UGANDA STANDARD  
  US 817
First Edition
2008-0 9-08
 
 
Reference numbe r
US 817: 2008
 © UNBS 2008 
  
Milk fat products — Specification 
 US 817: 2008 
ii © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved
 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 2008  
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: 256 414 505 995 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  US 817:2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved  iii
 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 limentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agr eements 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 Uganda Standard, US 817, Milk fat products — Specification  is based on the Codex standard for milk fat 
products (Codex Stan A-2-1973).  
Committee membership 
The following organizations were represented on the M ilk and milk products sub-committee (UNBS/TC 2/SC 
1), under the supervision of the Technical Committee on Food and agriculture standards (UNBS/TC 2) during 
the preparation of this standard:  
• Consumer Education Trust (CONSENT) 
• Dairy Development Authority (DDA) 
• Department of Food Science and Technology, Makerere University  
• Department of Veterinary Public Health, Makerere University 
• Family Choice Limited  
• GBK Dairy Limited  
• Independent Dairy Consultant 
• Sameer Agriculture and Livestock Limited 
• Uganda Dairy Processors Association (UDPA) 
• Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) UGANDA STANDARD US 817: 2008
 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved  1
 Milk fat products — Specification  
1 Scope 
This Uganda Standard specifies requirements and method s of sampling and test for anhydrous milk fat, 
anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee, which are int ended for further processing or culinary use. 
This standard only applies to the ghee obtained from co ws’ milk and does not apply to ghee obtained from 
other milk producing animals such as goats and camels (for which a separate standard is yet to be 
developed). 
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. 
US 7, General standard for the labe lling of pre-packaged foods 
US 45, General standard for food additives  
US 163, Code of hygienic practice for milk and milk products 
US 500, Requirements for nutritional labelling of foods 
US 508, Requirements for nutritional and health claims on foods 
US 566 Use of nutrition claims — Requirements 
US 738, General standard for contaminants and toxins in foods 
US EAS 68-1, Milk and milk products — Methods for microbiologi cal examination – Part 1: Total plate count 
US EAS 68-3, Milk and milk products — Methods of microbiological examination — Part 3: Enumeration of 
colony forming units of yeasts and/or moulds - Colony-count technique at 25 °C 
US EAS 80-6, Butter ─ Methods of chemical analysis ─ Part 6: Determination of fat acidity (Reference 
method) 
US EAS 80- 8, Butter ─ Methods of chemical analysis ─ Part 8: Determination of copper content 
US EAS 80- 9, Butter ─ Methods of chemical analysis ─ Part 9: Determination of iron content 
US ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs  — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia co li — Most probable number technique  
US ISO 707, Milk and milk products — Guidance on sampling  
FDUS ISO 3976, Milk fat — Determination of peroxide value  US 817: 2008 
2 © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved
 FDUS ISO 3595, Milk fat — Detection of vegetable fat by the phytosteryl acetate test 
FDUS ISO 5536, Milk fat products — Determination of water content — Karl Fischer method  
FDUS ISO 8262-3, Milk products and milk-based foods — Dete rmination of fat content by the Weibull-
Berntrop gravimetric method (Reference  method) — Part 3: Special cases 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
milk fat 
a complex of triglycerides derived exclusively fr om milk and/or products obtained from milk 
3.2 
anhydrous milk fat 
anhydrous butteroil  
butteroil  
a fatty product derived exclusively from milk and/or pr oducts obtained from milk, by means of processes which 
result in almost total removal of water and non-fat solids 
3.3  
ghee 
product exclusively obtained from milk, cream or butter, by means of processes which result in almost total 
removal of water and non-fat solids, with an espe cially developed flavour and physical structure 
4 Essential composition and quality factors 
4.1 Raw materials 
Anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee shall be produced from milk and/or products 
obtained from milk. 
Anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil or ghee shall be free from vegetable fat when tested in 
accordance with FDUS ISO 3595. 
Anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil or ghee shall be free from animal fat other than milk fat. 
