DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  DUS DARS  462 
First  Edition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS DARS 462: 2022  
 
© UNBS 2022  
   
Sorghum grains — Specification  
 
 
PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DARS  462: 2022  
ii                © UNBS  2022  - All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
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responsib le for its correct application  
© UNBS 2022  
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PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DARS  462: 2022  
© UNBS  2022  - All rights reserved                 iii National foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of t he Laws of Uganda, as amended. UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisati on for Standardisation (ISO);   
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standard s; and  
(c) the National Enquiry Poin t on TBT Agreement 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 given field or area and consists of represent atives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the com ments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Draft Uganda Standard , DUS DARS 462:2022 , Sorghum grains — Specification , is identical with a nd is 
being reproduced from an African  Standard , DARS 462:2022 , Sorghum grains — Specification , and is 
proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 203, Cereals, pulses and 
related products and pr ocesses . 
Wherever the words, “African  Standard " appear, they should  be replaced by "Uganda Standard ". 
  
 
   
PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTAFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
462  
Third  Edition 20 22 
 
 Reference No. DARS 462:2022 (E) 
ICS 67.060  
 
 
© ARSO 202 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sorghum grains — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 462:202 2 
ii © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  2 
4 Quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
4.1 General quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
4.2.1  Grading  ................................ ................................ .......................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  3 
5.1 Toxic metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  3 
5.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 4 
8 Marking or labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  4 
9 Sampling ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
Annex A (normative)  Determination of ergot ................................ ................................ ..........................  6 
A.1 Test for presence of ergot in food grains  ................................ ................................ ...................  6 
A.2 Determination of quantity of ergot ( Claviceps purpurea  Tul.) ................................ ....................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  10 
 
  DARS 462:202 2 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  iii Foreword  
 
The African Organization for Standardization (ARS) is an African intergovernmental organization made 
up of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of African 
Unity (AU). One of the fundamental mandates of ARSO is to develop and harmoniz e African Standards 
(ARS) for the purpose of enhancing Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase Africa’s product and 
service competitiveness globally and uplift the welfare of African communities.  The work of preparing 
African  Standa rds is normally carried out through ARSO  technical committees. Each Member State  
interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be 
represented on that committee. International organizations, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), 
governmental and non -governmental  organizations , in liaison with ARSO , also take part in the work.  
 
ARSO  Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.  
 
The main task of technical committees is to prepare ARSO  Standards. Draft ARSO  Standards adopted 
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an ARSO  
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bo dies casting a vote.  
 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of 
patent rights. ARSO  shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
This African Standard was prepare d by the ARSO Technical Committee on Cereals, pulses and derived 
products  (ARSO – TC 12)  
 
This African Standard is a technical revision of the earlier ARS 462: 2016 (E), Standard for sorghum 
grains which is hereby superseded and cancelled.  
 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation  2022 — All rights reserved* 
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P. O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel. +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-311641, +254 -20-311608  
Fax: +254 -20-218792  
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
  
                                                 
* 2022 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs. 
 DARS 462:202 2 
iv © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved   
Copyright notice  
 
This ARSO document is copyright -protected by ARSO. While the reproduction of this document 
by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted without prior permission 
from ARSO, neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or 
transmitted in any form for any other purpose without prior writt en permission from ARSO.  
 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be 
addressed as shown below or to ARSO’s member body in the country of the requester:  
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 2022 — All rights reserved  
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P.O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel: +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-311641, +254 -20-311608  
Fax: +254 -20-218792  
 
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be p rosecuted.  
 
 
 
  DARS 462:202 2 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop worldwide. It is drought and heat tolerant and thus an 
important crop in arid regions where major cereals do not produce sufficient yields. Consumption of 
sorghum, however, has decreased considerably in many African countries, especially in urban areas.  
 
However, there is renewed interest in many African and foreign countries in the crop due to the wide 
range of applications and substitutions . Some types are boiled like rice, some cracked like oats for 
porrid ge, some "malted" like barley for beer, some baked like wheat into flatbreads, and some popped 
like popcorn for snacks. A few types have sugary grains and are boiled in the green stage like sweet 
corn. The whole plant is often used as forage, hay, or silag e.  On top of all that, sorghum promises to 
be a "living factory." Industrial alcohol, vegetable oil, adhesives, waxes, dyes, sizing for paper and cloth, 
and starches for lubricating oil -well drills are just some of the products that could be obtained.   
 
