Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
هيئة التقييس لدول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية  
GCC STAN DARDIZATION ORGANIZATION ( GSO)  
 
 
 
 
 
 Final draft  
 
 
 
GSO 5/ FS 6539 ……/2015  
 
 
Cinnamon : Sri Lankan type, Seychelles type and 
Madagascan type (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) - 
Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepared by :  
Gulf technical committee for standards of food and agriculture products  
 
This document is a draft Gulf standard circulated for comments, it is 
therefore, subject to change, and may not be referred to it as a Gulf 
standard, until approved by t he board of directors  
 
 
  .220.10. ICS: 67         
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
Foreword  
 
Standardization Organization for GCC (GSO) is a regional Organization 
which consists of the National Standard Bodies of GCC member States. 
One of GSO main functions is to issue Gulf Standard/ Technical 
regulation through specialized technical committees (TCs).  
 
GSO through the technical program of committee TC NO.5 " Gulf 
technical committee for standards of food and agriculture products " has 
update the GSO/ISO 6539:2007  " Cinnamon : Sri Lanka n type, Seychelles type 
and Madagascan type (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) - Specification : - "   
 The Draft Standard has be en prepared by ( State of Qatar ). 
 
This standard has been approved as Gulf Technical regulation by GSO 
Board of Directors in its meeting No…../………..held on      /      /      H,         
/       /  and canceled  this standard  and replace them  .   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
  Scope  
 
This Gulf Standard specifies requirements for whole or ground (powdered) cinnamon, 
of the Sri Lankan, Madagascan and Seychelles types; this cinnamon is the bark of the 
tree or shrub Cinnamomum zeylanicum  Blume. 1 
Recommendations relating to storage and transport  conditions are given in Annex  A. 
NOTE  Requirements for cassia (Chinese type, Indonesian type and Vietnamese 
type) are given in GSO/ISO 6538 .  
2 . Complementary Standards  : 
2.1  GSO 9 " Labeling of prepackaged foodstuffs  " . 
2.2 GSO 21 " " Hygienic regulation for food plants and their personnel " .  
2.3 GSO 22  " METHODS OF TEST FOR COLOURING MATTER USED IN 
FOODSTUFFS "  
2.4 GSO 150  "Expiration dates for food products - Part 2 : Voluntary expiration 
dates".  
 2.5 GSO 382  " Maximum limits for pesticide residues in agriculural food products - 
Part 1 " 
2.6 GSO 383"  Maximum limits for pesticide resticide residues in agricultural food 
products part  2. 
2.7  GSO 841  "MAXIMUM LIMITS OF MYCOTOXINS PERMITTED IN FOODS 
AND ANIMAL FEEDS - AFLATOXINS " 
2.8 GSO /ISO 927  " Spices and condiment - determination of filth" .  
2.9 GSO/ISO 928  " Spices and condiments – Determination of total ash  
2.10 GSO/ISO 930 " Spices and condiments – Determination of acid insoluble ash " . 
 2.11 GSO/ISO 939  "  Spices and condiments - Determination of moisture content - 
Entrainment method  
2.12 GSO/ISO 948 " Spices and condiments – sampling  " .  
2.13 GSO 988 " Limits of radionativity levels permitted in foods stuff part - 1."  
2.14 GSO 1016  "MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR FOODSTUFFS – PART 1" . 
2.15  GSO 1323 " Cereals and pulses - Determination of Hidden Insect Infestaion - 
Part3: Refence Method."  
 
                                                
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
2.17 GSO/ISO 1208 " Spices and condiments - Determination of filth.  
 
2.18 GSO/ISO 2825" Spices and condiment - preparation of a ground sample for 
analysis " . 
 
2.19 GSO/ISO 6571 1 " Spices  and herbs  – Determination content of  oil  
 
 volatile  " . 
 
3. Definitions  :  
3.1 cinnamon quill full tube :  scraped peel of the inner bark of mature plantation 
cinnamon shoots joined together by overlaps, the hollow of which has been filled with 
small pieces of the same peel and thereafter dried in the sun after air  curing  . 
3.2 cinnamon quilling   broken tube  :  broken piece and split of varying sizes of all 
grades of cinnamon quills   
 
