaranth flour shall be packaged in food grade materials that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional and 
organoleptic quality of the product. The packaging materials shall comply with the legislation of the destination 
country. 
9 Weights and measures  
Amaranth flour shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures requirements of the 
destination country.  
10 Labelling 
In addition to the requirements of US 7, the following labeling requirements shall apply and shall be legibly 
and indelibly marked: 
a) common name of the food to be declared on the label shall be 'Amaranth flour'; 
b) net contents by weight in metric (`Systeme International') units; 
c) name and physical address of the manufacturer/distributor; 
d) country of origin; 
e) lot identification; 
f) date of manufacture and best before date; FDUS 953: 2013  
4 © UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  
 g) the statement “Human Food' shall appear on the package ”;  
h) storage conditions as “Store in a cool dry place away from contaminants ”; and 
i) instructions on disposal of used package.  
11 Method of sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with US 97. 
 FDUS 953: 2013 
© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved  5 
 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 certification 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 particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 FDUS 953:2013   
 
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© UNBS 2013 – All rights reserved