ISO/FDIS 959-2

ISO/TC 34/SC 7
Secretariat: BIS (India)
Date: 2026-02-02
Pepper (Piper nigrum L.), whole or ground — Specification —
Part 2:
White pepper
Poivre (Piper nigrum L.), entier ou en poudre — Spécifications —
Partie 2: Poivre blanc
FDIS stage
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Contents
Foreword . iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Description . 2
5 Requirements . 3
5.1 Odour and flavour . 3
5.2 Freedom from mould, insects, etc. . 3
5.3 Physical characteristics . 3
5.4 Chemical characteristics . 3
6 Sampling . 4
7 Test methods . 4
8 Packing and marking . 4
8.1 Packing . 4
8.2 Marking . 4
Annex A (normative) Determination of apparent bulk density in whole white pepper . 6
Annex B (informative) Recommendations for storage and transport . 9
Bibliography . 10

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Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 7, Spices,
culinary herbs and condiments.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 959-2:1998), which has been technically
revised. The revision was undertaken to update the normative references, incorporate the 'best before date'
in the marking clause, and make editorial changes for better clarity and understanding of the standard.
The main changes are as follows:
— the normative references have been updated;
— the “best before date” has been added in 8.2.
A list of all parts in the ISO 959 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
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Pepper (Piper nigrum L.), whole or ground — Specification —
Part 2:
White pepper
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements for white pepper (Piper nigrum L.) (see ISO 676), whole or ground, at
the following commercial stages:
a) semi-processed white pepper (SP);
b) processed white pepper (P).
This document is not applicable to white pepper categories called “light”.
NOTE Specifications for white pepper are given in ISO 959-1.
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions are given in Annex B.
2 Normative Referencesreferences
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements 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 927, Spices and condiments — Determination of extraneous matter and foreign matter content
ISO 928, Spices and condiments — Determination of total ash
ISO 930, Spices and condiments — Determination of acid-insoluble ash
ISO 939, Spices and condiments — Determination of moisture content
ISO 948, Spices and condiments — Sampling
ISO 1108, Spices and condiments — Determination of non-volatile ether extract
ISO 1208, Spices and condiments — Determination of filth
ISO 5498, Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method
ISO 5564, Black pepper and white pepper, whole or ground — Determination of piperine content —
Spectrophotometric method
ISO 6571, Spices, condiments and herbs — Determination of volatile oil content (hydrodistillation method)
3 Terms and Definitions definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
black pepper
dried berry of Piper nigrum L. that has an unbroken pericarp
3.2
Note to entry: When the term “white pepper” is used alone, it means that the specification applies to both types described,
without distinction.
white pepper
berry of Piper nigrum L., from which the outer pericarp has been removed
Note 1 to entry: When the term “white pepper” is used alone, it means that the specification applies to both types
described, without distinction.
3.3
semi-processed white pepper
SP
white pepper (3.2) that has undergone a partial treatment by the producing country before being exported
3.4
processed white pepper
P
white pepper (3.2) that has been processed (cleaning, drying, preparation, grading, etc.) by the producing
country before being exported
3.5
ground white pepper
pepper obtained by grinding white pepper (3.2) without adding any additives to the pepper (e.g. whitening
agents)
3.6
black berry
berry of dark colour, generally consisting of a black pepper (3.1) whose pericarp has not been fully removed
3.7
broken berry
berry that has been broken into two or more pieces
3.8
extraneous matter
materia
...