PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  DUS ARS  469 
First Edition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS ARS 469: 2022 
© UNBS 2022  
   
Millet flour  — Specification  
 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS ARS 469: 2022  
ii                © UNBS  2022  - 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 applicati on 
© UNBS 2022  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
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 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS ARS 469: 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 the Laws of Uganda, as amen ded. UNBS is mandated to c o-
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisatio n for Standardisation (ISO),  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point 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 representatives of 
consumers, traders, a cademicians, 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 comments before recommending the d raft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Draft Uganda Standard, DUS ARS 469: 2022 , Millet flour — Specification , is identical with and has been 
reproduced from an African  Standard, ARS 469: 202 2, Millet flour — Specification , and adopted  as a Uganda 
Standard . 
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/ TC 203, Cereals, pulses and 
related products and processes . 
Wherever the words, “ African  Standard " appear, they shoul d be replaced by "Uganda Standard ". AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
469  
Third Edition 20 22 
 
 Reference No. DARS 469:2022 
ICS 67.060 
 
 
© ARSO 20 22 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Millet flour — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 469:2022 
ii © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  1 
3 Definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 2 
4 Quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
4.1 Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  3 
4.2 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
4.3 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
5 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 4 
7 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  4 
7.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  4 
7.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  4 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 4 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
10 Methods of sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  5 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  6 
 
  DARS 469:2022 
© ARSO  2022 — 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). 
 
 
 
 
 
© 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 469:2022 
iv © ARSO  2022 — 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 fr om it may be reproduced, stored or 
transmitted in any form for any other purpose without prior written 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 m ember body in the country of the requester:  
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 20 22 — 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  
 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be p rosecuted.  
 
 
 
  DARS 469:2022 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  v 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 protect 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 with the current international standards as well as the practice 
in the industries.  
 
This African Standard is a technical revision of the earlier ARS 469 :2016 (E), Standard for pearl millet 
flour which is hereby supers eded and cancelled.  
 
 
 DARS 469:2022 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  1  
Millet flour — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
 
This African Standard specifies requirements , methods of sampling and test for millet flour obtained 
from whole or decorticated pearl millet  from varieties Penicum maliaceum ) or finger millet  grown from  
Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner . or proso millet  from (Panicum millaceum ) for human consumption . It 
does not apply to grits obtained from pearl millet . 
  
 
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.  
 
ISO 3310  - 1, Test sieves -technical requirements and testing  – Part 1: Test sieves of metal wire cloth  
 
ISO 9648 , Sorghum determination of tannin content  
 
ISO 27085,  Animal feeding stuffs – Determination of calcium, sodium,  phosphorus,  magnesium,  
potassium,  iron, zinc, copper,  manganese,  cobalt,  molybdenum,  arsenic,  lead and cadmium by ICP -
AES 
 
ISO 6633,  Fruits, vegetables and derived products -- Determination of lead content -- Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric 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, vegeta bles and derived products -- Determination of cadmium content -- Part 2: 
Method using flame atomic absorption spectrometry  
 
ARS 463, Pearl millet grains — Specification  
 
ARS 857, Finger millet grains — Specification  
 
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 192, General standard for food additives  
 
CODEX STAN 193, Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
 
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 1871,  Food and feed products — General guidelines for the determination of nitrogen by the 
Kjeldahl method  
 
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 469:20 22 
2 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  ISO 2171,  Determination of ash content  
 
ISO 4833, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
microorganisms — Colony -count technique at 30 degrees C  
 
ISO 5498,  Agricultural food products — Determination crude fibre content — General method  
 
ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of ash insoluble in  hydrochloric acid  
 
ISO 6490 -1, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium content — Part 1: Titrimetric method  
 
ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of  
Salmonella spp. 
 
ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique 
using Baird -Parker agar medium  
 
ISO 6888 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 2: Technique 
using rabbit plasma fibrinogen agar medium  
 
ISO 6888 -3, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 3: Detection 
and MPN technique for low numbers  
 
ISO 16649 -1, Microbiology of the food chain  — Horizontal method of the for the numeration of beta -
glucuronidase  -positive Escherichia  coli- Part 1; Colon - count technique at 44 degrees C using 5 -Bromo -
4-Chloro -3-Indolyl Beta -D-Glucuronide   
 
ISO 11085, Cereals, cereals -based products and animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude fat 
and total fat content by the Randall extraction method  
 
ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxins B 1, B2, G1 and 
G2 in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method  
 
ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of yeasts and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in products w ith water activity less than or 
equal to 0.95  
 
ISO 24333, Cereals and cereal products — Sampling  
 
 
3 Term s and d efinition  
 
For the purpose of this standard the following terms and definition s apply . 
 
3.1  
millet flour  
product obtained from millet  grains grown from  Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br., Penicum maliaceum  or 
Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner  through a process of milling  
 
3.2 
food grade packag ing material   
packaging material, made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which 
will not impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product  
 
  DARS 469:2022 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  3 3.3 
filth 
impurities of animal origin, including dead insects  ’ 
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 Raw materials  
 
The millet from which the flour is obtained shall be complying with ARS 463  and ARS 857 . 
 
 
4.2 General requirements  
 
Millet flour shall be: 
 
a) safe, wholesome and uniform in colour . 
 
b) free from filth in amounts which may present a hazard to human health.  
 
c) practically free from live pests  
 
4.3 Specific requirements  
 
4.3.1  Particle size  
 
Using a standard sieve complying with ISO 3310 -1, not less than 100 per cent of the product shall pass 
through a sieve the dimension of the mesh of which is: diameter of 0.5 mm for 'fine' flour and diameter 
of 1 mm  for 'medium' flour.  
 
4.3.2  Millet flour shall comply with the requirements of Table 1.  
 
Table 1 — Specific  requirements  for millet flour  
 
S/NO  Parameter  Pearl 
millet  Finger/ proso 
millet  Test 
method  
1 Moisture  content, % m/m max.  13.5 13.5 ISO 711 / 
ISO 712 
2 Total ash content, % max.  1.2 4.2 ISO 2171  
3 Acid insoluble ash, % max.  0.40 0.4 ISO 5985  
4 Protein content, % min. (N  
6.25) 8.0 6.8 ISO 1871  
5 Crude fat, % max.  5.0 2 ISO 11085  
6 Crude Fibre content, % max.  1.8 3.0 ISO 5498  
7 Tannin content, %m/m max.  0.3 ISO 9648  
8 Total Aflatoxin 
(AFB 1+AFB 2+AFG 1 +AFG 2)), 
ppb max  10 ISO 16050  
9 Aflatoxin B 1 only, ppb max  5 
10 Fumonisin, ppb max 2000 AOAC 
Official 
Method 
2001.04  
 DARS 469:20 22 
4 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  5 Food additives  
 
Millet  flour shall contain only permitted additives complying with CODEX STAN 192 . 
 
6 Hygiene  
 
Millet f lour shall be produced and handled under hygienic conditions in accordance with ARS 53 and 
shall comply with the microbial limits given in Table 2 when tested in accordance with the test methods 
prescribed therein.  
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits  for millet flour  
 
S/N Micro -organism(s)  Requirements  Method of test  
1 Total plate count, cfu/g  104 ISO 4833  
2 Staphylococcus aureus cfu/g max  102 ISO 6888  
3 Escherichia coli, cfu/g, max.  absent  ISO 16649  
4 Salmonella , per 25g, max.  absent  ISO 6579  
5 Yeasts and moulds,  cfu/g, max.  104 ISO 21527 -2 
 
 
7 Contaminants  
 
7.1  Heavy metals   
 
Millet flour shall comply with those maximum limits for metal contaminants specified in CODEX STAN 
193 and in particular those listed in Table 3. 
 
Table 3 — Heavy metal contaminants  
 
S/N Parameter  Limit (ppm max)  Test method  
(1) Arsenic (As)  0.1 ISO 27085  
(2) Lead (Pb) 0.1 ISO 6633  
(3) Cadmium (Cd)  0.02 ISO 6561 -1 or ISO 6561 -2 
 
7.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Millet flour  shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
 
8 Packaging  
 
Millet flour shall be packed in food grade packaging material, which will safeguard the hygienic, 
nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the products .   
Millet flour are presented in bags, the bags shall also be free of pests and contaminants.  
 
  DARS 469:2022 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  5 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 “ Finger/ Proso millet ” or “Pearl millet flour ” and the terms ‘Fine' or ‘Medium', in 
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 metric unit ;  
 
v) the declaration “ fit 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 . 
 
9.2 Labelling of 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 p rovided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying 
documents .  
 
10 Weights and measures  
 
Maize 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’  
 
 
11 Sampling  
 
Sampling shall be don e in accordance with the ISO 24333 . 
 
 
  DARS 469:20 22 
6 © ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved  Bibliography  
 
 
 
EAS 89 :2012, Millet flour — Specification  
 
CODEX STAN 170 -1989 (Rev. 1 - 1995), Pearl millet flour  
 DARS 469:20 22 
© ARSO  2022 — All rights reserved    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 