In order to promote public education and public safety, equal justice for all, a better informed citizenry, the rule of law, world trade and world peace, this legal document is hereby made available on a noncommercial basis, as it is the right of all humans to know and speak the laws that govern them.
EAS 740:2010
ICS 67.080.20
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
© EAC 2010
First Edition 2010
iDevelopment of the East African Standards has 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 Community will be removed.
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology and Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make provisions for ensuring standardization, quality assurance, 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 formulated in accordance with the procedures established by the East African Standards Committee. The East African 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, together with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner 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 that “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 national 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
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Tanzania
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E-Mail: eac@eachq.org
Web: www.each.int
*© 2010 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs.
iiThis standard was developed with support from the Policy Analysis and Advocacy Programme (PAAP) of the Association for Strengthening 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 association of agricultural research institutes in: Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. 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 been part of PAAP’s contribution to changing the way business is done in crucial agricultural sectors to increase efficiency 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. Harmonization brings together regionally different approaches (policies, laws, regulations 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 improving domestic and foreign investment by expanding markets beyond national borders. Over time this will 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 hence 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.
iiiCassava flour — Specification
This East African Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for cassava flour, which is obtained from the processing of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) intended for human consumption
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 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 217-6, Methods for the microbiological examination of foods — Part 6: Examination for Salmonella Spp
EAS 217-2, Methods for the microbiological examination of foods — Part 8: Enumeration of yeast and moulds in foods
EAS 739, Dried cassava chips — Specification
EAS 744, Cassava and cassava products — Determination of total cyanogens — Enzymatic assay method
EAS 82, Milled cereal products — Methods of test (General methods)
ISO 13690, Cereals, pulses and milled cereal products — Sampling of static batches
ISO 712, Cereals and cereal products — Determination of moisture content — Routine reference method
ISO 3094, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of copper
ISO 6633, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of lead content — Flameless atomic absorption spectrometric method
ISO 6634, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of arsenic content — Silver diethyldithocarbamate spectrophotometric method
ISO 6637, Fruit and vegetable products — Determination of mercury content — Flameless atomic absorption method
1ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method
ISO 2171, Cereals and milled cereal products — Determination of total ash
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique
ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxins B1 and total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in cereals, nuts, and derived products — High performance liquid chromatographic method
Cassava (flour is the product prepared from dried cassava chips or paste by a pounding, grinding or milling process, followed by sifting to separate the fibre from the flour. In the case of cassava flour prepared from bitter cassava, detoxification is first carried out before it undergoes drying in the form of chips, paste or crumbs.
For the purpose of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.
process of reducing cyanide on fresh weigh basis to acceptable level described under 4.2
impurities of animal origin (including dead insects)
one that will not transfer non-food chemicals into the food and contains no chemicals which would be hazardous to human health
all organic and inorganic materials (such as sand, soil, glass).
product without defects in excess of those that can be expected to result from, and be consistent with good cultural and handling practices employed in the production and marketing of the fresh cassava
2The raw material shall be dried cassava chips, paste, crumbs or cassava roots conforming to the relevant East African standards.
Cassava flour shall conform to the compositional requirements in Table 1.
| Characteristic | Requirement | Method of test |
|---|---|---|
| Crude ash content, % by mass on dry matter basis, max. | 3.0 | ISO 2171 |
| Moisture content, % by mass, max. | 12 | ISO 712 |
| Crude fibre content, % by mass on a dry matter basis, max. | 2.0 | ISO 5498 |
| Acid insoluble ash, % by mass on dry matter basis max. | 0.35 | EAS 82 |
| Starch by mass on dry matter basis, min | 60% | ISO 10520 |
| Hydrogen cyanide | 10 | DEAS 744 |
Cassava flour shall be
NOTE The colour of cassava is usually white, creamy or yellow. The yellow coloured varieties are normally rich in carotenes.
Not less than 90 % shall pass through a 0.60 mm sieve for fine flour and not less than 90 % shall pass through a 1.20 mm sieve for coarse flour. Testing for particle size shall be done in accordance with EAS 82.
3Cassava flour intended for baking purposes shall have particle size of which Not less than 90 % shall pass through a 0.25 mm sieve
When tested in accordance with DEAS 744, the total hydrocyanic acid content of cassava flour shall not exceed 10 mg/kg,
Cassava flour may contain only permitted additives in accordance with EAS 103.
Cassava flour shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.
Cassava flour shall comply with the maximum levels of the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193).
Cassava flour shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39 and shall conform to microbiological limits in Table 2.
| Microorganisms | Maximum limit | Method of test |
|---|---|---|
| Escherichia. Coli, per g | shall be absent | ISO 7251 ISO 4833 |
| Salmonella in 25 g | shall be absent | ISO 6579 |
| Yeast and mould, CFU/g, max. | 103 | EAS ISO ISO 21527 -2 |
Cassava flour shall be packaged in food grade materials that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the product.
The packaging materials shall comply with the environmental legislation of the destination country,
4Cassava flour shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures requirements of the destination country.
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked
When labelling non-retail containers, information for non-retail containers shall either be given on the container 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 container.
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 13690. Testing shall be done in accordance with the methods indicated against each requirement or other equivalent methods.
A lot shall be declared as conforming to this standard if each sample inspected or analysed for quality requirement conforms to the provision of this standard.
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