This standard has been revised to take into account:  
 
a) the needs of the market for the product;  
b) the need to facilitate fair domestic, regional and international trade and prevent technical 
barriers to trade by establishing a common trading language for buy ers and sellers;  
c) the structure of the CODEX, UNECE, USA, ISO and other internationally significant standards;  
d) the needs of the producers in gaining knowledge of market standards, conformity assessment, 
commercial cultivars and crop production process;  
e) the need to transport the product in a manner that ensures keeping of quality until it reaches 
the consumer;  
f) the need for the plant protection authority to certify, through a simplified form, that the product 
is fit for cross -border and international trade wit hout carrying plant disease vectors;  
g) the need to promote good agricultural practices that will enhance wider market access, 
involvement of small -scale traders and hence making farming a viable means of wealth 
creation; and  
h) the need to ensure a reliable pro duction base of consistent and safe crops that meet customer 
requirements.  
This edition has also incorporated several changes in order to align the standard to current requirements 
for quality and safety including but not limited to the following aspects:  
 
Microbiological requirements  
 
Grading of grains  
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 462:202 2(E) 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  1  
Sorghum grains — Specification   
 
 
1 Scope  
 
This African Standard specifies requirements , methods of sampling and test for sorghum grains (whole 
or decorticated) of varieties (cultivars) grown from Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench  intended for human 
food. This standard  does not apply to processed sorghum.  
 
 
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.  
 
ARS 53, General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice  
 
ARS 56, Prepackaged foods — Labelling  
 
AOAC Official Method 2001.04, Determination of Fumonisins B 1 and B 2 in corn and corn flakes — Liquid 
chromatography with immunoaffinity column cleanup  
 
CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and spec ies and variety 
— Test methods  
 
ISO 711, Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture content (Basic reference method)  
 
ISO 712 , Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture content — Routine reference 
method  
 
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 1: 
Method using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ISO 6561 -2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 2: 
Method using flame a tomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ISO 6633, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless 
atomic absorption spectrometric method  
 
ISO 6637, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of mercury content — Flameless 
atomic absorption method  
 
ISO 9648, Sorghum — Determination of tannin  
 
ISO 16050,  Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G1 and 
G2 in cereals, nuts and derived products — High performance liquid chromatographic method  
 
ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
 
ISO 27085, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, 
potassium, iron, zinc, c opper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadmium by ICP -
AES  
 
ISO 6579 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of 
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 462:202 2 (E)  
2 © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  Salmonella spp.  
 
 
3 Terms and  Definition  
 
For the purpose of this Standard,  the following terms and definitions  apply . 
 
3.1 
sorghum grain s 
dry mature grains of the species ( Sorghum bicolor  (L.) Moench)  
 
3.2 
broken kernels  
pieces of sorghum grain  which pass through a  screen having round holes of 1.8 mm in diameter   
 
3.3 
pest damaged grain  
  
grain which shows damage or owing to attack by rodents, insects, mites or other pests  
 
3.4 
decorticated grains  
grains from which the external casings and whole or parts of the germ have been removed in an 
appropriate manner, using mechanical treatment  
 
3.5 
foreign matter  
all organic and inorganic material (such as plant parts, sand, soil, glass) other than sorghum  grains  
 
3.6 
poisonous, toxic and/or harmful seeds  
seeds which can have a damaging or dangerous effect on health, sensory properties or technological 
performance. These include Crotolaria ( Crotalaria  spp.), Corn cockle ( Agrostemma  githago  L.), Castor 
bean ( Ricinus communis  L.), Jimson weed ( Datura  spp.)  
 
3.7 
test weight  
density of a measured volume of grain expressed in kilograms per hectolitre  
 
3.8  
screenings   
all matter passing through a 2.0 mm slotted screen – 40 shakes in the direction of the slots using an 
agitator  
 
3.9 
total admixture  
sum total of foreign material, screenings and trash  
 
 
4 Requirements   
 
4.1 General requirements  
 
Sorghum grains shall meet the following general requirements/limits as determined using the relevant 
standards listed in Clause 2 . Sorghum shall be:  
 
a) the dried mature grains of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ; 
 
b) hard, cle an, wholesome, uniform in size , colour  and shape ; 
 DARS 462:202 2(E) 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  3 c) free from abnormal flavours, musty, sour or other undesirable  odour,  obnoxious smell  and 
discolouration ;  
 
d) safe and suitable for human consumption;  
 
e)  practically  free from foreign odours, moulds, live pests, rat droppings, toxic or noxious weed seeds 
and other injurious contaminants as determined from samples representative of the lot . 
 
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
Sorghum grains  shall comply with maximum limits given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the 
test methods specified therein.   
 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for sorghum grains  
 
 Characteristic  Specification  Method of 
test 
S/No.  Grade 1  Grade 2 Grade 3 
1.  Moisture, max, (%), m/m  13.5  13.5  13.5  ISO 711, ISO 
712 
2.  Test weight, Min (kg/hl)  71 62 62 ISO 605  
3.  Total admixture max (% by wt)  11.0 30.0 50.0 
4.  Foreign matter  max (% by wt)   0.5  1.5  2 
5.  Inorganic matter, % m/m, max  0.25 0.25 0.25 
6.  Foreign matter, decorticated grains  (% by wt) * 0.5 0.5 0.5 
7.  Filth, % m/m, max.  0.1 0.1 0.1 
8.  Ergot affected grains, %m/m ,max  0.05 Annex A  
9.  Tannin content, % 
on dry mass basis, 
max.  Whole grains   0.3  0.4 0.5 ISO 9648  
10.  Decorticated grains  0.3 0.3 0.3 
11.  Defective grains, 
maxa (% by count, 
300 grain sample  Weather stained  1.5 2 2.5 I 
12.  Field fungi  1 2 3 
13.  Dry green  1 2 3 
14.  Immature grain (fully green in colour)  0.5 1 2 
15.  Split/broken  1 3 5 
16.  Total defective  4 7 11 
17.   Other edible grains, % m/m, max  1.6 1.6 1.6 
18.  Total aflatoxin (AFB 1+AFB 2+AFG 1 +AFG 2)), ppb, max  10 ISO 16050  
19.  Aflatoxin B 1 only, ppb, max  5 
20.  Fumonisin, ppm, max  2 AOAC Official 
Method 
2001.04  
a The parameter, total defective grains is not the sum total of the individual defects. It is limited to 70% of the sum total 
of individual defects.  
*NOTE Item 5 should be used only when the consignment is decorticated sorghum.   
 
 
5 Contaminants  
 
5.1  Heavy metals   
 
Sorghum grains shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants specified in CODEX 
STAN 193 and in particular those listed in Table 2.  
  DARS 462:202 2 (E)  
4 © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  Table 2 —Heavy  metal contaminants  
 
S/N Parameter  Limit (ppm max)  Test method  
 1) Lead (Pb)  0.1 ISO 6633  
 2) Cadmium (Cd)  0.02 ISO 6561 -1 or ISO 6561 -2 
 
5.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Sorghum grains  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity   
 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
Sorghum grains shall be produced and handled under hygienic conditions in accordance with ARS 53  
 
 
7 Weight and Measures  
 
Sorghum grains shall be packaged in accordance with the weights and measures regulations of the 
destination country.  
 
Note: Maximum package weight of  50 kg where human loading and offloading is involved’  
 
 
8 Packaging  
 
8.1 Sorghum grains  shall be packed  in food grade packages which shall be  clean, sound, free from 
insect  and fungal infestation .  
8.2 Each package shall contain sorghum grains  of the same  type and of the same grade 
designation.  
 
8.3 If sorghum grains  are presented in bags, the bags shall also be free of pests and contaminants.  
 
 
9 Labelling  
 
9.1 General labelling  
 
The following specific labelling requirements shall apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked in 
accordance with the requirements of ARS 56:   
 
i) product name as “ Whole or Decorticated  Sorghum grains ”  
 
ii) variety;  
 
iii) grade;  
 
iv) name, address and physical location of the producer / packer/importer;  
 
v) lot/batch/  code number;  
 
vi) net weight, metric unit ;  
 
vii) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’;  
 
viii) storage instruction as “Store in a cool  and dry place away from any contaminants’’;  
 DARS 462:202 2(E) 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  5 ix) crop year;  
 
x)  Best before date  
 
xi) instructions on disposal of used package;  
 
xii) country of origin;  
 
xiii) a declaration on whether the sorghum  was genetically modified or not.  
 
9.2  Non retail containers  
 
Information detailed in 9 .1 shall be given  either  on the container or in accompanying documents . 
However, lot identification and the name and address of the  processor  or packer may be replaced by 
an identification mark, provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying 
documents.”  
 
 
10 Sampling  
 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with the ISO 24333 . 
 
  DARS 462:202 2 (E)  
6 © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  Annex A  
(normative)  
 
Determination of ergot  
 
 
A.1 Test for presence of ergot in food grains  
 
A.1.1 Reagents  
 
(a) Petroleum ether  40 – 60 °C 
 
(b) diethyl  ether  
 
(c) Dilute Ammonia  10 % (v/ v)  
 
(d) Tartaric acid solution  — 1 % (freshly prepared)  
 
(e) p-dimethyl amino benzaldehyde (PDAB)  — Dissolve 0.125 gm of PDAB in  a cold mixture of 
65 ml of conc sulphuric acid and 35 ml of distilled water.  
 
Add 0.1 ml of 5 % Ferric chloride solution and let it stand for 24 hours  before use.  
 
A.1.2 Apparatus  
 
(a) Grinding mill  
 
(b) Electric shaker  
 
A.1.3 Procedure  
 
Grind about 50 gm of sample in the grinding mill to a fine powder. Take 10 gm  of powdered sample in 
a stoppered conical flask. Add sufficient petroleum ether  and shake for half an hour in the electric 
shaker. Allow to settle and decant off  the petroleum ether. Dry the material in air. Add to the material 8 
ml of dilute  ammonia and sufficient quantity of solvent ether. Again shake for ½ hour. Fil ter ether portion 
in a beaker and concentrate to a small volume. Add 2 ml of tartaric  acid solution to the beaker and 
shake thoroughly.  Mix 1 ml of this tartaric acid – sample solution with 1 or 2 ml of p -dimethyl 
benzaldehyde solution.  
 
The appearance of  blue colour indicates presence of ergot. 
 
A.2 Determination of quantity of ergot ( Claviceps purpurea  Tul.)  
 
A.2.1 Objective and field of application  
 
The method is used for both qualitative and quantitative determination of ergot  in food and feed . The 
method is suitable for the examination of  food and feed  of different particle sizes. In pelleted feedingstuff 
only qualitative  determination is possible.  
 
A.2.2 Principle  
 
Ergot in food and feed  is determined by the macroscopic and microscopic  identification of the ergot 
sclerotia and fragments. Quantification is done by  weighing the amount of identified sclerotia and 
fragments with a particle size >0.5 mm.  
 
A.2.3 Reagents  
 
A.2.3.1 Chloral hydrate,  = 60%  
 DARS 462:202 2(E) 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  7 A.2.3.2 Sodium hydroxide (pelleted)  
 
A.2.3.3 Potassium hydroxide (pelleted)  
 
A.2.3.4 Ethanol,  = 50%  
 
A.2.3.5 Acetone  
 
The reagents listed can be replaced by others which produce comparable  results.  
 
A.2.4 Equipment and accessories  
 
A.2.4.1 Optical equipment  
 
A.2.4.1.1  Stereo microscope (up to 70x magnification)  
 
A.2.4.1.2  Magnifier (up to 10x magnification)  
 
A.2.4.2 Mortar and pestle  
 
A.2.4.3 Sieves fitted with wire nettings or perforations with different mesh sizes  (e.g. 2.0 mm, 1.0 mm, 
0.5 mm, 0.25 mm) and collecting tray;  recommended additional equipment: sieve towers, sieve shaker  
 
A.2.4.4 Analytical balance (accuracy 0.001 g)  
 
A.2.4.5 Oven (up to 130 °C)  
 
A.2.4.6 Laboratory glassware  
 
A.2.4.7 Filters (e.g. paper, gaze)  
 
A.2.4.8 Freeze dryer  
 
A.2.4.9 Hot plate or Bunsen burner  
 
A.2.4.10 Reference material  
 
A.2.5 Procedure  
 
The examination is performed in non -pelleted food and feed. Pelleted food and feed have to be 
depelleted before examination (A.2.4.2; A.2.8.1).  
 
Qualitative determination of the sclerotia is performed macroscopically and  microscopically considering 
ergot and its fragments in both the sieve fraction >0.5mm and < 0.5mm.  
 
Quantification is performed by selecting and weighing of ergot and its  fragments with a particle size 
>0.5mm out of the laboratory sampl e or an  aliquot of it.  
 
A.2.5.1 Preparation of the laboratory sample  
 
A.2.5.1.1  Whole kernel feeding  stuff (at least 250g) are weighed (A.2.4.4) and used directly for the 
investigation (A.2.5.2 and A.2.5.3).  
 
A.2.5.1.2  Non-pelleted feeding  stuff (at least 10g) are weighed (A.2.4.4) and fractionated bysieving. 
The obtained fractions > 0.5mm and  0.5mm are weighed (A.2.4.4).  
 
A.2.5.2 Identification of ergot  
 
Ergot sclerotia are identified based on their characteristic features. The  identification may be facilitated 
by comparison to reference material (A.2.4.10) and existing descriptions.  DARS 462:202 2 (E)  
8 © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved   
Morphology : Ergot sclerotia  Tul. are elongated with a length up to  several centimetres, coloured dark 
violet to black. The shape is similar to  cereal kernels. They only consist of fungal hyphae.  
 
Anatomy : Cross sections through the random parts of ergot sclerotia  show very small, narrow 
interconnected hyphae which yield a dense  pseudoparenchymatic tissue. The cells contain lots of fat 
oil. The outer  layers of the hyphae are coloured dark violet to black, whereas the inner  parts are coloured 
light pink to violet.  
 
For the identification of ergot fragments in the sieve fractions <0.5mm  the following colour reaction can 
be used. This staining procedure i s only  applicable to fresh sclerotia material.  
 
A filter paper is soaked with a solution of 3ml ethanol (A.2.3.4) and 2 sodium hydroxide pellets (A.2.3.2) 
or 2 potassium hydroxide pellets (A.2.3.3). The sample is distributed on the filter paper.  
 
After app . 5 min. a red -violet halo around the ergot fragments is observed.  
 
The dark violet colouring of the outer hyphae layers is dissolved also in chloralhydrate (A.2.3.1) and 
colours it violet.  
 
A.2.5.3 Quantification  
 
The quantification of ergot is performed using the sieve fractions > 0.5  mm. 
 
Material identified as ergot in each fraction is selected and weighed. An aliquot of the sieved fractions 
may be used if necessary. The ergot content of the fractions >0.5mm is summarized and expressed in 
mg/kg feeding  stuff (A.2.6.1).  
 
A.2.6 Calculation and report  
 
A.2.6.1 Calculation  
 
The amount of ergot fragments in mg/kg (ppm) feeding  stuff (original  sample) is calculated using the 
following formula:  
 
EBCC1000
 [mg/kg]  
 
C = amount of component in mg/kg feeding  stuff (ppm)  
 
BC = selected fragments of component in the  laboratory sample or an aliquot of it [mg]  
 
E = total weight of the laboratory sample or an examined aliquot  of the laboratory sample [g]  
 
A.2.6.2 Report  
 
A.2.6.2.1  Negative result:  
 
As far as was discernible using a microscope, ergot was not found in the  submitted sample.  
 
A.2.6.2.2  Positive result:  
 
As far as was discernible using a microscope xx mg ergot/kg feeding  stuff were found in the submitted 
sample. For quantification ergot particles >0.5 mm are considered.  
 
A.2.6.2.3  Possible adding to the report:  
 
In pelleted feeding  stuff only qualitative determination of ergot is  possible.  
 DARS 462:202 2(E) 
© ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  9 A.2.8 Remarks  
 
A.2.8.1 For the identification of ergot in pelleted feeding  stuffs , the sample is depleted using either of 
the following procedures:   
 
(a) At least 10 g of the pressed material is mixed with at least three times as much water. The 
suspension is stirred up several times an d left standing until the pellets disintegrate. Then the 
depelletised material is filtered (A.2.4.7) and dried at room temperature or freeze -dried 
(A.2.4.8).  
 
(b) For depelletising at high humidity pressed material (at least 10 g) is left standing in humid  
atmosphere at 70 °C (A.2.4.5) until the pellets disintegrate. The material is crushed, sieved 
(A.2.4.3) and dried at room temperature immediately to prevent the particles from sticking 
together again.  
 
A.2.8.2 Ergot are the permanent forms or sclerotia of  ergot which mainly occur  in rye, more seldom in 
wheat, triticale and barley.  
 
A.2.8.3 This method also is suitable for the examination of raw material and  food.  
 
 
 
 
  DARS 462:202 2 (E)  
10 © ARSO 202 2 — All rights reserved  Bibliography  
 
 
EAS 757 :2011, Sorghum grains — Specification  
 
CODEX STAN 172:1989 (Rev.1:1995), Standard for Sorghum Grains  
 
United Stated Standards for Sorghum, Effective June 2008  
 
Malawi Standard, MBS 612:1997, Sorghum — Determination of tannin content  
 
Ethiopian Standard, ES 674:2001, Sorghum — Specification  
 
Department of Agriculture — South African Government Notice No. R. 532 of 16th May 2008, 
Regulations relating the Grading, packing and marking of sorghum intended for sale in the Republic of 
South Africa  
 
ISO 9648:1988, Sorghum  Determination of tannin co ntent published by the International 
Organization for Standardization (ISO)  
 
CODEX STAN 228:2001 (Rev.1:2004), General methods of analysis for contaminants  
 
 
 
 DARS 462:20 22 
© ARSO 20 22 — All rights reserved