PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS DEAS 51 
Third Edition  
2016-mm- dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS DEAS 51: 2016 
© UNBS 201 6 
  
Wheat grains  — Specification  
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 51: 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 nece ssary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 20 16 
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  
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© 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 esta blished 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 Commiss ion 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 standar ds 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 
gener al 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 51: 2016, Wheat grains  — Specification , is identical with  and has 
been reproduced from a  Draft East African  Standard , DEAS 51: 2016, Wheat grains  — Specification , and is 
being proposed for adoption  as a Uganda Standard.  
This standard was de veloped 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 51:2016 
ICS 67.060  
© EAS 2015                                                                                                                        Third Edition 2015  
 
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
 
 
 
Wheat grains — Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 51:2016 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  ii 
 Copyright notice 
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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 2015 — All rights reserved 
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 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 51:2016 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  iii 
 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 51:2015 was prepared by Technical Committee EAS/TC 014, Cereals, Pulses and related products  
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (EAS 51:2013) which has been technically revised. 
 
 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD                                           DEAS 51:2016  
 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  1 
 Wheat grains — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for wheat 
grains of varieties (cultivars) grown from common wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) 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. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies. 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — Requirements 
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice 
ISO 605, Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety — Test 
methods 
ISO 711, Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture content (Basic reference method) 
ISO 712, Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture cont ent — Routine reference method   
ISO 3093, Wheat, rye and their flours, durum wheat and durum wheat semolina — Determination of the falling 
number according to Hagberg-Perten  
ISO 5223, Test sieves for cereals 
ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella 
spp. 
ISO 6888- 1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique using 
Baird-Parker agar medium 
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
ISO 7970, Wheat ( Triticum aestivum  L.) — Specification  
ISO 7971- 1, Cereals — Determination of bulk density, called "mass per hectolitre" — Part 1: Reference 
method 
ISO 7971-3, Cereals — Determination of bulk density, called "mass per hectolitre" — Part 2: Routine method 
ISO 11050, Wheat flour and durum wheat semolina — Determination of impurities of animal origin 
ISO 15141- 1, Foodstuffs -- Determination of ochratoxin A in cereals and cereal products -- Part 1: High 
performance liquid chromatographic method with silica gel clean up  
ISO 15141- 2, Foodstuffs -- Determination of ochratoxin A in cereals and cereal products -- Part 2: High 
performance liquid chromatographic method with bicarbonate clean up  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  2 
 ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G 1 and G 2 in 
cereals, nuts and derived products — High performance liquid chromatographic method 
ISO 20483, Cereals and pulses — Determination of the nitrogen content and calculation of the crude protein 
content — Kjeldahl method 
ISO 21527, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts 
and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95 
ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products —Sampling  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purpose of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
wheat grain 
grain that consists of 95 % or more common wheat ( Triticum aestivum  L.),  
3.2.other  edible grain 
grains belonging to cereals species other than the main cereal in the sample or batch under consideration  
such as barley, oats, triticale ,maize, rye and sorghum 
 3.3 
broken 
grains and pieces of grains of wheat passing through a sieve perforated with slots measuring 1.6mm wide and 
9.5mm long  
 
3.4 
foreign matter borrow from the definitions in maize 
fraction consisting of inorganic extraneous matter and organic extraneous matter 
 
3.4.1 
inorganic extraneous matter 
stones, glass, pieces of soil and other mineral matter 
3.4.2 
organic extraneous matter 
any animal or plant matter other than grains of wheat, damaged wheat grains, other grains, contrasting 
varieties (classes), inorganic extraneous matter and harmful and/or toxic matter 
3.5 
filth  
Impurities of animal origin, (including dead insects) 
3.6 
class 
wheat varieties having similar milling and baking characteristics based on softness and hardness  
3.7 
other classes 
wheat varieties having milling and  baking characteristics, which differ from those of the dominant class PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  3 
 3.8 
defective grain includes grains which are: 
3.8.1 
discoloured  
wheat grain discoloured by heat, fermentation, moulds, weather damage or disease but does not include black 
point which is brown, dark brown or almost black discoloration at the embryo end of the grain 
3.8.2 
germinated  
grains in which the radicle  or plumule is clearly visible to the naked eye. 
3.8.3 
pest-damaged  
grains which show damage or owing attack by rodents, insects, mites or other pests 
3.8.4 
infested  
wheat grain containing in or amongst the grain any form of living and/ or other organism known to be capable 
of causing damage or spoilage to the grain 
3.8.5 
immature  
wheat grains which are distinctly green in colour 
3.8.6 
heat damaged  
wheat damaged by  heat or as a result of heating caused by fermentation 
3.8.7 
diseased grain  
wheat, which has about one third or more of its surface, discoloured physically damaged or mouldy due to 
weather conditions 
3.8.8 shrivelled 
grains which are poorly filled,light and thin whose buildup of reserves has been halted due to 
physiological  or pathological factors 
3.9 
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 
3.10 
wholesome/sound,grain  
free from disease, serious deterioration (such as but not limited to decay, breakdown) or 
adulteration/contamination, that appreciably affects their appearance, the keeping quality of the produce or 
market value 
3.11 
harmful matter/toxic matter 
any substances in wheat bulk that can have a damaging or dangerous effect on health 
3.12 
Harmful/noxious 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 
3.13  
bulk density/mass per hectoliter 
ratio of the mass of a cereal to the volume it occupies after being poured into a container under well defined 
conditions, expressed in kilograms per hectoliter of grain as received PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  4 
  
 
  
4 Quality requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
Wheat grains shall be: 
a) the dried mature grains of Triticum aestivum (bread wheat),  
b) clean, wholesome, uniform in size and shape; 
c) safe and suitable for human consumption; 
d) free from abnormal flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable odour, obnoxious smell and 
discolouration; 
e) practically free from micro-organisms and substances originating from micro-organisms, fungi or other 
poisonous or deleterious substances in amounts that may constitute a hazard to human health. 
f)  free from noxious/harmful seeds in amount which may be harmful to human being 
note ;an indicative list of these seeds is given in annex A 
4.2 Specific requirements  
Wheat grains shall be categorised into four grades on the basis of the tolerable limits established in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements  
S/N Characteristic  Grade  Method of 
test 
1 2 3 4 
i)  Moisture, (%) m/m, max  14 ISO 711/ 
ISO 712  
ii)  Bulk density/mass per 
hectolitre  Minimum test 
weight kg/hl 
(g/0.5 L)  79(395)  
79  75(375)  
76 70(350)  
72 65(325) 
70 ISO 7971 -1 
/ ISO 7971 -
3 
iii)  Protein, (%) m/m, min.  
N × 5.7 at 11 % Moisture 
basis  Hard/strong 
wheat  13.0 12.0 11.5(11)  10.0 ISO 20483  
Soft wheat  8 
iv)  Foreign matter % m/m, 
max.  Total  0.40 
1.5 0.70 
1.5 1.30 
1.5 2.40 
1.5 ISO 605  
v)    
ISO 5223  vi)  Shru nken and broken kernels, % m/m, max.  5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 
vii)  Falling number, s, min.  300 250 230 230 ISO 3093  
viii)  Edible grains other than wheat (whole or 
identifiably broken), %, m/m, max.  0.50 1.50 2.0 3.0 ISO 7970  
ix)        
ISO 605       PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  5 
 x)        
xi)  Germinated  grains,m/m, maximum  2.0 2.5 3.0 4  
Pest  damaged, m/m, maximum  1.0 1.5 2.0 3  
xii)  Diseased and weather damaged,m/m, 
maximum  1.0 2.0 3.0 4  
xiii)  Heat damaged, m/m, maximum  1.0 2.0 3.0 4  
NOTE 2  The parameter, Total defective grains is not the sum total of th e individual defects. It is limited to 70 % of 
the sum total of individual defects.  
 
 
5 Contaminants 
5.1 Pesticide residues 
Wheat grains shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity.  
NOTE Where the use of certain pesticides is prohibited by some Partner States, it should be notified to all Partner 
States accordingly. 
5.2 Other contaminants 
5.2.1Wheat grains shall comply with those maximum limits for heavy metals mycotoxins established by the 
codex alimentarius commission for this commodity 
 
5.2.2. Mycotoxins 
Wheat grains shall comply with the maximum limits for mycotoxins   provided in table 2 below 
Table 3 Mycotoxin limits for wheat grain 
S/N Mycotoxin  Limit  Methods of test  
i)  Total Aflatoxin (AFB 1+AFB 2+AFG 1 +AFG 2)), µg/kg, max.  10 ISO16050  
ii)  Aflatoxin B 1, µg/kg, max.  5 
iii)  Fumonisin mg/kg, max.  2 AOAC 2001.04  
iv)  Ochratoxin A, µg/kg, max  5 ISO 15141 -1/2 
6 Hygiene 
6.1 Wheat grains shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with the provisions of appropriate 
sections of EAS 39.  
6.2 When tested by appropriate standards of sampling and examination listed in Clause 2, the products 
shall: 
a) be free from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health. 
b) be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health; and 
c) not contain any substance originating from microorganisms including fungi, in amounts which may 
represent a hazard to health. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  6 
 7 Packaging 
7.1 Wheat grains 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 
Maize grain shall be package in accordance with the weights and measures regulations in the destination 
country. 
NOTE EAC Partner States are signatory to the International Labour Organizations (ILO) for maximum 
package weight of 50 kg where human loading and offloading is involved. 
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 “Wheat grains”;  
b) variety; 
c) grade; 
d) name, address and physical location of the producer/ packer/importer; 
e) lot/batch/code number; 
f) net weight, in kilograms;  
g) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’;  
h) storage instruction as “Store in a cool dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
i) crop year; 
j) packing date; 
k) instructions on disposal of used package; 
l) country of origin; and 
m) declaration on whether the wheat grain was genetically modified or not. 
10 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the ISO 24333. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex A 
Informative 
 
List of harmful and toxic seeds 
 
NOTE — This is a non-exhaustive list which can be augmented as necessary. 
 
A.1 Toxic seeds 
Botanical name        Common name 
Acroptilon repens (L.)DC. 
Agrostemma githago L.     Corn-cockle 
Coronilla varia L.        Coronilla, Crown vetch 
Crotalaria spp .        Crotalaria  
Datura fastuosa L. 
Datura stramonium L.      Stramony, thorn apple  
Heliotropium lasiocarpum Fisher et C.A.   Meyer Heliotrope 
Lolium temulentum L.       Darnel 
Ricinus communis L.       Castor-oil plant 
Sophora alopecuroides L.      Stagger bush, Russian centaury 
Sophora pachycarpa Schrank ex C.A. Meyer 
Thermopsis montana       Buffalo pen 
Thermopsis lanceolata R. Br. In Aiton 
Trichoderma incanum 
 
A.2 Harmful seeds 
 
Botanical name        Common name 
Allium sativum L.        Garlic 
Cephalaria syriaca (L.) Roemer et Shultes  Teasel 
Melampyrum arvense L.      Cow-cockle 
Melilotus spp.        Melilot 
Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.     Johnson grass 
Trogonella foenum-graecum L.     Fenugreek 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2015 – All rights reserved  8