ISO/FDIS 959-1

FINAL DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/TC 34/SC 7
Pepper (Piper nigrum L.), whole or
Secretariat: BIS
ground — Specification —
Voting begins on:
2026-02-16
Part 1:
Black pepper
Voting terminates on:
2026-04-13
Poivre (Piper nigrum L.), entier ou en poudre — Spécifications —
Partie 1: Poivre noir
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT,
WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION OF ANY
RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE
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TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL
TO BECOME STAN DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE
MADE IN NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
Reference number
FINAL DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/TC 34/SC 7
Pepper (Piper nigrum L.), whole or
Secretariat: BIS
ground — Specification —
Voting begins on:
Part 1:
Black pepper
Voting terminates on:
Poivre (Piper nigrum L.), entier ou en poudre — Spécifications —
Partie 1: Poivre noir
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT,
WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION OF ANY
RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE
AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING DOCUMENTATION.
© ISO 2026
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES, DRAFT
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE
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TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
TO BECOME STAN DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE
MADE IN NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
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Published in Switzerland Reference number
ii
Contents  Page
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 the percentage of light berries in black pepper . 6
Annex B (normative)  Determination of apparent bulk density in whole black pepper . 7
Annex C (informative)  Recommendations for storage and transport .10
Annex D (informative)  Microscopic section of pepper berry (Piper nigrum L.) .11
Bibliography .12

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
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 959-1:1998), which has been technically
revised.
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.

iv
FINAL DRAFT International Standard ISO/FDIS 959-1:2026(en)
Pepper (Piper nigrum L.), whole or ground — Specification —
Part 1:
Black pepper
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements for black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) (see ISO 676), whole or ground at
the following commercial stages:
a) non-processed black pepper (NP) or semi-processed black pepper (SP);
b) processed black pepper (P), which can, in certain cases, be re-sold directly to the consumers.
This document does not apply to black pepper categories called “light”.
NOTE Specifications for white pepper are given in ISO 959-2.
Recommendations relating to storage and transport conditions are given in Annex C.
Information regarding the microscopic structure of the pepper berry is given in Annex D.
2  Normative references
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
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
Note 1 to entry: When the term “black pepper” is used alone, it means that the specification applies to both types
described, without distinction.
3.2
non-processed black pepper
NP
black pepper (3.1) that has not undergone any clearing, preparation or grading by the producing country
before being exported
3.3
semi-processed black pepper
SP
black pepper (3.1) that has undergone partial cleaning but without preparation or grading by the producing
country before being exported
3.4
processed black pepper
P
black pepper (3.1) that has been processed (cleaning, preparation, grading, etc.) by the producing country
before being exported
3.5
ground black pepper
pepper obtained by grinding black pepper (3.1) without adding any additives to the pepper
N
...