FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 741
First Edition
2011-mm-dd
 
Referen
ce numbe r
FDUS EAS 741: 2010
 © UNBS 201 1
  
Cassava wheat composite flour — Specification 
 FDUS EAS 741: 2010  
 
© UNBS  2011 – 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 application  
© UNBS 2011 
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, in cluding photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
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 41 505 995 
Fax: 256 41 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 FDUS EAS 741: 2010 
© UNBS  2011 - All rights rese rved                iii National foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry  of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 327, of the Laws of U ganda. 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 A limentariu s Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agr eem ents 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 standards in a gi ven field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academician s, manufacturers, governme nt and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committ ee 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. 
This Final Draft Uganda Standard, FDUS EAS 741:2010, Cassa va wheat composite flour — Specification, is 
identical with and has been reproduced from an East African Standard, EAS 741:2010, Cassava wheat 
composite flour — Specification,  and is being proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
This standard was developed by the Food and Agricu lt ure Standards Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 2).  
Wherever the words, “East African Standard" appear, they sho uld be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
 EAS 741:2010
 ICS 67.080.20
 
© EAC 2010                First Edition 2010 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Cassava wheat composite flour — Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY 
 EAS 741:2010 9 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               ii 
 Foreword 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in East Africa. It is envisaged that through harmonized 
standardization, trade barriers which are encountered when goods and services are exchanged within the 
Community will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner  States have enacted an East African Standardization, 
Quality Assurance, Metrology and Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make provisions for ensuring 
standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing of  products produced or originating in a third country 
and traded in the Community in order to facilitate industrial development and trade as well as helping to 
protect the health and safety of societ y and the environment in the Community. 
 
East African Standards are formulated  in accordance with the procedures established by the East African 
Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committe e is established under the provisions of Article 4 
of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is compos ed of representatives of the National Standards 
Bodies in Partner States, together with the repr esentatives from the priv ate sectors and consumer 
organizations. Draft East African Standards are circul ated 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 t he procedures of the Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that “Wit hin six months of the declar ation of an East African 
Standard, the Partner States shall adopt, without deviation from the approved text of the standard, the East 
African Standard as a national standard and withdraw any existing national standard with similar scope and 
purpose”. 
 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefor e expected to ensure that they always hav e the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing.  
 
© East African Community 2010 — All rights reserved *
East African Community  
P O Box 1096  
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8 
Fax: 255-27-2504481/2504255 
E-Mail: eac@eachq.org
Web: www.each.int 
                                                      
