1FINAL DRAFT STANDARDS FOR PROCESSED PILI NUT PRODUCTS  
 
1. SCOPE 
 
This standard shall apply to fully ripened pili nut of cultivars grown from Canarium 
ovatum  Engl. which is processed by roasting, glazing, salting and/or sugar-coating, 
and packed in suitable containers. 
  
2. DEFINITION OF TERMS 
 
For the purpose of this standard, the following terms shall mean: 
 
Aflatoxins  – secondary metabolites known to be toxic to humans and are 
produced by fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus including A. flavus , A. 
parasiticus,  A.vesicolor  and A. indulans  on suitable hosts/substrates such as 
peanut, corn, copra, cassava and other oilseeds. 
 
Container  – any form of packaging material, which completely or partially 
encloses the food (including wrappers). A container may enclose the food as a 
single item or several units or types of prepackaged food when such is presented 
for sale to the consumer. 
 
Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)  – a quality assurance system 
aimed at ensuring that products are consistently manufactured, packed or 
repacked or held to a quality appropriate for the intended use. It is thus 
concerned with both manufacturing and quality control procedures.  
 
Food  – any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is 
intended for human consumption, and includes drink, chewing gum and any 
substance which has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of  2“food” but does not include cosmetics or  tobacco or substances used only as 
drugs. 
 
Food Additives  – any substance the intended use of which results or may 
reasonably be expected to result, directly or indirectly, in its becoming a 
component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food (including any 
substance intended for use in producing, manufacturing, packing, processing, 
preparing, treating, packaging, transporting, or holding food; and including any 
source of radiation intended for any such use), if such substance is not generally recognized, among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to 
evaluate its safety, as having been adequately shown through scientific 
procedures to be safe under the conditions of the intended use (R.A. 3720.Food, 
Drugs and Cosmetic Act).   
 
Food Standard  – a regulatory guideline that defines the identity of a given food 
product (i.e. its name and the ingredients used for its preparation) and specifies 
the minimum quality factors and, when necessary, the required fill of the 
container. It may also include specific labeling requirements other than or in 
addition to the labeling requirements generally applicable to all prepackaged 
foods. 
 
Glazing – coating of food with substances such as syrups and glazing agents 
(food additives), giving the food a glossy appearance or protective outer layer.   
 
Free Fatty Acid – amount of fatty acids in the product, liberated from fats and 
oils through hydrolysis and used as a quality indicator of hydrolytic rancidity. 
 
Ingredient  - any substance including food additive, used as a component in the 
manufacture or preparation of a food and present in the final product in its 
original or modified form. 
  3Kernel – the inner portion of the seed with the seed coat intact.  
 
Label  – includes any tag, brand, mark, pictorial, or other descriptive script, 
written, printed, marked, embossed or impressed on, or attached to the 
container. 
 
Labeling  – any written, printed or graphic matter (1) upon any article or any of its 
container or wrappers and/or (2) accompanying the packaged food. 
 Lot – food produced during a period of time and under more or less the same 
manufacturing condition indicated by a specific code. 
 
Moisture content  - the percentage weight of water in relation to the dry weight of 
the product. 
 
Packaging  – the process of packing that is part of the production cycle applied to 
a bulk product to obtain the finished product. Any material, including painted 
material, employed in the packaging of a product including any outer packaging 
used for transportation of shipment. Packaging materials are referred to as 
primary or secondary according to whether or not they are intended to be in 
direct contact with the product. 
 
Peroxide Value – is a measure of the primary oxidation products such as 
peroxides and hydroperoxides that develops in oils or fats and used as an 
indicator of oxidative rancidity.  
 
Pili nut – the kernel of an indigenous crop pili nut tree, Canarium ovatum  Engl-, 
which is native to the Philippines belonging to the family Burseraceae 
 
Rancidity  – formation of off-flavors in food due to lipid oxidation (oxidative 
rancidity) and/or release of free fatty acids by lipolysis (hydrolytic rancidity).  4  
Roasting – a cooking method which subjects the food to dry heat, whether from 
an open flame, oven, or other heat source; causing physico-chemical changes 
such as browning, caramelization, flav or development, and moisture reduction.  
 
Seedcoat or testa – light brown to brownish papery covering of a kernel.  
 
Shell – the endocarp of hard stony covering of a kernel after removing the violet 
to black pulp (exocarp) and the fibrous flesh (mesocarp)  
Sweetening Agent – includes one or more of the sugars, honey, high intensity 
sweeteners and artificial sweeteners.  
 
Water Activity – the ratio of vapor pressure of water in the product to the water 
vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature. It is also a measure of 
water available for the growth of microorganisms. 
 
 
3. DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCTS 
 
3.1 Product Definition 
Processed pili nut products are those prepar ed primarily from the kernels of pili 
(Canarium ovatum Engl.). The product may include various ingredients and may 
have undergone roasting, salting, glazing,  sweetening, and/or other preparation 
methods.  
 
 Processed pili nut products may be classified as follows: 
 Whole pili nut products – made from whole pili nuts  with or without intact seedcoat 
or testa.  
 Split pili nut products –  made from pili nuts  which are removed of their seedcoat or 
testa and cut lengthwise.   5 Ground pili nut products – made from broken or small pili nut pieces.  
 
3.2 Process Description 
The product shall have undergone a process sufficient to ensure quality and shelf 
life stability at ambient conditions and shall be packed in any suitable container.  
 
4. ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS 
 
4.1 Raw Materials   
 Basic Ingredient 
Pili nut  – Kernels to be used shall be fr esh, sound, clean and fully 
ripened. It must conform to the requirements prescribed by PNS/BAFPS 
34: 2005 (Philippine National Standards for Pili Nuts).  
 
 Optional Ingredients 
(a) Salt - coarse or fine sodium chloride of food grade quality and meets 
the purity requirements as specified in Section 4.1 of the Implementing 
Rules and Regulations of the ASIN Law, Republic Act (RA) 8172, An 
Act Promoting Salt Iodization Nationwide.  
(b) Sweetening agent - one or more of the sugars, honey, high intensity 
sweeteners or artificial sweeteners.  
(c) Other ingredients - all other ingredients to be used shall be of food 
grade quality and conform to all applicable food standards (e.g. 
chocolate, cinnamon, sesame seeds, garlic, and spices). 
  
4.2 Quality Criteria 
 
 4.2.1 General Requirements 
  6 (a) Aflatoxin  
  The level of aflatoxin should not be greater than 10 ppb. 
 
(b) Moisture Content 
  The moisture content should not be greater than 4% 
 
      (c) Water activity 
  The Water activity (a W) should not be greater than 0.70 at 25oC  
 
 (d) Fat Content 
  The fat content should not be greater than 70% 
 
 (e) Free Fatty Acid 
The product shall have a free fatty acid content of not greater than 1.0 % 
as oleic acid. 
 
 (f) Peroxide Value 
  The product shall have a peroxide value of not greater than 10 meq/kg. 
 
 4.2.2 Types of Defects 
  
(a) Odor/flavor/color 
A sample unit affected by objectionable odors, flavors and colors which are 
indicative of rancidity and mold growth. 
 
(b) Foreign matter 
The presence in the sample unit of any matter, which has not been derived 
from pili nut, does not pose a threat to human health and is readily recognized 
without magnification or is present at a level determined by magnification 
method or any equivalent methods that indicates non-compliance with good 
manufacturing practices and sanitation practices.  7 
 4.2.3 Classification of “Defectives” 
A container that has any of the type of defects set in 4.2.2 shall be considered as 
“defective”. 
 
4.2.4 Lot Acceptance 
A lot shall be considered as meeting th e applicable quality requirements when 
the number of “defectives”, as defined in sub-section 4.2.3, does not exceed the 
acceptance number of the appropriate sampling plan.  
 
5. FOOD ADDITIVES 
 
Food additives when used shall be in accordance with the regulations established by 
the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) (Bureau Circular No. 016 s.2006. Updated 
List of Food Additives) and/or the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 
The following food additives listed in, but not limited to, Table 1, may be used for the 
manufacture of processed pili nut products. 
 
Table 1. Food Additives for Processed Pili Nut Products.*  (BFAD B.C. No.016 s. 2006. 
Updated List of Food Additives)  
Function Additive Maximum Level 
Ascorbyl Esters 200 mg/kg (as ascorbyl 
stearate) 
BHA 200 mg/kg (fat or oil basis) 
EDTA 200 mg/kg (as anhydrous 
calcium disodium EDTA) 
Mineral Oil 200 mg/kg 
Gallate, Propyl 200 mg/kg (fat or oil basis) 
Sorbates 1000 mg/kg (as sorbic acid) A. Antioxidant 
Tocopherols 1500 mg/kg 
Allura Red AC 100 mg/kg 
Azorubine 100 mg/kg 
Brilliant Black PN 100 mg/kg 
Brilliant Blue FCF 100 mg/kg 
Brown HT 100 mg/kg 
Canthaxanthin 8.2 mg/kg 
Caramel Color Class III GMP 
Caramel Color Class IV GMP B. Color 
Carmines 100 mg/kg  8Carotenes, Vegetable GMP 
Carotenoids GMP 
Chlorophylls, Copper 
Complexes GMP 
Curcumin 100 mg/kg 
Grape Skin Extract GMP 
Indigotine 100 mg/kg 
Iron Oxides GMP 
Ponceau 4R 100 mg/kg 
Quinoline Yellow 100 mg/kg 
Riboflavines GMP 
Sunset Yellow FCF 100 mg/kg  
Tartrazine 100 mg/kg 
Acesulfame Potassium 1000 mg/kg 
Aspartame 1000 mg/kg 
Saccharin 500 mg/kg C. Sweetener 
Sucralose 150 mg/kg 
Hydroxybenzoates, P- 300 mg/kg (as p-
hydroxybenzoic acid) 
Phosphates 1100 mg/kg (as phosphorus) D. Preservative 
Sulphites 500 mg/kg (as residual SO 2) 
Sorbitan Esters of Fatty 
Acid 5000 mg/kg  E. Emulsifier/Stabilizer 
Diacetyltartaric and 
Fatty Acid Esters of 
Glycerol GMP 
Propylene Glycol 50000 mg/kg F. Humectant 
Tartrates 1300 mg/kg (as tartaric acid) 
*Based on the Food Category System: 04.2.2.2 Dried Vegetables, Seaweeds, Nuts and 
Seeds; 15.2 Processed nuts, including coated nuts and nut mixtures (with e.g. dried fruit) 
 
6. HYGIENE 
 
6.1    It is recommended that the product covered by the provisions of this standard 
be prepared and handled in accordance with the appropriate sections of the 
Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food 
Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1 – 1969, Rev. 4-2003) and/or the BFAD A.O. No.  153 s. 
2004 - Guidelines, Current Good Manufacturing Practices in Manufacturing, 
Packing, Repacking or Holding Food  and processed according to the 
Recommended Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of 
Processed Pili Nut Products (PNS/BFAD No. ____). 
  96.2    When tested by appropriate methods of sampling and examination, the 
product: 
-  shall be free from filth that may pose a hazard to health; 
-       shall be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health; 
- shall not contain any substance originating from microorganisms in 
amounts which may represent a hazard to health; 
-  shall be free from microorganisms capable of development under 
normal conditions of storage; and 
- shall be free from container integrity defects which may compromise 
the hermetic seal. 
 
 
7. LABELING 
 7.1   Each container shall be labeled and marked with the following information in 
accordance with BFAD’s Labeling Regulation: 
(a) The name of the product shall be “Pili Nuts”, It shall be preceded by 
additional descriptors as to forms and styles (e.g. “Roasted Pili Nuts”, 
“Sugar-coated Pili Nuts”, “Honey-glazed Pili Nuts”).  
(b) The complete list of ingredients and food additives used in the 
preparation of the product in descending order of proportion. 
(c)   The net quantity of content by weight in the metric system. Other 
systems of measurement required by importing countries shall appear 
in parenthesis after the metric system unit. 
(d) The name and address of the manufacturer, packer and/or distributor 
of the food. 
(e)  Open date marking  
       The words “Best/Consume Before” indicating end of period at which 
the product shall retain its optimum quality attributes at defined storage 
conditions. 
(f) Lot or code number identifying product lot.  10(g)    The words “Product of the Philippines”, or the country of origin if 
imported. 
(h)      Additional requirements 
A pictorial representation of raw material on the label should not 
mislead the consumer with respect to the raw material so illustrated. 
 
7.2     Nutrition Labeling 
Nutrition labeling shall conform to the established regulations of BFAD and/or 
authority.  
 
8. METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING 
 
8.1 Determination of Water Activity  
According to the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, 18th ed., 2005. Method No. 
978.18. 
 
8.2 Determination of Moisture Content  (Vacuum Oven Method)    
According to the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, 18th ed., 2005. Method No. 
934.06. 
 
8.3 Determination of Fat Content 
According to the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, 16th ed., 1995. Method No. 
948.22. 
 
8.5 Determination of Free Fatty Acid 
According to the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, 18th ed., 2005. Method No. 
940.28.  
 
8.6 Determination of Peroxide Value 
According to the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, 18th ed., 2005. Method No. 
965.33. 
  118.7 Determination of Aflatoxin 
According to the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, 18th ed., 1995. Method No. 
975.36 or other official method of scientifically validated method. 
 
8.7 Method of Sampling 
Sampling shall be in accordance with the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius 
Sampling Plans for Prepackaged Foods - CAC/RM 42-1969, Codex Alimentarius 
Volume 13, 1994.    
 
9. REFERENCES 
 
A.O. No. 153 s. 2004. Guidelines, Current Good Manufacturing Practice in 
Manufacturing, Packing, Repacking or Holding Food. Bureau of Food and 
Drugs, Department of Health. Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. 
 Association of Analytical Chemists. Official Methods of Analysis Manual.  16
th ed., 
1995. AOAC International. 481 North Frederick Ave., Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 
20877-2417. U.S.A.  
B.C. No.016 s. 2006. Updated  List of Food Additives. Bureau of Food and Drugs, 
Department of Health. Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines.  
Codex Alimentarius Commission. 1995. FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius 
Commission Manual . Food and Agriculture Organization. Viale delle Terme di 
Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. 
 
Coronel, R. E. 1996. Pili Nut. Canarium ovatum  Engl. Promoting the 
Conservation and Use of Underutilized and Neglected Crops. 6. Institute of 
Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research. Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic 
Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. 
 De Leon, S. Y. et al.  1999. Basic Foods for Filipinos. 3
rd Edition. Merriam and 
Webster Bookstore, Inc., Manila, Philippines. 
  Fennema, O. 1996. Food Chemistry. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, New York. 
 
Food, definition . ALINORM 04/27/41, para. 88 and Appendix VI. 2005. Codex 
Alimentarius Commission. Food and Agriculture Organization. Viale delle Terme di 
Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. 
  12Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and 
Development. 1997. The Philippines Recommends for Pili. Department of 
Science and Technology, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.    
 PNS/BAFPS 34:2005. Philippine National Standard: Pili Nuts.  Bureau of Product 
Standards, Department of Trade and Industry, Makati City, Philippines. 
 R.A. 3720. Food, Drugs and Cosmetic Act. Bureau of Food and Drugs. 
Department of Health. Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. 
  
 
       
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
   
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  13 
 
 
  
 
ANNEX 1 
 
Pili Nuts 
 
Philippine National Standard (PNS/BAFPS 34:2005)