3.3 cinnamon feathering  
piece of inner bark, obtained by peeling and/or scraping the bark of small twigs and stalks 
of plantation cinnamon shoots, which may include a quantity of chips as specified  
3.4  cinnamon chip  
dried un  peel  able bark of plantation cinnamon, inclusive of the outer bark, which has 
been obtained by beating or scraping the shoots  . 
3.5 ground cinnamon  
powder obtained by grinding cinnamon of the types considered in this International 
Standard, excluding all additives  . 
3.6 whole cinnamon  
all commercial forms of cinnamon except cinnamon powder  
3.7 foxing  
occurrence of reddish -brown patches on the surface of the quills, which may become dark 
brown with time  
3.8 bale  
package of any one particular grade of quills wrapped in a suitable material for export 
purposes  
 
 
1.Gulf standard will be  adopted later .  
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
4. Types and classification  : 
 4.1 Types  
     4.1.1 Sri Lankan type cinnamon  
This is the dried bark of cultivated varieties of the species Cinnamomum zeylanicum  
Blume of the Lauraceae family.  
Sri Lankan type cinnamon is produced in four forms:  
a) quills (see 3.1); 
b) quillings (see 3.2); 
c) featherings (see 3.3); 
d) chips (see 3.4). 
  
4.1.2  Seychelles type cinnamon  
 
This is the bark of trunks or branches of Cinnamomum zeylanicum  Blume, cultivated 
on the Seychelles.  Seychelles type cinnamon is produced in three forms:  
4.1.2.1  rough cinnamon bark, which consists of slightly curved, elongated, irregular, 
medium or small pieces of the whole un  scraped bark.  
4.1.2.2  scraped cinnamon bark, which is obtained from younger shoots from bushes of 
the same species; the shoots are scraped with a curved knife before the  bark is 
detached from the wood.  
4.1.2.3  quills and quillings, which are prepared from the young s hoots, of bushes in a  
way similar to that used for Sri Lankan type cinnamon.  
4.1.3  Madagascan type cinnamon  
This is the bark of trunks or branches of Cinnamomum zeylanicum  Blume, which grows 
wild on Madagascar. It is produced either  
4.1.3.1  simple, holl ow tubes of un  scraped or scraped bark, of rather coarse appearance, 
about 30  cm long, cut from smaller branches with a knife, or more usually  
4.1.3.2  un scraped or scraped pieces of bark from the larger branches and trunks, 
broken off with he flat side o f a hatchet.   Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
 
 4.2 Commercial grades  
4.2.1 Sri Lankan type cinnamon  
4.2.1.1  Quills   For classification, see Table  1.  
4.2.1.2  Quillings   may contain up to 3  % (mass fraction) of featherings and chips.  
4.2.1.3 Featherings :  Featherings may contain up to 5 % (mass fraction) of chips.  
4.2.1.4 Chips  : Chips shall consist of well dried and un  peelable cinnamon bark.  
 
4.2.2 Seychelles type and Madagascan type cinnamon  
For classification, see Table  2. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
5. Ground cinnamon  
Ground cinnamon shall consist solely of the types of cinnamon listed in Clause  4. 
If there is a designation of origin, the ground cinnamon should be prepared exclusively 
from the barks concerned.  
Table  1 — Classification for quills for Sri Lankan type cinnamon  
Commercia
l 
designatio
n of grades 
and 
qualities  Diamete
r of 
quills  Number of 
whole 
quills 
(1 050  mm
) per kg  Extent 
of 
foxing
a Minimu
m length 
of quills 
in a bale  Pieces 
of tube 
and 
broken 
pieces 
of the 
same 
quality 
per 
bale  
max.  min.  max.b  max.  
mm  % mm % 
(mass 
fraction
) 
Alba  6 45 Nil 200 1 
Continental  
  C 00000 
special  6 35 10 
200 1   C 00000  10 31 10 
  C 0000  13 24 10 
  C 000  16 22 15 
  C 00  17 20 20 
  C 0 19 18 25 
Mexican  
  M 00000 
special  16 22 50 
200 2   M 00000  16 22 60 
  M 0000  19 18 60 
Hamburg  
  H 1 23 11 25 
150 3   H 2 25 9 40 
  H 3 38 7 65 
a   Foxing can be:  
      a) superficial (“malkorahedi”), or  
      b) heavy (“korahedi”). This subdivision is based on the depth of the patches.  
b   The extent is determined by visual examination.   Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
 
 
Table  2 — Classification of Seychelles type and Madagascan type cinnamon  
Commercial designation of the grade  Physical characteristics of the bark  
1  Whole tubes (full tubes)  Tubes of length about 15  cm and bark thickness up to 1  mm 
2  Pieces of scraped bark  Broken pieces, rough and grooved scraped bark of thickness 
up to 2  mm 
3  Pieces of un  scraped bark  Broken pieces,  rough and grooved, of width up to about 3  cm 
and length up to 20  cm. The bark can be up to 5  mm thick  
4  Chips, flakes of un  scraped bark  Small pieces of unscraped bark of cinnamon stems  
 
6.  Requirements  
6.1  Odour and flavour   
 
The odour and flavour shall be fresh and characteristic of cinnamon of the origin 
concerned. It shall be free from foreign flavours, including mustiness.  
6.2 Colour  
Ground cinnamon shall be yellowish to reddish -brown in colour.  
3. Freedom from moulds, insects, etc.  
Whole cinnamon shall be free from live insects, mould growth, mites and insect remains, 
for example  cocoons, and shall be practically free from dead insects, insect fragments and 
rodent contamination  visible to the naked eye (corrected, if necessary, for abnor mal 
vision), with such magnification as may be necessary in any particular case. If the 
magnification exceeds ×10, this fact shall be stated in the test report.  
In case of dispute, contamination in ground cinnamon shall be determined by the method 
describe d in item  2.16 . 
6.4 Extraneous matter  
Extraneous matter includes leaves, stems, chaff and other vegetable matter together with 
sand, earth and dust.  
The proportion of extraneous matter in whole cinnamon shall not exceed 1  % (mass 
fraction) when determine d by the method described in item 2.11  
6.5 Chemical requirements  
Whole cinnamon and ground cinnamon shall comply with the requirements given in 
Table  3. 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
 
7. Sampling  
Sampling shall be carried out as specified in  item  2.12   
8. Test methods  
8.1 The samples shall be analysed to ensure conformity with the requirements of this Gulf  
Standard s  by the methods of physical and chemical analysis as specified in 2.3, 2.9,2.10 
,2.11,2.14,2.16,2.17,2.18,2.19  and in Table  3. 
Table  3 — Chemical requirements  
Characteristic  Requirements by cinnamon type  
Test method  
Sri Lankan type  Seychelles and 
Madagascan type  
Moisture content, % (mass 
fraction), max.    
GSO 2.19  — whole cinnamon  14 15 
— ground cinnamon  12 14 
Total ash,  % (mass 
fraction),  
on dry basis, max.  5 7 
GSO 2.9  
Acid -insoluble ash,  % (mass 
fraction),  
on dry basis, max.  1 2 
GSO 2.10  
Volatile oils, ml/100  g,  
on dry basis, min.    
GSO 2.17  — whole cinnamon  1,0 0,7 
— ground cinnamon  0,7 0,3 
 
 
2.8  For the preparation of a ground sample for analysis, coarsely crush the product until 
particles of 5  mm or less are obtained, before applying the general method described in 
GSO in item (2.18 ) .  
9. Packaging and marking  
9.1  Packaging  
Whole cinnamon shall be packed in clean, sound and dry containers made of a material 
which does not affect the product but which protects it from the ingress of moisture and 
loss of volatile matter.  
The packaging shall also comply with any national legislation relating t o environmental 
protection.   Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
10. Marking  
Without prejudice to  the provisions of  the GSO standards mentioned  in items    
  ( 2.1, 2.4) should include  explanatory  statements  as follows:  
10.1  name of the product.  
10.2  trade name or brand name, if any.  
10.3  name and addres s of the manufacturer or packer.  
10.4  batch or code number.  
10.5  net mass.  
10.6  grade of the material.  
10.7  producing country.  
10.8  any other marking required by the purchaser, such as year of harvest and date of 
packing.  
11. Storag e and transport  
11.1 Packaging  must  be improved  way to keeps  them  away  from  odors and  rain, 
sunlight or  any other source  of high temperature , in addition to the  preservation  of 
contamination  and mechanical  damage.  
 
11.2  The product should be  stored  in free of  odors and  insects  away from  sources of  
dry stores  and protects  the product  from the sun  and rain  rays and sources of  high 
heat. You should  ventilation , humidity and pollution  control  factors . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Gulf Standard                                                                           GSO ISO 6539 / 
2015                                                                                                    
 
Annex A  
(informative)   
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions  
A.1 The containers of cinnamon should be stored in covered premises, well protected 
from the sun, rain and excessive heat.  
A.2 The store room should be dry, free from objectionable odours and proofed against 
entry of insects and vermin. The ventilation should be controlled so as to give good 
ventilation under dry conditions and to be fully closed under damp conditions. In a 
storag e warehouse, suitable facilities should be available for fumigation.  
A.3 The containers should be so handled and transported that they are protected from 
the rain, from the sun or other source of excessive heat, from objectionable odours and 
from cross -infestation, especially in the holds of ships.