FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 760
First Edition
2011-mm-dd
 
 Reference numbe r
FDUS EAS 760: 2011
© UNBS 2011
  
Lentils — Specification 
 FDUS EAS 760: 2011 
i i                 ©  U N B S  2011 - 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 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 760: 2011 
© 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 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 Final Draft Uganda Standard, FDUS EAS 760: 2011 , Lentils  — Specification, is identical with  and has 
been reproduced from an East  African Standard, EAS 760: 2011 , Lentil s — Specification, and is being 
proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
This standard was developed by the Food and agricu lture Standards Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 2).  
Wherever the words, “East Africa Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard."  EAS 760:2011
ICS 67.060
 
© EAC 2011 First Edition 2011  
 
      
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Lentils — Specification  
 
 
 
      
 
                      
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
HS 0713.40.00  EAS 760:2011  
 
 
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 2011 — 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 
                                                 
* © 2011 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by an y means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs.  
 
ii © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved EAS 760:2011  
 
Introduction 
 
This standard has been developed to take into account: 
 
⎯ the needs of the market for the product;  
 
⎯ the need to facilitate fair domestic, regional and international trade and prevent technical barriers 
to trade by establishing a common trading language for buyers and sellers. 
 
⎯ the structure of the CODEX, UNECE, USA, ISO and other internat ionally significant standards; 
 
⎯ the needs of the producers in gaining knowle dge of market standards, conformity assessment, 
commercial cultivars and crop production process; 
 
⎯ the need to transport the product in a manner that  ensures keeping of quality until it reaches the 
consumer; 
 
⎯ the need for the plant protection authority to certif y, through a simplified form, that the product is 
fit for cross-border and international trade without carrying plant disease vectors; 
 ⎯ the need to promote good agricultural practi ces that will enhance wider market access, 
involvement of small-scale traders and hence making farming a viable means of wealth creation 
 
⎯ the need to ensure a reliable production base of consistent and safe crops that meet customer 
requirements. 
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved iii EAS 760:2011  
iv © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  
Contents 
 
1 Scope  ................................................................................................................................ 1  
2 Normative references ........................................................................................................ 1  
3 Terms and definitions  ....................................................................................................... 2  
4 Quality requirements  ........................................................................................................ 3  
4.1 General requirements  ................................................................................................. 3  
4.2  Specific requirements ................................................................................................. 3  
5 Contaminants  .................................................................................................................... 4  
5.1 Heavy metals  .............................................................................................................. 4  
5.2 Pesticide residues  ....................................................................................................... 4  
5.3 Mycotoxin limits  ........................................................................................................ 4  
6 Hygiene  ............................................................................................................................ 4  
7 Packaging  ......................................................................................................................... 5  
8 Labelling  ........................................................................................................................... 5  
9 Sampling methods  ............................................................................................................ 6  
 EAS 760:2011  EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Lentils — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope 
 
This East African Standard specifies the requireme nts and methods of sampling and test  for shelled 
whole  lentils of varieties (cultivars) grown from Lens culinaris  Medic. Syn. Lens esculenta  Moench. 
intended for human consumption.  
2 Normative references 
 
The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text constitute 
provisions of this East African Standard.  
 
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — Specification  
 
EAS 79, Cereals and pulses as grain — Methods of sampling  
 
EAS 217, Methods for the microbiological examination of foods  
 
ISO 520, Cereals and pulses — Determination of the mass of 1000 grains  
 
ISO 605 , Pulses — Determination of impurities, size, foreign odours, insects, and species and variety 
— Test methods 
 
ISO 2164, Pulses — Determination of glycosidic hydrocyanic acid  
 
ISO 2171, Cereals, pulses and by-products — Determ ination of ash yield by incineration  
 
ISO 4112, Cereals and pulses — Guidance on measurement of the temperature of grain stored in 
bulk 
 ISO 4174, Cereals, oilseeds and pulses — Measurement of unit pressure loss in one-dimensional air 
flow through bulk grain  
 
ISO 5223, Test sieves for cereals  
 
ISO 5526, Cereals, pulses and other food grains — Nomenclature  
 
ISO 5527, Cereals — Vocabulary  
 ISO 6322-1, Storage of cereals and pulses — Part 1: General recommendations for the keeping of 
cereals  
 ISO 6322-2, Storage of cereals and pulses — Part 2: Practical recommendations  
 
ISO 6322-3, Storage of cereals and pulses — Part 3: Control of attack by pests  
 ISO 6639-1, Cereals and pulses — Determination of hidden insect infestation — Part 1: General 
principles  
 ISO 6639-2, Cereals and pulses — Determination of hidden insect infestation — Part 2: Sampling  
 
