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18th
July 2007
TBS develops standard for rosella wine
Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)
has prepared a draft standard for
rosella wine. Rosella wine is prepared
by fermentation of a mash of extract of
rosella calyces (flower). The
preparation of this standard aims at
ensuring the safety and quality of the
product and at the same time fulfill the
consumers demands.
The draft standard was presented in the
TBS Technical Committee on Alcoholic
Beverages which met recently at TBS
headquarters in Dar es Salaam, chaired
by Dr. George Mhehe from the Open
University of Tanzania.
The rosella wine standard specifies
chemical and microbiological
requirements; including methods of
sampling and tests.
According to the draft standard, the
alcoholic content shall range between
9-12 percent, volume by volume.
Traditionally, wines are made from
grapes and other fruits. Rosella wine is
obtained by filtering or decanting a
mixture of the rosella calyces, which
have been treated with hot potable
water, with or without the addition of
essence herbs spices, plant extracts or
other permitted food additives and
industrial sugar added prior to
fermentation.
The draft rosella standard will now be
sent to the Agriculture and Food
Divisional Standards Committee for
approval; and thereafter will be
circulated to interested parties within
the country and worldwide for comments.
During the meeting the committee also
discussed proposals for the revision of
the labeling requirement of beer;
whereby among other labeling
requirements it was agreed to include
the grade of beer, physical address,
declaration statement of non-alcoholic
beers with less than 0.5 % alcohol
volume by volume, date of manufacture
and best before; including a warning on
how to dispose containers in case of
canned beer.
The committee also discussed the
comments on potable spirit standard
submitted by countries and other
stakeholders. South Africa in their
comments proposed to harmonize the
alcohol content for potable spirit, to
include the range of a maximum of 43%
instead of 42.8% which is provided for
in the Tanzania Standard, to avoid this
requirement becoming a trade barrier.
South Africa also proposed to harmonize
methods of tests for potable spirits,
wines and other alcoholic beverages by
adopting international methods.
In this connection the meeting agreed
that the standard temperature for
testing alcohol be harmonized from 15
degrees centigrade contained in the
Tanzania Standard to 20 degrees
centigrade, which is an international
standard temperature for testing
alcohols.
Members of the Technical Committee were
drawn from Tanzania Breweries, Tanzania
Food and Drugs Authority, Tanzania
Distilleries Ltd, The Food Science and
Technology Department of Sokoine
University of Agriculture, Biashara
Consumers Ltd, Afro American Beverages
Ltd and TBS as a secretariat.
Meanwhile, the Technical Committee on
Processed Fruits and Vegetable Products
will meet again this July at TBS to
discuss draft standards on dried rosella
and dried mango specifications.
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