4.2 Permitted ingredients or processing aids 
Starter cultures of harmless lactic acid producing bacteria may be used in the production of ghee. 
4.3 Composition 
Anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee shall conform to the compositional requirements in 
Table 1.  
5 Food additives 
Food additives may be used in anhydrous milk fat, anhy drous butteroil, butteroil and ghee in accordance with 
US 45. 
Inert gas may be used to flush airtight containe rs before, during and after filling with product. US 817: 2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved  3
 Table 1 ─ Compositional requirement for anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee 
Requirement 
Component Anhydrous milk fat/ 
Anhydrous butteroil Butteroil Ghee Method of test 
Minimum milk fat, (% m/m) 99.8 99.6 99.6 FDUS ISO 8262-3 
Maximum water, (% m/m) 0.1 0.3 0.3 FDUS ISO 5536 
Maximum free fatty acids (% m/m as 
oleic acid) 0.3 0.4 1.5 US EAS 80-6 
Maximum peroxide value (milli-equivalents of oxygen/kg fat) 0.3 0.6 1.0 FDUS ISO 3976 
Taste and odour Acceptable for market requirements after heating a sample to 40 °C – 45 °C - 
Texture  Smooth and fine or coarse granules to liquid, depending on temperature - 
6 Contaminants 
6.1 Contaminants and toxins 
The anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee shall conform to the maximum limits of 
contaminants and toxins in US 738.  
In addition the products shall conform to the maximum to lerable limits for metal contaminants listed in Table 2. 
Table 2─  Maximum tolerable limits for metal contaminants in anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, 
butter oil and ghee 
Metal contaminant Maximum limit, 
mg/kg Method of test 
Copper 0.05 US EAS 80-8 
Iron 0.2 US EAS 80-9 
6.2 Pesticide and veterinary drug residues 
The anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee shall conform to the maximum residue limits for pesticides and veterinary drugs established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
7 Hygiene 
Anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee  shall be prepared and handled in accordance with 
US 163. The products shall conform to the microbiological limits indicated in Table 3. 
Table 3 ─ Microbiological limits in anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee 
Microorganism Limit Method of test 
Total plate count (cfu/g), maximum 10 US EAS 68-1 
Eschericia coli,  (per gram), maximum  Not detected US ISO 7251 
Yeasts and moulds (cfu/g), maximum < 1 US EAS 68-3 US 817: 2008 
4 © UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved
 8 Packaging 
Anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butteroil and ghee shall be packaged in clean food grade packaging 
material to protect the product from contaminat ion. The packaging materials and process shall not 
contaminate the product or otherwise affect it s technological, nutritional or sensory quality. 
9 Labelling 
In addition to the provisions of US 7, US 500, US  508 and US 566, anhydrous m ilk fat, anhydrous butteroil, 
butteroil and ghee shall conform to the following labeling requirements: 
a) the name of the food shall be one of the fo llowing in accordance with Clause 3. 
i) anhydrous milk fat;  
ii) anhydrous butteroil; 
iii) butteroil; and 
iv) ghee;  
b) for non-retail containers, the information requir ed shall be given either on the container or in 
accompanying documents, except t hat the name of the product, lot identification, and the name and 
address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the container. 
9 Methods of sampling and test 
Sampling of anhydrous milk fat, anhydrous butteroil, butte roil and ghee shall be conducted in accordance with 
US ISO 707. Tests shall be conducted in accordance wi th the methods specified in this standard. Where 
methods have not been indicated, method s specified in the CODEX STAN 234-1999, Recommended 
methods of analysis and sampling,  may be used. US 817: 2008 
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved  5
 Bibliography 
[1] Sserunjogi, M.L., Abraham, R.K and Narvhus, J, 1998. A review paper: Current knowledge of ghee 
and related products . International Dairy Journal, 8: 677-688. 
[2] Ghee grading and marking rules,  Gazette of India Part II, Section 3, Sub-Section (ii) dated 4-4-1981 at 
(S.O. 1101) dated 17/3/1981. US
© UNBS 2008 – All rights reserved  6
  817: 2008 
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 gove rned by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licens ed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in co njunction 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 supervision, 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 of  licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 US 817: 2008 
 
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