ISO 6639-3, Cereals and pulses — Determination of hidden insect infestation — Part 3: Reference 
method  
 
ISO 6639-4, Cereals and pulses — Determination of hi dden insect infestation — Part 4: Rapid 
methods  
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  1 EAS 760:2011  
 
ISO 13690, Cereals, pulses and milled products — Sampling of static batches  
 
ISO 16002:2004, Stored cereal grains and pulses — Guidance on the detection of infestation by live 
invertebrates by trapping  
 
ISO 16050,  Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G 1 
and G 2 in cereals, nuts and derived products  — High performance liquid chromatographic method 
 
ISO/TS 16634-2, Food products — Determination of the total nitrogen content by combustion 
according to the Dumas principle and calculation of  the crude protein content — Part 2: Cereals, 
pulses and milled cereal products  
 
ISO 20483, Cereals and pulses — Determination of the ni trogen content and calculation of the crude 
protein content — Kjeldahl method  
 
 
ISO 24557, Pulses — Determination of moisture content — Air-oven method 
 
CODEX Stan 193, Codex general Standards for contaminants and toxins in Food and Feed  
3 Terms and definitions  
 For the purpose of this East African Standard, the following definitions and grading factors shall apply. 
 
3.1 
lentils 
threshed seeds of the lentil plant ( Lens culinaris  Medic. Syn. Lens esculenta  Moench),  
 
3.2 peeled, split and broken  
includes lentils which are otherwise sound but whic h are less than three-quarters of whole seeds or 
where less than one-half of the seed coat is inta ct. Lentils with cracked or clipped seed coats are 
considered sound when the cotyledons are firmly held together.  
 
3.3 
damaged lentils 
whole and pieces of lentils which are distinctly da maged by frost, weather, disease, heat (other than 
to a material extent), immature, or other caus es, except weevil or material heat damage or are 
distinctly soiled or stained by nightshade, dirt, or toxic material or otherwise damaged in a way which 
materially affects quality.  
 
NOTE Kernels that are deformed are considered sound unl ess there is another reason for the damage beyond the 
deformity.  
 
3.4 
defective lentils (total) 
the categories of defective lentils shall be w eevil damaged lentils, heat-damaged lentils, damaged 
lentils, and split lentils 
 3.5 foreign matter  
any extraneous matter than lentils or other food grains comprising of  
(a) "inorganic matter" includes metallic pieces, s hale, glass, dust, sand, gravel, stones, dirt, 
pebbles, lumps or earth, clay, mud and animal filth etc; 
 (b) "organic matter" consisting of detached s eed coats, straws, weeds and other inedible grains 
etc. 
  
 
 
2 © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved EAS 760:2011  
3.6 
toxic, poisonous and/or harmful seeds 
any seed which if present in quantities above pe rmissible limit may have damaging or dangerous 
effect on health, organoleptic properties or te chnological performance such as Jimson weed — 
dhatura ( D. fastuosa  Linn and D. stramonium  Linn.) corn cokle ( Agrostemma githago  L., Machai 
Lallium remulenum  Linn.) Akra (Vicia species), Argemone mexicana, Khesari and other seeds that 
are commonly recognized as harmful to health 
 3.7 whole lentils 
lentils with one-fourth or less of the cotyledons  removed and with the remainder of the cotyledons 
firmly held together 
 
3.8 immature lentils lentils that do not have a traditional lens shaped profile due to immaturity. Immature lentils are 
characterized as having a thin or flat (wafer-l ike), wrinkled, and misshapen appearance. Lentils may 
also be discoloured.   
4 Quality requirements 
 
4.1 General requirements 
 Lentils shall meet the following general require ments/limits as determined using the relevant 
standards listed in Clause 2. Lentils; 
 
a) shall consist of mature dry seeds obtained from the plant botanically known as Lens culinaris  
Medic. Syn. Lens esculenta  Moench. 
 
b) shall be well-filled, clean, whol esome, uniform in size, and shape; 
 
c) shall be free from substances which rende r them unfit for human or animal consumption or 
processing into or utilization thereof as food or feed; 
 d) shall be free from abnormal flavors, musty, sour or other undesirable odour, obnoxious smell 
and discoloration;  
 e) shall be free from micro-organisms and substances originating from micro-organisms, fungi or 
other poisonous or deleterious substances in amounts that may constitute a hazard to human health. 
 
4.2  Specific requirements 
 4.2.1  Grading  
Lentils shall be graded into three grades on the basis  of the tolerable limits established in Table 1 
which shall be additional to the general requirements set out in this standard. 
 
4.2.2 Ungraded lentils 
 Shall be lentils which do not fall within the requirement s of Grades 1, 2, and 3 of this standard but are 
not rejected lentils. 
 
Note: For Tanzania and Burundi this requirement shall not apply.  
 4.2.3 Reject grade lentils 
 Reject lentils shall be peas which are musty, sour , heating, materially weathered, or weevily; which 
have any commercially objectionable odour; which cont ain insect webbing or filth, animal filth, any 
unknown foreign substance, broken glass, or metal fr agments; or which are otherwise of distinctly low 
quality. The characteristics are not within the parameters specified in Table 1. They cannot satisfy the 
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  3 EAS 760:2011  
conditions of under grade lentils and shall be graded as reject lentils and shall be regarded as unfit for 
human or animal consumption. 
 
Table 1 — Specific requirements 
 
Characteristics Maximum limits Method 
of test 
Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3  
Foreign matter, % m/m 0.2 0.5 1 
ISO 605 Inorganic matter, % m/m 0.1 0.2 0.5 
Broken/split grains, % m/m 2 3.5 5 
Pest damaged grains, % m/m 0.3 0.5 0.6 
Rotten & Diseased grains, % m/m 0.2 0.5 0.5 
Discolored grains, % m/m 1 2 3 
Immature/Shriveled grains, % m/m 1 2 5 
Filth, % m/m 0.1 0.1 0.1 
Total Defective Grains, % m/m 2 3.5 5 
Moisture, % m/m 13.0 13.0 13.0 ISO 
24557 
Total Aflatoxin (AFB1+AFB2+AFG1 
+AFG2)), ppb  10
ISO 
16050 Aflatoxin B1 only, ppb  5
Fumonisin ppm  2
 
 
5 Contaminants  
 
5.1 Heavy metals 
 
Lentils shall comply with those maximum limits for heavy metals established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
5.2 Pesticide residues 
 Lentils shall comply with those maximum pestic ide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity  
 
Note: where the use of certain pesticides is prohibited by so me Partner States, then it sh all be notified to all Partner 
States accordingly. 
5.3 Mycotoxin limits 
 Lentils shall comply with those maximum mycotoxi n limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity. In particular, total aflatoxin levels in Lentils for human consumption 
shall not exceed 10 µg/kg (ppb) with B
1 not exceeding 5 µg/kg (ppb) when tested according to ISO 
16050. 
 
6 Hygiene 
 
6.1 Lentils  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with the provisions of 
appropriate sections of EAS 39  
 
6.2 When tested by appropriate standards of samp ling and examination listed in Clause 2, the 
products:  
⎯ shall be free from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health and shall 
not exceed the limits stipulated in Table 2; 
4 © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved EAS 760:2011  
 
⎯ shall be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health; and 
 
⎯ shall not contain any substance originating from  microorganisms in amounts which may represent 
a hazard to health. 
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits 
 
 Type of micro-organism Limits Test method 
i)  Yeasts and moulds, max. per g 104  
 
EAS 217 
 ii) S.aureus  per 25 g Not 
detectable 
iii) E. Coli , max. per g Not 
detectable
iv) Salmonella, max. per 25 g  Not 
detectable
 
7 Packaging 
 
7.1 Lentils shall be packed in suitable packages whic h shall be clean, sound, free from insect, 
fungal infestation and the packing material shall be of food grade quality. 
 7.2 Lentils shall be packed in containers whic h will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, 
technological and organoleptic qualities of the products.  7.3 The containers, including packaging material, shall be made of substances which are safe 
and suitable for their intended use. They shall not impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or 
flavour to the product. 
 
7.4 Each package shall contain Lentils of the same type and of the same grade designation. 
 
7.5  If Lentils are presented in bags, the bags sh all also be free of pests and contaminants. 
 
7.6 Each package shall be securely closed and sealed. 
 
8 Labelling 
 In addition to the requirements in EAS 38, each pack age shall be legibly and indelibly marked with the 
following: 
 
i) product name as “Lentils”; 
 
ii) variety;   
iii) grade; 
 
iv) name, address and physical locati on of the producer/ packer/importer; 
 
v) lot/batch/code number; 
 
vi) net weight, in kg; 
 
Note: EAC partner states are signatory to the Intern ational Labour Organizations (ILO) for maximum package 
weight of 50kg where human loading and offloading is involved 
 
vii) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’  
viii) storage instruction as “Store in a c ool dry place away from any contaminants’’; 
 
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  5 EAS 760:2011  
6 © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved ix) crop year; 
 
x) packing date; 
 xi) instructions on disposal of used package; 
 
xii) country of origin;  
xiii) a declaration on whether the lentils were genetically modified or not. 
 
9 Sampling methods 
 
Sampling shall be done in accordan ce with the EAS 79/ISO 13690. EAS 760:2011  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved