Reference number  
DRS 344:2018  
© RSB 2018  
 
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
344 
 
Second edition  
2018 -mm-dd 
 
Plant flavoured alcoholic beverages — 
Specification  
 
  DRS 344:2018  
©RSB 2018  - 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  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2018  
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 reprodu ce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw   
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 344:2018  
iii                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Requ irements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
4.1 Essential ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  3 
4.2 Optional ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  3 
5 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
6 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
7 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
8 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
8.1 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 4 
8.2 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
8.3 Aflatoxin limits  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
9 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
10 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  5 
11 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
12 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
13 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  6 
 DRS 344:2018  
©RSB 2018  - 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 o f 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.  
DRS 344 was prepared by Technical Co mmittee RSB/TC 031, Alcoholic beverages.  
This second edition  cancels and replaces the first edition (RS  344:2017 ), which has been technically revised.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Alcoholic beverages (RSB/TC 
031) in the preparation of this standard.  
Agashinguracumu Ltd  
ASCOM Ltd  
BUGANZA Wine Ltd  
CFRDTA Ltd  
COVAPROBA Ltd  
Enterprise Urwibutso  
GUBUCO Ltd  
IMPANO Products Ltd  
INEZA Ayurvedic  
INNOPRO Ltd  
Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK BIKA Ltd)  
Life Holistic Ltd  DRS 344:2018  
v                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Nsabimana Banana Wine Ltd  
SOGONGERA Ltd  
UWSS Ltd  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  DRS 343: 2018  
1                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements , sampling and test methods for  plant flavoured 
alcoholic drinks . 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of  their content constitutes 
requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition  cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the reference d document (including any amendments) applies.  
AOAC 986.15 , Arsenic,  Cadmium,  Lead,  Selenium and zinc in human and pet foods.  
AOAC 999.1 0, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron and Zinc in, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry  
ISO 15214 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
mesophilic lactic acid bacteria -- Colony -count technique at 30 degrees C  
RS 164, Honey — Specification  
RS CAC/RCP1, General Principl es of Food Hygiene  
RS CODEX STAN 192 , General Standard fo r Food Additives  
RS EAS 104 , Alcoholic Beverages — Method of sampling and testing  
RS EAS 12 , Potable Water — Specification  
RS EAS 144 , Neutral spirit — Specification  
RS EAS 38 , Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
RS ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and cereals, nuts and derived products — 
Highperformance  liquid chromatographic method the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in  
RS ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
beta-glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli -- Part 2: Colony -count technique at 44 degrees C using 5 -
bromo -4-chloro -3-indolyl beta -D-glucuronide  
RS ISO 17240, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of tin content — Method usi ng flame Atomic  
Absorption Spectrometry   
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  2 
 RS ISO 1842 , Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of pH  
RS ISO 21527 -1 Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds -- Part 1: Colony count tech nique in products with water activity greater than 0,95  
RS ISO 4832,  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs —Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony -count technique  
RS ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain —Horizontal method  for the enumeration of microorganisms -- 
Part 1: Colony count at 30 degrees C by the pour plate technique  
RS ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain —Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Sa lmonella spp.  
RS ISO 6888 -3, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) -- Part 3: Detection and MPN 
technique for low numbers  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the follow ing terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
plant drink  flavoured  alcoholic  
alcoholic beverage obtained from fermentation of suitable agricultural products other than fruits  
3.2 
extraneous matter  
includes inorganic matter such as sand, glass, metal, gravel, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, clay and  
mud and organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed seeds and grains of crops, insects or insects fragments,  
rodent hairs or any other foreign matte r 
3.3 
food grade packaging 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  DRS 343: 2018  
3                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 4 Requirements  
4.1 Essential ingredients  
The ingredients for plant -based flavoured wine may include but not limited to the following:  
a) suitable plant product complying with relevant standards  
b) potable water conforming to RS EAS 12  
c) sugar or honey complying with RS CODEX STAN 212 and RS 164 respectivel y 
NOTE : Before producing any plant flavoured wine the producer shall prove the safety and suitability of the used materials 
and the final product to the competent authority.  
4.2 Optional ingredients  
Plant flavoured alcoholic drink may be fortified by the addi tion of Neutral spirit complying to RS EAS 144 or 
any other spirit complying with relevant standard with relevant standard  to the extent that meet the  ethyl 
alcohol maximum limits  in Table 1. This shall  be declared on the label.  
5 General requirements  
Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks shall:  
a) be free from cloudiness and suspended/particulate matter and shall be clear;  
b) have typical flavour and taste characteristics of plant material; and  
c) be free from any extraneous matter injurious to health.  
Note: Plan t flavoured wine may be flavoured and coloured by using natural flavouring and colouring to adjust 
the flavour and the test.  
6 Specific requirements  
Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordanc e with test methods specified therein . 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks  
S/N Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
i.  Ethyl alcohol content, %, v/v, max  6.5 (Plant flavoured 
alcoholic drink)  
6.5 -14.0 (Plant flavoured 
wine)  RS EAS 104   
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  4 
 ii.  pH  3.5 - 5.0 RS ISO 1842  
iii.  Total solids g/l max.  150  
 
 
RS EAS 104  iv.  Total sugar as invert sugar g/l  max  < 4 (dry) 
v.   4 – 45 (Medium)  
> 45 (sweet)  
vi.  Total acids  g/ l 4 - 12 
vii.  Volatile acids, as acetic acid g/l max.  2.0 
viii.  Sorbic acid, mg/kg, max  1 000  
ix.  Methanol mg/l max  100 
7 Food additives  
Food additives complying with RS CODEX STAN 192 may be used.  
8 Contaminants  
8.1 Pesticide residues  
Plant flavoured alcoholic beverages shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides as 
established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for the ingredients used in the manufacture of this 
product . 
8.2 Heavy metals  
Plant flavoured alcoholic drink shall not contain heavy metals in levels exceeding the limits indicated in Table 
2. 
Table 2 — Limits for heavy metal contam inants in Plant flavoured alcoholic drink  
S/N  Heavy metal  Limit  Test method  
i.  Arsenic (as As), mg/L, max.  0.01 AOAC 986.15  
ii.  Lead (as Pb), mg/L, max.   0.2 AOAC 999.10  
 iii.  Cadmium (as Cd) mg/L, max  0.1 
iv.  Tin (as Sn) mg/L max  150 RS ISO 17240  
8.3 Aflatoxin limits  
Plant flavoured alcoholic drink shall not exceed maximum limits for aflatoxin provided in table 3  
Table 3  — Aflatoxin limits in plant flavoured alcoholic drink  
S/N  Mycotoxin  Limit μg/kg, max  Test method  
i.  Total Aflatoxin  10 RS ISO 16050  DRS 343: 2018  
5                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 ii.  Aflatoxin B1  5 
9 Hygiene  
7.1 Plant flavoured alcoholic drink  shall be manufactured and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance 
with RS CAC/RCP 1.  
7.2 Plant flavoured alcoholic drink  shall comply with limits for micro -organisms specified in Table 3 when 
tested in accordance with test methods specified therein  
Table 3 — Microbiological limits for Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks  
S/No.  Microorganism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i.  Total viable count, cfu/ml  102 RS ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Escherichia coli , cfu/ml  Absent  RS ISO 16649 -2 
iii.  Salmonella spp  per 25 ml  Absent  RS ISO  6579 -1 
iv.  Staphylococcus aureus  per ml  Absent  RS ISO 6888 -3 
v.  Lactic Acid Bacteria  Absent  ISO 15214  
vi.  Moulds, cfu/ml  102 RS ISO 21527 -1 
10 Weights and measures  
The volume and fill of Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks s hall comply with national Weights and measures 
regulations  
11 Packaging  
9.1 Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks  shall be packaged in food grade packaging materials that shall mainta in 
the quality of the product including glass bottles, tin cans, aluminium foil and/or plastics certified by an 
accredited laboratory to be safe for packaging alcoholic beverages . 
9.2 The contents of the products shall occupy not less than 90 % of the total volume capacity of the container  
12 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of RS EAS 38, the following specif ic labelling requirements shall apply and 
shall be legibly and indelibly marked:  
a) name of the product as “ Plant flavoured alcoholic drinks ” 
b) list of ingredients in descending order ; 
c) plant or plant parts used shall be declared;  
d) ethyl alcohol content ;  
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved                  6 
 e) methanol  content shall be declared;  
f) name and physical and postal address of manufacturer;  
g) net contents in millilitres or litres;  
h) Addition of Neutral s pirit or  any other spirit shall be declared;  
i) date of manufacture;  
j) expiry date, if alcohol content is less than 10% ; 
k) storage  instruction s; and  
l) statutory warnings.  
13 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with RS EAS 104.  
 
 DRS 343: 2018  
7                ©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] RS 344: 2017 , Plant flavoured wine —Specification  DRS 224:2018  
ICS 67.160.10  
 
 
©RSB 2018  - All right s reserved