FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 743
First Edition
2011-mm-dd
 
Referen
ce numbe r
FDUS EAS 743: 2010
 © UNBS 201 1
  
Cassava crisps — Specification 
 FDUS EAS 743: 201 1 
 
© 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 743: 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, F DUS EAS 743:2010, Cassava crisps — Specification, is identical with and 
has been reproduced fr om an East African Standard, EAS 743:2010, Cassava crisps — 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 743:2010
 ICS 67.080.20
 
© EAC 2010 First Edition 2010  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Cassava crisps — Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 EAS 743:2010  
 
 
Foreword 
 
Development of the East African Standards ha s 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 Comm unity will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African 
Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology an d Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make 
provisions for ensuring standardization, quality as surance, 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 society and the 
environment in the Community. 
 
East African Standards are formulat ed in accordance with the proc edures established by the East 
African Standards Committee. The East Afri can Standards Committee is established under the 
provisions of Article 4 of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is composed of representatives of 
the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, t ogether with the representatives from the private 
sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards are circ ulated to stakeholders 
through the National Standards Bodies in the Pa rtner States. The comments received are discussed 
and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures of the 
Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides t hat “Within six months of the declaration 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 nationa l 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 therefore expected to ensure that they  always have 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.  
 
ii © EAC 2010 — All rights reserved EAS 743:2010  
 
Acknowledgement 
 
This standard was developed with support from the Policy Analysis and Advocacy Programme 
(PAAP) of the Association for Str engthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central 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 associatio n of agricultural research institutes in: Burundi, DR Congo, 
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, M adagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Ug anda. ASARECA serves as 
a platform for promoting regional research and in the sharing of benefits 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 promote economic 
growth, fight poverty, eradicate hunger and enhance sustainable use of resources in Eastern and Central Africa ”. 
 
Development of standards has be en part of PAAP’s contribution to  changing the way business is 
done in crucial agricultural sectors to increase effi ciency and/or reduce waste through rationalization 
and harmonization of policies, laws, regulations  and procedures. 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. Harm onization brings together regionally different 
approaches (policies, laws, regulat ions and procedures) into unified approaches that are applied 
across the countries. This harmonization process allows commodities and factors to move freely 
across national boundaries, thereby improvin g domestic and foreign investment by expanding 
markets beyond national borders. Over time this w ill lead to gradual attainment of seamless borders 
for trade in cassava and cassava products across the region. 
 
Removal of regulatory bottlenecks to transboundary movement of cassava products in the region will 
enhance competitiveness of trade and value addition in the sub-sector. It will improve the value 
chains by supporting product differentiation and hen ce increased trade in cassava products in the 
region. 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 
development of the region. 
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved iii EAS 743:2010  
 
Introduction 
 
Crisps are  thin slices of fruit or vegetable (usually  cassava), deep-fried or baked until brittle and 
served as an appetizer , side dish , or snack . The crisps are just cooked and salted, but manufacturers 
can add a wide variety of seasonings using herbs, spices, cheese, or artificial additives.  
 
Crisps are an important part of t he snack food in the market. Crisps can be packaged in a variety of 
ways including tins to keep the crisps fresh until opened.  
 
This standard is intended to provide guidance on the essential characteristics of crisps in order to 
promote the use cassava in the processing of crisps  and ensure that products are of high quality and 
safety. 
 
 
iv © EAC 2010 — All rights reserved EAS 743:2010  EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Cassava crisps — Specification 
 
 
1 Scope 
 
This East African Standard specifies requirements and  methods of sampling and test for crisps made 
from sweet varieties of cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz).   
 
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 321, Edible fats and oils – Specification  
 
EAS 35, Edible salt - Specification  
 
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 217-8, Methods for the microbiological examination of  foods — Part 8: Enumeration of yeast and 
moulds in foods 
 
EAS 744, Cassava and cassava products — Determination of total cyanogens ─ Enzymatic assay 
method  
 
EAS 738,  Fresh sweet  cassava  — Specification 
 
EAS 98,  spices and condiments — Specification 
 
ISO 2447, Fruits and vegetable products – Determination of tin content 
 
ISO 3094, Fruit and vegetable products – Determination of copper 
 
ISO 6633, Fruit and vegetable products – Determination of lead content – Flameless AAS method  
 
ISO 6634, Fruit and vegetable products – Determ ination of arsenic content – Silver 
diethyldithocarbamate spectrophotometric method  
 
EAS 82, Milled cereal products ― Methods of test (General methods) 
 
ISO 7251,  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs  — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique 
 
3 Product description 
 
cassava crisps 
thin slices of peeled and washed  cass ava roots deep-fried  until crunchy   
 
 
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved  1 EAS 743:2010  
4 Essential quality and compositional requirements 
 
4.1 Raw materials 
 
The following materials shall be used in the processing of cassava crisps: 
 
a) cassava roots; conforming to DEAS 738 
 
b) edible oil or fat conforming to  relevant East African Standards. 
 
NOTE Using the oil several times may lead to poor quality and affect the safety of the crisps. 
 
In addition the following optional ingredients may be added: 
 
a) spices and condiments conforming to EAS 98; and 
 
b) edible salt conforming to EAS 35. 
 
4.2 General quality requirements for the finished product 
 
4.2.1 Physical and sensory factors 
 
a) Plain cassava crisps shall be light yellow to golden brown in colour. Where spices or other 
additives are used, the colour shall be characteristic of that ingredient. 
 
b) Cassava crisps shall be free from off-flavour, rancidity, bitter taste and any other blemish. 
 
c) The crisps shall be uniform in size and have a thickness of between 1.0 mm - 1.5 mm.  
 
d) The cassava crisps shall not show any bliste rs or noticeable separation between the outer and 
the inner portions.  
 
e) The cassava crisps shall be crunchy or crispy and free from sogginess and excessive oil. 
 
4.2.2 Defects 
 
Cassava crisps shall not contain more than 10 % by  mass of small pieces, slivers and irregular 
pieces.  
 
Packaged cassava crisps shall have not more than 1 % of the crisps with the following defects: 
 
a) surface or internal pigmentation; 
 
b) blisters; 
 
c) callous area; and 
 
d) black specks and spots.  
 
4.2.3 Foreign matter and adulterants 
 
Cassava crisps shall be free from fore ign matter and any other adulterants  
 
4.3 Composition requirements for cassava crisps 
 
Cassava crisps shall conform to the specified composition in Table 1. 
 
2 © EAC 2010 — All rights reserved EAS 743:2010  
Table 1 — Compositional requirements for cassava crisps 
 
Parameters Requirements Method of test 
Moisture content, %, by mass, max. 5  
Fat content on dry weight, %, max.  35  
Free fatty acids on dry weight basis, %, max. 0.5  
Sodium chloride (NaCl) on dry weight basis, %, max 2  
Potential cyanide, mg/kg, max 10 DEAS 744 
Acid insoluble ash, %, by mass, max 0.05 EAS 82 
Peroxide value, meq oxygen per gram 0.5  
 
5 Food additives 
 
Food additives may be used in the preparation of  cassava crisps in accordance with EAS 103. 
 
6 Contaminants 
 
6.1 Pesticide residues 
 
Cassava crisps shall conform to maximum residue limits for pesticide residues established by the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity. 
 
6.2 Other contaminants  
 
Cassava crisps 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 crisps shall be pr epared and handled in a hy gienic manner in accordance with EAS 39   and 
shall conform to microbiological limits specified in Table 2 
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for cassava crisps 
 
Micro-organism(s) Requirements Method of test 
Total viable count, CFU per gram, max  104    
Escherichia coli, CFU per 10 grams Shall be 
absent  ISO 4833 
Salmonella  Shall be 
absent ISO 6579 
Yeasts and moulds, CFU per gram 103 ISO 21527-2 
 
8 Packaging 
 
Before packaging, excess oil shall be removed and the crisps packaged within a short time after frying 
so as to keep the crispy taste and texture. 
 
Cassava crisps shall be packaged in food grade  material which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, 
and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
 
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved  3 EAS 743:2010  
The packaging materials shall comply with the env ironmental legislation of  the destination country, 
 
9 Weights and measures 
 
Cassava crisps shall be packaged in accordance with  the Weights and Measures requirements of the 
destination country,  
 
10 Labelling  
 
9.1 In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific labeling requirements shall 
apply and shall be legibly  and indelibly marked 
 
a) common name of the product ‘Cassava crisps’; 
 
b) name, and physical address of the manufacturer/ distributor and /or trade name/ brand name ; 
 
c) if spiced they shall be l abelled ‘Spiced Cassava Crisps’; 
 
d) date of manufacture; 
 
e) list of ingredients 
 
f) lot identification  
 
g) best before date ;  
 
h) country of origin 
 
i) the net weight 
 
j) storage instruction 
 
k) declaration of flavouring agent or spice used 
 
l) instructions on disposal of used package. 
 
9.2 When labelling non-retail packag es, information for non-retail pa ckages shall either be given on 
the packages or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identification 
and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the packages. 
 
8 Methods of test 
 
The product covered by this standard shall be tested in accordance with the methods of test indicated 
in the relevant clauses of this standard. 
 
4 © EAC 2010 — All rights reserved EAS 743:2010  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved