Technical Specifications for the manufacture of:
Fortified Vegetable Ghee for Nepal
Specification reference: Vegetable Ghee for Nepal
Version: 2.0
Date of issue: 20th May 2011
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Product type
Vegetable ghee is made from mixture of good quality oils together with annatto flavourings
and permitted antioxidant. Vegetable ghee distributed by WFP is fortified with vitamin A and
vitamin D in proportions described in product specifications.
1.2 Standards and recommendations
Vegetable ghee shall be manufactured in accordance with: “Recommended International
Code of Practice: General Principles of Food Hygiene”, CAC/RCP 1-1969 Rev 3 1997
Amended (1999) including Annex “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
System and Guidelines for its application”.
2. RAW MATERIALS
2.1 Vegetable oil
Several types of oils can be used, e.g. palm oil and its products, soybean, rapeseed and
cottonseed oils are the most commonly used oils for vegetable ghee.
Vegetable Ghee must contain at least 7% sesame oil.
2.2 Vitamins
Fortified vitamins (vitamin A and D) shall conform to Codex Standard CAC/GL 09-1987-
General principles for the addition of essential nutrients to foods.
Vitamin premix should be purchased from a WFP approved suppliers: BASF (Stern Vitamin),
DSM, Fortitech, Nicholas Piramal, Hexagon Nutrition or their authorized dealers and GAIN
premix facility. Addresses of premix suppliers are on http://foodquality.wfp.org
Vitamin premix must be stored in a dry, cool and clean place where the temperature is a
maximum of 25oC.
3. PROCESSING
Hydrogenation is not recommended. WFP recommends the use of formulations that are free
from trans fatty acids. Either direct blending or inter-esterification of oils and fats using palm
oil and its products as the major components will achieve this.
For compliance with Codex standards the processor must be able to demonstrate by principle
and practice the adoption, implementation and recording of:
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Good Manufacturing Practice
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point program
In this context an appointed WFP Inspector / Quality Surveyor is entitled to visit the factory
without prior notice during any period when WFP product is being manufactured to check
that the GMP and HACCP systems are in place. The Inspector / Quality Surveyor may
request to see:
Records (i.e. names of people in charge of the process and quality control, temperatures of
the process, mixing times / quantity, cleaning schedules, etc).
Procedures (e.g. cleaning, personnel hygiene, HACCP, sampling and analysis).
Instructions (e.g. process instructions, cleaning instructions).
The quality manual for the process or factory.
The producer must be registered under national food law as a processor of foods for human
consumption. In addition, the producer must have a legal authorization to produce this
commodity in the country where the factory is located.
4. PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
4.1. Main requirements
Specification Recommended value
Taste Neutral/bland taste; absence of foreign odours and flavours
Moisture and volatile matter 0.1% maximum
Free fatty acid 0.1 % maximum expressed as palmitic acid
Color 5 ¼ Lovibond
3 red, 30 yellow max
Peroxide value 3 milliequivalents maximum of active oxygen per kg of oil
Iodine value (Wijs) 50 - 55 g per 100g
Slipping point 39°C maximum
Saponification 190 - 209 mg KOH per g
Unsaponifiable matter 1.3% maximum
Vitamin A 24,000– 36,000 IU per kg
Vitamin D 2,400 – 3,600 IU per kg
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4.2 Additional Requirements
Vegetable Ghee shall meet the following additional requirements:
The product must be free from solvents which used through extraction.
The product must be free from butter oil or fats & from animal fat sources.
Antioxidant agents can be added as soon as types and quantities are in accordance with
the Codex Alimentarius STAN 19-1981 and Good Manufacturing Practices.
The supplied goods must be of homogenized structure according to the contractual
specifications other wise goods will be rejected.
Shelf life: it shall retain above qualities for at least one year from date of manufacture
when stored dry at ambient temperatures prevalent in the country of destination
Safety: it shall be free from objectionable matter; not contain any substances originating
from micro-organisms or any other poisonous or deleterious substances such as
anti-nutritional factors, heavy metals or pesticide residues, in amounts which may represent
a hazard to health.
o Heavy metals
Lead (Pb) Max 0.1 ppm
Arsenic (As) Max 0.1 ppm
Iron (Fe) Max 1.5 ppm
Cooper (Cu) Max 0.1 ppm
o Polycyclic Adromatic Hydrocarbures (PAH)
PAH heavy Max 5 ppb
PAH total Max 25 ppb
Benzo(a)pyrene Max 2 ppb
o Free from radioactivity
5. PACKAGING
Vegetable Ghee shall be packed in new good quality plastic jerry cans (each weighing 300
grammes) with strong and good quality cap and proper inner lid sealing by aluminum foil
with handle, each can should contain 5 (five) kilogrammes net ghee, and the gross weight of
each jerry can should not be less than 5.3 kilogrammes.
The cans shall be packed in good/strong quality card-board boxes (ie, 4 jerry cans in one
box).
6. MARKING
6.1 On jerry cans
The following information should be available on cans
Name of the product
Net content
Name and address of the supplier (including country of origin)
Batch number (or SI)
Production date
Additional marking as per contractual agreement
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6.2 On card-boxes
The following information should be available on each card-box:
Name of the product
Number of unit per carton
Name and address of the supplier (including country of origin)
Production date
Additional marking as per contractual agreement
7. STORING
Vegetable Ghee must be stored under dry, ventilated and hygienic conditions.
8. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS
Table 1: List of compulsory tests and reference methods
N Specification Recommended value Reference methods
o
1 Taste Neutral/bland taste; absence of
foreign odours and flavours
1 Moisture and volatile matter 0.1% maximum ISO 662:1998
AOCS Ca 2c-25
IUPAC 2.601
2 Free fatty acid 0.1 % maximum expressed as ISO 18395:2005
palmitic acid AOCS Ca 5a-40
AOAC 940.28
3 Color 5 ¼ Lovibond AOCS Cc 13b-45
3 red, 30 yellow max BS 684-1.14:1998
5 Peroxide value 3 milliequivalents maximum ISO 3960:2007
of active oxygen per kg of BS 684-2.14:2001
oil AOCS Cd 8-53
AOAC 965.33
IUPAC 2.501
6 Iodine value (Wijs) 50 - 55 g per 100g ISO 3961:2009
AOAC 993.20
IUPAC 2.205
7 Slipping point 39°C maximum AOAC 920.156
ISO 6321:2002
8 Saponification 190 - 209 mg KOH per g ISO 3657:2002
AOCS Cd 3-25
9 Unsaponifiable matter 1.3% maximum ISO 18609:2000
ISO 3596:2000
AOCS Ca 6a – 40
IUPAC 2.401
10 Vitamin A 24,000– 36,000 IU per kg
11 Vitamin D 2,400 – 3,600 IU per kg
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