FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 89
First Edition
2011-mm-dd
 
 Reference numbe r
FDUS EAS 89: 2011
© UNBS 2011
  
Millet flour — Specification 
 FDUS EAS 89: 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 89: 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 89: 2011 , Millet flour — Specification, is identical with and has 
been reproduced from an East African Standard, EAS 89: 2011 , Millet flour  — Specification,  and is being 
prop
osed 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 African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
  EAS 89:2011
ICS 67.060
 
© EAC 2011 Second Edition 2011  
 
       
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Millet flour — Specification 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
       
     
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 EAS 89:2011  
 
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 89:2011  
 
Table of contents 
 
1 Scope  .................................................................................................................................. 1  
2 Normative references  ......................................................................................................... 1  
3 Terms and definitions  ........................................................................................................ 1  
4 Quality requirements  .......................................................................................................... 1  
5 Food additives  .................................................................................................................... 2  
6 Hygiene  .............................................................................................................................. 2  
7 Contaminants  ..................................................................................................................... 3  
8 Packaging  ........................................................................................................................... 3  
9 Labelling  ............................................................................................................................ 3  
10 Methods of sampling.......................................................................................................... 4  
 
 
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved iii EAS 89:2011  
iv © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  
Introduction 
 
Millet flour is commonly used for making porridge. It is also used as a supplement or substitute to 
maize for special dietary foods such as weaning. Its use has increased in recent years leading to 
increased production from domestic to commercial. 
 
This standard has therefore been developed to prot ect the consumer from fraud and from many 
adulterations that may occur during production which may be hazardous to health. This standard is 
also formulated to guide the manufacturer in production. The revision was done to update the 
compositional requirements and microbiological limits wi th the current international standards as well 
as the practice in the industries.   EAS 89:2011  EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Millet flour — Specification 
 
1 Scope 
 
This East African Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for millet flour 
for human consumption which is obtained from pearl millet of the Senegalese varieties (cultivars) 
“souna” and “sanio” grown from Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br., proso millet grown from  Penicum 
maliaceum ) and finger millet grown from Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner . 
 
2 Normative references 
 The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text constitute 
provisions of this East African Standard 
 
EAS 38, Labelling of prepackaged foods — Specification  
 
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
 EAS 103, Schedule for permitted food additives  
 
EAS 284, Pearl millet grains — Specification and grading 
 
EAS 41, Fruits, vegetables and derived products  
 EAS 74, Methods of test for animal feedstuffs 
 
EAS 82, Milled cereal products — Methods of test 
 
EAS 217, Methods for the microbiological examination of foods 
 
ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 
and G2 in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method 
 CODEX Stan 193, Codex general Standards for contaminants and toxins in Food and Feed 
 
ISO 9648, Sorghum – Determination of tannin  
ISO 13690, Cereals, pulses and milled products — Sampling of static batches  
3 Terms and definitions 
 3.1  
millet flour 
product destined for human consumption which is obtained from millet  grains grown from Pennisetum 
glaucum (L.) R.Br., Penicum maliaceum  and Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner through a process of  
milling during which the grain is cleaned, destoned and dehulled and the endosperm is reduced to a 
sufficiently fine powder.  
 
4 Quality requirements  
 
4.1 Raw materials 
 The millet from which the flour is obtained shall be suitably decorticated and of sound quality, free 
from sand, have characteristic odour and flavour co mplying with the relevant East African Standards 
 
 
 
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  1 EAS 89:2011  
4.2  General requirements 
 
4.2.1 Millet flour shall be safe and suitable for human consumption. 
 
4.2.2 Millet flour shall be free from abnormal flavours, odours, and living insects. 
 4.2.3 Millet flour shall be free from filth (impuritie s of animal origins, including dead insects) in 
amounts which may represent a hazard to human health. 
 
4.3 Specific requirements 
 
4.3.1  Particle size 
 
Using a standard method of sifting, not less than 1 00 per cent of the product shall pass through a 
sieve the dimension of the mesh of which is: diam eter of 500µm for 'fine' flour and diameter of 630µm 
for 'medium' flour. 
 
 
4.3.2  The millet flour shall comply with the requirements of Table 1. 
 
 
Table 1 — Specific requirements  
 
Parameter  Pearl millet Finger/ proso millet  Test method 
Moisture content, % max. m/m 13 13 EAS 82 
Total ash content, % max. 1.2 4.2 EAS 82 
Acid insoluble ash, % max. 0.40 0.40 EAS 82 
Protein content, % min. (N × 5.7)  8.0 6.8 EAS 74 
Crude fat, % max. 5.0 2 EAS 74 
Fibre content, % max. 1.8 3.0 EAS 82 
Calcium % as CaO min. 0.02 0.10 EAS 82 
Tannin content %m/m max. 0.3 ISO 9648 
Total Aflatoxin (AFB1+AFB2+AFG1 
+AFG2)), ppb max 10 ISO 16050 
Aflatoxin B1 only, ppb max 5 
Fumonisin ppm max 2 
 
5 Food additives 
 
The product shall contai n only permitted additives complying with EAS 103. 
 
6 Hygiene 
 6.1 Millet flour shall be produced, prepared and hand led in accordance with the provisions of 
appropriate sections of EAS 39. 
 
6.2 When tested by appropriate methods of sampling and examination, the product: 
 
⎯ shall be free from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to health; 
 
⎯ shall be free from parasites which may represent a hazard to health; and 
2 © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved EAS 89:2011  
 
⎯ shall not contain any substance originating from  microorganisms in amounts which may represent 
a hazard to health. 
 
 
6.3 The product shall be free from pathogenic micro-organism and shall comply with 
microbiological limits in Table 2. 
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits 
 
Sl. No. Micro-organism Maximum limit Methods of test 
 
(i)  Total aerobic count per g  10
5  EAS 217 
 
(ii)  E. Coli  per 1 g  Not detectable  EAS 217 
 
(iii)  Salmonella  per 25 g  Not detectable  EAS 217 
(iv) Yeast and Moulds cfu/g 104 EAS 217 
(V) S.aureus  per 25 g Not detectable EAS 217 
  
7 Contaminants 
 
7.1 Heavy metals 
 Millet flour shall comply with those maximum limi ts for heavy metals es tablished by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity. 
 
7.2  Pesticide residues  Millet flour shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
Note: where the use of certain pesticides is  prohibited by some Partner States, then it shall be notified to all 
Partner States accordingly. 
 7.3 Mycotoxins:   
Millet flour shall comply with those maximum myco toxin limits established by  the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for this commodity. In particular, total aflatoxin levels in pearl millet grains 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. 
 
8 Packaging 
 8.1 Millet flour shall be packaged in containers wh ich will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, 
technological, and organoleptic qualities of the product. 
 
8.2 The containers, including packaging material, shall be food grade. 
 
8.3 When the product is packaged in sacks, these must be clean, sturdy and strongly sewn or 
sealed. 
 
9 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 “Finger/proso millet or pearl millet flour ” and the terms ‘Fine' or ‘Medium', in 
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  3 EAS 89:2011  
accordance with Clause 4.3.1, shall appear in close proximity to the name of the food. 
 
ii) name, address and physical location of the manufacturer/ packer/importer; 
 iii) lot/batch/code number; 
 
iv) net weight, in kg;   
Note: EAC partner states are signatory to the International Labour Organizations (ILO) for maximum package weight of 50kg 
where human loading and offloading is involved. 
 
v) the declaration “Food for Human Consumption’’; 
 vi) storage instruction as “Store in a cool  dry place away from any contaminants’’; 
 vii) Date of manufacture;  
viii) expiry date; 
 ix) instructions on disposal of used package; 
 
x) country of origin;  
10 Methods of sampling  
 Sampling shall be done in accordance with the ISO 13690.  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4 © EAC 2011 — All rights reserved EAS 89:2011  
© EAC 2011 — All rights reserved  5