* © 2010 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by an y means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs.  
 EAS 741:2010 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved                 iii 
 Acknowledgement 
This standard was devel oped with support from the Policy Analysi s and Advocacy Programme (PAAP) of the 
Association for Strengthening Agricult ural Research in Eastern and Cent ral Africa (ASARECA). This was 
possible though a grant by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This support 
was used in the process of formulation and mobilization of stakeholders to review the standard in national and 
regional fora. 
ASARECA is a non-political association of agricultural research institutes  in: Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, 
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzani a and Uganda. ASARECA serves  as a platform for 
promoting regional research and in the sharing of benef its and spillovers that derive from such research. The 
mission of ASARECA is to “ Enhance regional collective action in agricultural research for development, 
extension and agricultural training and education, to pr omote economic growth, fight poverty, eradicate hunger 
and enhance sustainable use of resources in Eastern and Central Africa ”. 
Development of standards has been part of PAAP’s contribution to changing the way business is done in 
crucial agricultural sectors to increase effici ency and/or reduce waste through rationalization and 
harmonization of policies, laws, regulations and proc edures. Rationalization focuses on how countries conduct 
business in a given subsector, and determines what should be done to make the procedures and processes 
more efficient. Harmonization brings together regionally  different approaches (policies, laws, regulations and 
procedures) into unified approaches that are applied acro ss the countries. This harmonization process allows 
commodities and factors to move freely across national boundaries, thereby improving domestic and foreign investment by expanding markets beyond national borders. Over time this will lead to gradual attainment of 
seamless borders for trade in cassava and cassava products across the region. 
Removal of regulatory bottlenecks to transboundary movem ent of cassava products in the region will enhance 
competitiveness of trade and value addition in the sub-se ctor. It will improve the value chains by supporting 
product differentiation and hen ce increased trade in ca ssava products in the regi on. This will ultimately 
contribute to incomes, employment generation and improved welfare in the region. This fits snugly with the 
aspirations of ASARECA as a key player contributing to economic dev elopment of the region.  EAS 741:2010 9 
Introduction 
Cassava is cultivated in most part s of East Africa. The farmers have a number of varieties both local and 
improved. Cassava roots have a short shelf-life and are either consumed immediately after harvest or have to 
be processed into shelf stable products.  
Cassava roots are processed at household and cottage leve ls in the rural areas. Processing at these levels 
involves mainly the production of  cassava chips and flour from fermented or unfermented roots. 
The processing of cassava roots into flour is done by tr aditional methods. The process for production of flour 
involves peeling, cutting into pieces, sun drying, m illing, sieving and packaging for unfermented flour. For 
fermented cassava flour, the cassava pieces are fermented before sun drying.  
Currently in East Africa, cassava flour is mainly used in the making flour and local gin (waragi) despite its 
many application. For example, the use of cassava flour for baking bread or biscuits is limited, but the 
potential for cassava flour to be used in the baking indu stry exists. Use of cassava in the baking as composite 
cassava -wheat flour, will sa ve Partner States a lot of foreign earn ings from the importation of wheat   
Development of this standard should encourage the proces sing and use of cassava flour in baking products 
such as bread, biscuits, buns, doughnuts, and pancakes . This standard therefore aims at providing guidance 
for the production of high quality grade composite cassava flour for baking.  
 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               iv 
 EAST AFRICAN STANDARD EAS 741:2010
 
1               © EAC yyyy – All rights reserved 
 Cassava wheat composite flour — Specification 
1 Scope 
This East African Standard specifies the requirements and the methods of sampling and test for 
cassava-wheat composite. This st andard does not apply to other composite flours from non wheat 
sources which may be used in different products. 
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,  General standard for the labelling of pre-packaged foods  
EAS 39 , Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry  
EAS 103,  General standard for food additives  
EAS 217-2,  Methods for the microbiological examination of foods — Part 2: General guidance for the 
enumeration of micro-organisms — Colony count technique at 30 °C  
EAS 217-6,  Methods for the microbiological examinati on of foods — Part 6: Examination for 
Salmonella Spp  
EAS 217-8,  EAS ISO  Methods for the microbiological examinat ion of foods — Part 8: Enumeration of 
yeast and moulds in foods 
EAS 740,  Cassava flour ─ Specification 
EAS 739,  Dried cassava chips — Specification 
EAS 744,  Cassava and cassava products — Determination of total cyanogens ─ Enzymatic assay 
method  
EAS 82,  Milled cereal products — Methods of test (General methods)  
EAS ISO 13690,  Cereals, pulses and milled cereal pr oducts — Sampling of static batches 
EAS ISO 712,  Cereals and cereal products — Determinati on of moisture content — Routine reference 
method 
EAS ISO 3094,  Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of copper 
EAS ISO 6633,  Fruit and vegetable products — Determinat ion of lead content — Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric method  EAS 741:2010 9 
EAS ISO 6634,  Fruit and vegetable products — Determin ation of arsenic content — Silver 
diethyldithocarbamate spectrophotometric method 
EAS ISO 6637,  Fruit and vegetable products — Determi nation of mercury content — Flameless 
atomic absorption method  
EAS ISO 5498,  Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method 
EAS ISO 2171,  Cereals and milled cereal products — Determination of total ash 
EAS ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding st uffs — Horizontal method for the detection 
and enumeration of presumptive Escherichi a coli — Most probable number technique 
EAS ISO 16050,  Foodstuffs ─ Determination of aflatoxins B 1 and total content of aflatoxins B 1, B2, G 1 
and G 2 in cereals, nuts, and derived products ─ High performance liquid chromatographic method 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
cassava-wheat  composite flour  
combination of cassava flour and wheat flour  
3.2. 
filth 
impurities of animal origin (including dead insects) 
 
3.3 
food grade material 
one that will not transfer non-food chemicals into the food and contains no chemicals which would be 
hazardous to human health 
 
3.4 
foreign matter 
all organic and inorganic materials (such as sand, soil, glass) 
3.5 
flour  
finely ground content of dried wheat grains or peeled roots  
4 Essential composition and quality requirements  
4.1 General requirements 
The general requirements for cassava wheat  composite flour shall be as follows; 
a) homogenous in size and colour; 
b) practically free of filth and  foreign matter; 
c) not be rancid or have any off odours or flavours  
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               2 
 EAS 741:2010 
4.2 Ingredients 
The cassava flour used in the manufacture of comp osite flour shall conform to DEAS 740. The wheat 
flour shall conform to EAS 1, Wheat flour — Specification . 
4.3 Proportion of cassava flour  
The levels of substitution of wheat flour with cassava flour in composite flour shall have a minimum of 
10 % weight of composite flour.  
4.3 Composition of composite flour 
Composite cassava flour shall conform to t he compositional requirements in Table 1. 
Table 1 −Compositional requirement for composite cassava flour 
Characteristic Requirement Method of test 
Protein content, percent by mass,  min. (N x 6.25) 8.0 ISO 1871 
Crude fat content, % by mass on a dry weight basis, min. 2.0 ISO 5986 
Crude fibre content, % by mass on dry matter  basis , max. 1.25 ISO 5498 
Acid value 50 ISO 7305 
Acid insoluble ash, % by mass, max. 0.35 EAS 82 
Moisture content, %, by mass, max. 13.5 ISO 712 
 
4.4 Specific quality factors  
4.4.1 Particle size (composite flour for baking)  
Not less than 90 % shall pass through a 0.25 mm sieve for fine flour. 
4.4.2 Total cyanogens content 
When tested in accordance with DEAS 744, the total hydrogen cyanide  content of the cassava wheat 
composite flour shall not exceed 10 mg/kg.  
4.5 Fortification  
Cassava wheat composite flour may be fortified with nu trients in accordance with national legislation. 
5 Food additives  
Food additives may be added to composite flour in accordance with EAS 103. . 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               3 
 EAS 741:2010 9 
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Pesticide residues  
Cassava composite wheat flour shall comply wi th the maximum residue limits for pesticides 
established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity. 
6.2 Other contaminants  
Cassava composite wheat flour shall comply with the maximum levels of the Codex General Standard 
for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193). 
7 Hygiene  
Cassava-wheat composite flour shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39 and shall 
conform to microbiological limit s in specified in Table 2. 
Table 2 – Microbiological limits  
Micro-organism Maximum limit Method of Test 
Escherichia. coli,  in 10 g mpn Shall be absent  ISO 7251 
ISO 4833 
Salmonella  in 25 g Shall be Absent ISO 6579  
Yeast and mould, CFU/g, max. 103 ISO 21527-2  
8 Packaging  
The cassava wheat composite flour shall be packa ged in materials which will safeguard the safety 
and quality of the product.  
Cassava-wheat composite flour shall be packaged in  food grade materials, which will safeguard the 
hygienic, nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the product. 
The packaging materials shall comply with the env ironmental legislation of  the destination country, 
9 Weights and measures 
Cassava wheat composite flour shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures 
requirements of the destination country. 
10 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38 , the following shall be legibly  and indelibly marked  
a) common name of the product shall be “Cassava wheat composite flour  
b) percentage substitution  
c)  list of ingredients in descending order of proportion; 
 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               4 
 EAS 741:2010 
© EAC 2010 – All rights reserved               5 
 d) net weight  
e) name and physical address of the manufactur er/packer/distributor and /or trade name/ brand 
name; 
f)  lot identification  code or in clear mark to identify the producing factory and the lot; and 
g) manufacturing and best before date;  
h) storage instructions as ‘store in a cool dry place; 
i) instructions on disposal of used package. 
 
11 Methods of sampling and test 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 13690 and testing in accordance with the methods 
indicated against each requirement  or other equivalent methods and by visual examination. 
13 Criteria for conformity  
A lot shall be declared as conforming to this standard  if each sample inspected or analysed for quality 
requirement conforms to the provision of this standard. 
 
 
 EAS 741:2010
  
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved