DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 1620  
First Edition  
2015 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015   
   
Fresh Lemon – Specification  
 DUS 1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  ii 
 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 2015  
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 UNB S. 
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: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
  
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.  
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Provisions concerning quality  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  2 
4.2 Minimum quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  2 
4.3 Maturity quality requirement  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  2 
5 Classification  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
5.2 Class I  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  3 
5.3 Class II  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  3 
6 Provisions concerning sizing  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  4 
7 Provisions concerning to lerances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
7.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  4 
7.2 Quality tolerances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 5 
7.3 Size tolerances  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 5 
8 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
8.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  5 
8.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 5 
9 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
10 Provisions concerning presentation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 5 
10.1  Uniformity  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
10.2  Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  6 
10.3  Presentation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  6 
11 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
11.1  General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  6 
11.2  Consumer packages  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  6 
11.3  Non-retail containers ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  6 
11.4  Quality certification mark (optional)  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 7 
12 Methods of sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  7 
 
 DUS 1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  iv 
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of  Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established 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 Organisat ion 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 Agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried ou t 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 Sta ndards 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.  
 
DUS  1620 was prepared by Technical Committee TC  2-SC 4, Fruits Vegetables and derived products.  
 
 DRAFT UGANDA ST ANDARD  DUS 1620 : 2015  
 
© UNBS 2015 – All rights reserved  1 
 Fresh Lemon - Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements for lemons of varieties (cultivars) grown f rom the 
species Citrus limon (L.) Burm. F.  to be supplied fresh in the export and local markets. This standard is also 
applicable to Citron, Citrus medica  Linn.  Lemons for industrial processing are excluded.  
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.  
CAC/RCP 53 -2003 Code of hygien ic practice for fresh fruits and vegetables  
CODEX STAN 193 -1995, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed.  
CAC/RCP 44 1995, Recommended international code of practice for packaging and transport  
ISO 874; Fresh fruits and vegetabl es -- Sampling   
 
ISO 2173, Fruits and Vegetable products – Determination of soluble solids - Refractometric method  
 
 EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods —  General requirements  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purpose of this standard the following defi nition shall apply:  
3.1 
injury  
any specific defect described in Annex A; or an equally objectionable variation of any one of these defects, 
any other defect, or any combination of defects, which slightly detracts from the appearance, or the edible or 
marke ting quality of the fruit.  
3.2 
damage  
any specific defect an equally objectionable variation of any one of these defects, any other defect, or any 
combination of defects, which materially detracts from the appearance, or the edible or marketing quality of 
the fruit  
fruit 
3.3 
diameter  
the greatest dimension measured at right angles to a line from stem to blossom end of the fruit  
3.4 
Intact  
not having any mutilation or injury spoiling the integrity of the Lemon, such as cuts or punctures or other 
significant physical damage sustained during harvesting or post harvest handling  DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  2 
 4 Provisions concerning quality  
4.2 Minimum quality requirements  
4.2.1  In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the Lemon  
shall be:  
(a) intact  
b) free of bruising and/or extensive healed over cuts .  
(c) sound; fruit shall be free from disease or serious deterioration which appreciably affects its appearance, 
edibility, or market value.  
(d) practically free of any visible foreign matter .  
(e) practically free from pests .  
(f) practically free from damage caused by pests .  
(g) free of signs of internal shrivelling.  
(h) free of damage caused by low temperature or frost . 
(i) free of abnormal external moisture  
(j) free of any foreign smell a nd/or taste.  
4.2.2 The development and condition of the Lemon  shall be such as to enable them:  
(a) to withstand transport and handling; and  
(b) to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.  
4.3 Maturity quality requirement  
4.3.1  The Lemon  shall have reached an appropriate degree of development and ripeness, account  being 
taken of criteria proper to the variety, the time of picking and the growing area.  
4.3.2  Maturity of Lemon  is defined by the following parameters specified for each s pecies below:  
i. minimum juice content   of 20%  
ii. Colouring.  
4.3.3  At maturity t he degree of colouring shall be such that following normal development the Lemon  reach  
the colour typical of the var iety at their destination point  
Note: Lemon  meeting these ripene ss requirements may be “degreened”. It should, however, be emphasized that this 
practice should be applied only to remove the green colour and obtain a uniform colour, without affecting any of the fruit's 
natural characteristics.  Consequently:  
1. only frui t showing the required degree of development and ripeness may be de -greened.  
2. the operation shall be performed in such a way that the fruit's intrinsic characteristics are not at all affected.  
3. when the operation is completed the "de -greened" fruit is equivalent to naturally coloured fruit, according to 
the requirements in the standard.  DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  3 
 5 Classification  
Lemon  are classified in three classes defined below:  
5.1 “Extra” Class  
5.1.1  Lemons in this class shall be of superior quality. In shape, external appe arance, development and 
colouring they shall be characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type.  
5.1.2  They shall be free from defects with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these do 
not affect the general appearance of the p roduce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the 
package.  
5.2 Class I  
5.2.1  Lemons  in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety  and/or 
commercial type.  
5.2.1  The following slight defects, however, may be  allowed, provided these do not affect the general  
appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package:  
 a slight defect in shape  
 slight defects in colouring, including slight sunburn  
 slight progressive skin defects, provided they do not affect the flesh  
 slight skin defects occurring during the formation of the fruit, such as silver  scurfs, russets or pest 
damage  
 slight healed defects due to a mechanical cause such as hail damage, rubbing or  damage from 
handling  
slight  and partial detachment of the peel (or rind) for all fruit  
5.3 Class II  
5.3.1  This class includes lemons  that do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes but satisfy the 
minimum requirements specified above. Lemons  in this class must be of reasona ble quality and are suitable 
for human consumption.  
5.3.2  The following defects may be allowed, provided the lemon  fruit retain their essential  characteristics as 
regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation:  
 defects in shape  
 defects in colour ing, including sunburn  
 progressive skin defects, provided they do not affect the flesh  
 skin defects occurring during the formation of the fruit, such as silver scurfs,  russets or pest damage  
 healed defects due to a mechanical cause such as hail damage, rub bing or damage  from handling  
 superficial healed skin alterations  
 rough skin  DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  4 
 a slight and partial detachment of the peel (or rind) for lemons  
6 Provisions concerning sizing  
6.1 Size is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section of the frui t. 
6.1.2  If by count, t hen the  maximum difference in diameter between fruit in the same package shall be in 
accordance with table  2 below :  
Table 2:  Maximum difference in diameter  
Maximum difference in 
diameter (mm)  Diameter of the smallest fruit 
(mm)  
10  Less than  60 
15 60 to 80 
20  80 to 110 
no limitation of difference  110 and above  
 
6.1.3  If size codes are applied, then the codes and ranges  shall be in accordance with table  3 below  
Table 3: Provisions concerning sizing  
Size code  Diameter (mm)  
0  79 -90  
1  72 -83  
2  68 -78  
3  63 -72  
4  58 -67  
5  53 -62  
6  48 -57  
7  45 -52  
 
6.3 Uniformity in size is achieved by the above mentioned size scale  except f or fruit s in bulk bins and 
fruits in sales units of a maximum net weight of 5 kg, the  maximum difference must not exceed the range 
obtained by grouping three consecutive sizes in the size scale  
7 Provisions concerning tolerances  
7.1 General  
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package for produce not satisfyin g the 
requirements of the class indicated.  
 DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  5 
 7.2 Quality tolerances  
7.2.1  "Extra" Class  
A total tolerance of 5 %, by number or weight, of fruit not satisfying the  requirements of the class but meeting 
those of Class I is allowed. Within this tolerance  not m ore than 0.5 % in total may consist of produce satisfying 
the requirements of  Class II quality.  
7.2.2  Class I  
A total tolerance of 10 %, by number or weight, of citrus fruit not satisfying the  requirements of the class but 
meeting those of Class II is all owed. Within this tolerance  not more than 1 % in total may consist of produce 
satisfying neither the  requirements of Class II quality nor the minimum requirements, or of produce affected by  
decay.  
7.2.3  Class II  
A total tolerance of 10 %, by number or wei ght, of citrus fruit satisfying neither the  requirements of the class 
nor the minimum requirements is allowed. Within this tolerance  not more than 2 % in total may consist of 
produce affected by decay.  
7.3 Size tolerances  
For all classes and types of prese ntation: 10 %, by number or weight, of lemon fruit corresponding to the size 
immediately below and/or above that (or those, in the case of the combination of three sizes) mentioned on 
the package is allowed.  
In any case, the tolerance of 10 % applies only to lemon fruit not smaller than 4 5 mm. 
8 Contaminants  
8.1 Heavy metals  
Fresh Lemon  shall comply with those current maximum levels for heavy metals established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity  in accordance with CODEX STAN 193 -1995  
8.2 Pesticide residues  
Fresh Lemon  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity.  
9 Hygiene  
Fresh Lemon  shall be  prepared and handled in accordance with CAC/RCP 53 . 
10 Provisions  concerning presentation  
10.1 Uniformity  
10.1.1 The contents of each package shall be uniform and contain only fresh Lemon  of the same origin, 
variety or commercial type, quality and size. However, a mixture of Lemon  of different species may be packed 
together in a sales unit1, provided they are uniform in quality and, for each species concerned, in variety or 
commercial  type and origin.  
10.1.2 In addition, for the “Extra” Class, uniformity in colouring and maturity is required.  
                                                      
1 The sales unit should be designed to be purchased in its entirety.  DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  6 
 10.1.3 The visible part of t he contents of the package shall be representative of the entire contents.  
10.2 Packaging  
10.2.1 Fresh Lemon  shall be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly . Fresh Lemon shall be 
packaged in food grade materials that ensure produce safety and quality  
10.2.2 Fresh Lemon  shall be packed in each container in compliance with CAC/RCP 44 -1995 .  
10.2.3  The containers shall meet the quality, hygiene, ventilation and resistance characteristics to ensure 
suitable handling, shipping and preserving of the Fresh Lemon . Packages (or lot for produce presented in 
bulk) shall be free of all foreign matter and smell.  
10.2.4 Fruits that are segregated for packaging by weights which approximate the above size codes, but may 
not consistently fall within a single  size code, but would retain the uniformity required by the code.   
10.3 Presentation  
The Lemon  may be presented as follows:  
 arranged in regular layers in packages.  
 not arranged in regular layers in packages or in bulk bins. This type of presentation is on ly allowed for 
Classes I and II.  
 in individual packages for direct sale to the consumer of a weight less than 5 kg either  
a) made up by number of fruit or  
b) made up by weight of fruit.  
11 Labelling  
11.1 General  
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific provisions in 11.2 -11.3 shall apply  and shall 
be legibly and indelibly marked :  
11.2 Consumer packages  
11.2.1  Name of produce  
The name of the produce as “fresh Lemon”. and name of the variety  if the contents are not visible from 
outside . 
11.3 Non-retail containers  
Each package shall bear the particulars  in 11. 2 - 11.3.4  in letters grouped on the same side, legibly and 
indelibly marked, and visible from the outside, or in the documents accompanying the shipment.  
11.3.1  Identification  
The exporter, packer and/or dispatcher shall be identified by n ame and physical address  
11.3.2  Origin of produce  
Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national , regional or local place name  DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  7 
 11.3.3  Commercial identification  
i. Class;  
ii. Size (recognised size code or average weight in grams);  
iii. Number of fruits;  
iv. Net weight If appropriate, a statement indicating the use of preservatives;  
11.4 Quality certification mark (optional)  
11.4.1 Consignments accompanied with certification marks are allo wed distribution in the region in 
accordance with mutual recognition arrangements among the Partner States.  
12 Methods of sampling  
Sampling of fresh lemon shall be done in accordance with ISO 874 . 
 
 
 
 DUS  1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015  – All rights reserved  8 
 Bibliography  
[1] United States Standards for Grades of  Lemons , Effective December 27, 1999  
[2] UNECE STANDARD FFV 14:20 10, Marketing and commercial quality control of citrus fruits  
 
 DUS 1620 : 2015  
© UNBS 2015 – All rights reserved  9 
 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 Ug anda 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 superv ision, 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 o f licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 1620 : 2015    
 
ICS 67.080.01  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS 2015 – All rights reserved