Prepared by Eben van Tonder on 13 September 2025
Overview
This document serves as an overview of the trade specification for dry-salted and frozen beef omasum moving in international commerce. It is intended for abattoirs, meat processors, exporters and importers who need to understand what the product is, what formal standards govern it, and what commercial parameters the market has settled on independently of those standards.
This specification must be read alongside the simplified production guide for compliance, which covers the manual and mechanical processing steps that deliver a product meeting these parameters. That guide is available at: Salted, Dried, Frozen Omasum Production Description: Simplified. For a full technical evaluation for shelf stable omasum, see Dry Salted Beef Omasum Production – No Refrigeration Needed
Eben and Christa publish both documents for abattoirs and meat processors. We hold trade networks into East Asia and the Middle East. Anyone interested in implementing omasum production or establishing a structured trade agreement is welcome to contact us directly through ebenvt@gmail.com
Document status
This specification consolidates the product parameters that govern dry-salted beef omasum in international trade. It is built from two sets of authority. The formal regulatory standards defines the product category, sets hygiene and safety floors, and determines what documentation accompanies each shipment. The commercial trade requirements defines the specific physical parameters, weight grades and weight-loss allowances that buyers and sellers have settled on through repeated transactions, and which no standards body has codified. Each parameter below is labelled with the layer it comes from.
1. Product identity
Names and synonyms
Bovine omasum. The same product is named differently in every major market it enters.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Book tripe, leaf tripe, bible tripe |
| German | Blättermagen |
| Afrikaans / Dutch | Boekmaag |
| Turkish | Kırkbayır |
| Mandarin Chinese | Maodu / 牛百叶 |
| Vietnamese | Lá sách bò |
| Spanish | Librillo |
| Portuguese | Livro, folhoso |
| Yoruba (Nigeria) | Onigbaawe |
UNECE formal classification
The UNECE Standard for Edible Meat Co-Products classifies omasum as item 6634, defined as the third stomach of a ruminant containing thin muscular folds (leaves), located between the reticulum and the abomasum. The standard is published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards. Editions were published in 2008, 2015 and 2016.
The UNECE standard is a voluntary commercial quality standard used by governments, producers, traders and consumers to facilitate international trade. Any UN member country may participate in the Working Party on equal footing. Kenya’s national standard DKS 2762 (2017) cites the 2008 UNECE edition as an indispensable reference for its national classification of edible meat co-products, placing omasum within the white offal category alongside rumen, reticulum and abomasum.
- UNECE Meat Standards — all editions unece.org/trade/wp7/Meat-Standards
- Kenya Standard DKS 2762 (2017) — WTO SPS notification members.wto.org — Kenya DKS 2762
Preservation form covered by this specification
Dry-salted and air-dried. The product is preserved by salt and low moisture and is intended for ambient storage and transport. Some standards requires it to be not frozen and must not be cooked or heat-treated during processing. The UNECE standard provides for edible co-products to be presented chilled, frozen or deep-frozen, and states that tolerances for product weight are to be agreed between buyer and seller depending on the refrigeration method used. This specification covers the dry-salted, ambient form, for which that delegation to the buyer-seller contract is the operative authority on weight tolerance.
2. Regulatory floor: hygiene and safety
Every shipment must meet these floors regardless of commercial grade. They are set by formal regulatory instruments, not by trade convention.
Codex Alimentarius — meat hygiene
The general hygiene framework for meat and edible co-products, covering slaughter inspection, plant sanitation, temperature control during processing, and prevention of cross-contamination. Codex CXC 58-2005 is the primary instrument. The Codex Alimentarius is published jointly by the FAO and WHO and is used as the reference framework by WTO member countries for food safety measures under the SPS Agreement. The CAC does not have direct regulatory authority; it operates as a reference standard that countries adopt into national law.
- Codex CXC 58-2005 — Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius
China — national food safety standard
GB 2707-2016 applies to fresh and frozen livestock and poultry products including offal. It sets sensory requirements (proper colour and lustre, characteristic smell, no foreign matter), a volatile basic nitrogen limit of 15 mg per 100 g, and contaminant limits for viscera per GB 2762. GB 2707-2016 does not address salted, dried omasum directly, but it governs the product category to which omasum belongs. GACC Decree 248 requires overseas manufacturers to register with the General Administration of Customs of China before their product enters the Chinese market.
- GB 2707-2016 — National Food Safety Standard for Fresh and Frozen Livestock and Poultry Products (English translation) gacc.app — GB 2707-2016
- GACC overseas manufacturer registration — Decree 248 gacc.app
- FSIS summary of China requirements including offal fsis.usda.gov — China
Vietnam — animal product import quarantine
Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT, as amended by Circular 35/2018/TT-BNNPTNT, lists the terrestrial animal products subject to quarantine on import into Vietnam. Bovine offal, including omasum, falls within this list. The exporting plant must be listed by Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health and must ship with a veterinary health certificate issued by the competent authority of the exporting country.
- Vietnam meat product regulations — ChemLinked overview food.chemlinked.com — Vietnam meat regulations
- Vietnam NAFIQAD eligible establishments list nafiqad.gov.vn
3. Commercial specification parameters
These parameters govern the physical quality of each shipment. They are not derived from any formal standard. They have emerged from consistent repetition across buyer enquiries and supplier specifications in B2B trade from Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Turkey, Denmark and Poland, and are now stable enough to function as the product’s effective commercial standard. Each parameter is traceable to the source documents listed in section 8.
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product state | Dry-salted, air-dried, not frozen | Must not be cooked or heat-treated. Must remain raw throughout processing. |
| Colour | Natural black and brown. No bleaching. | Uniform pallor indicates chemical treatment and is a rejection criterion. Patchy lighter areas indicate over-scraping. |
| Retained salt (NaCl) | Below 1% wet basis | This is absorbed salt remaining in the tissue. Visible loose surface crystals are removed before packing. |
| Final moisture | Below 3% wet basis | Some buyer specifications tighten this to below 2%. The working target is below 3% at the worst location in the piece (root and deep folds), not at the surface alone. |
| Water activity | Process development target: below 0.85 at worst location | Below 0.85 is a commonly cited ambient-stability benchmark for dried meat products. It is not a regulatory limit for this product. |
| Leaf condition | Substantially intact and attached to the central pillar | The leaf structure is the primary quality attribute driving buyer preference. Significant tearing or detachment is a downgrade criterion. |
| Fat | No removable attached fat | Fat must be trimmed at processing. Product sold with fat still attached is a distinct, lower-value product form. |
| Contamination | Zero visible dirt, faecal matter or foreign material | Visual cleanliness is not sterility. Microbiological safety requires a separately validated process and laboratory programme. |
| Odour | Fresh, characteristic of salted dried omasum. No sour, rancid, putrid or mouldy odour. | Off-odour is a lot rejection criterion regardless of other parameters. |
4. Grade and weight specification
Weight grades
| Grade | Finished piece weight (pressed, dry, equilibrated) | Status in this contract |
|---|---|---|
| AA | 1,500 g and above (this shipment). Some market listings use 1,000 g or 1,300 g as the AA floor. Confirm in the purchase order. | Included |
| A | 800 g to below 1,500 g | Included |
| B | 500 g to below 800 g | Included |
| C | Below 500 g | Outside this specification |
The exact AA floor weight must be confirmed in the purchase order before production begins. Confirm also whether the grade mix is assessed by count or by net mass.
Grade mix
AA 35%, A 60%, B 5%, with a tolerance of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Whether this tolerance applies as absolute percentage points or as relative percentages, and whether assessed by count or by net mass, must be confirmed in writing with the trader before production.
Buffalo omasum
Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) omasum is anatomically equivalent to beef omasum and is traded under the same grade structure. A higher share of buffalo material typically sorts into the AA band due to larger average piece size. Confirm with the buyer whether the contract specifies beef omasum only, or whether buffalo omasum is acceptable.
5. Packaging and container specification
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Pack format | 30 kg or 40 kg woven polypropylene bags with an inner moisture-barrier liner |
| Liner | Food-contact grade. Must be qualified against water-vapour transfer under actual voyage conditions. Woven PP alone is not a sufficient moisture barrier. |
| Closure | Qualified manual or powered closure method. A simple knot or folded mouth cannot be assumed vapour-tight. |
| Fill | Net product weight. No added loose salt or liquid. |
| Labelling | Product name, species, grade or mix, net weight, lot identifier, producer or establishment identity, production date, storage limits, shelf life, and “desalt and cook before consumption” in the language(s) required by the destination country. |
| Container | 40 ft reefer or dry container. Trade reports indicate 27 to 30 tonnes per 40 ft container. At 30 kg per bag this equates to 900 to 1,000 bags; at 40 kg per bag, 675 to 750 bags. |
6. Transit weight-loss allowance
The 2% rule
A loss of up to 2% of the net dispatch weight is acceptable. Loss above 2% is reimbursable by the supplier at the contractual price basis.
Source and status of this figure
This allowance is a negotiated commercial term in the purchase contract. It is not drawn from any standard or regulatory instrument. The UNECE Edible Meat Co-Products standard explicitly delegates product weight tolerances to the buyer-seller contract, depending on the refrigeration method used. That delegation is the formal acknowledgement that no universal figure exists. The 2% figure in this contract emerged from trade practice, and a different buyer in the same trade lane may specify a different number.
Measurement and dispute procedure
Dispatch weight is established after standard drying, equilibration, loose-salt removal and grading, using calibrated scales and a fixed procedure for drainage and tare. Arrival weight is measured under the same defined conditions. Weighing procedure, scale calibration, bag tare, loose-material rules and claim timing must be agreed and documented before the first shipment.
| Cause of excess loss | What to investigate |
|---|---|
| Trapped liquid | Open roots and folds fully during draining and pressing. Check for retained wash water or brine before final conditioning. Record expressed liquid separately. |
| Continued drying in transit | Separate grades during processing. Verify the slowest-drying AA bases by tracking identified pieces. A dry surface does not confirm that the interior has finished drying. |
| Moisture transfer through packaging | Qualify the liner, seams and closure as a complete filled 30 kg or 40 kg pack. Check for punctures, abrasion and water-vapour transfer under actual voyage conditions. |
| Leakage or solids loss | Weigh free liquid, loose salt and fragments separately. Leaking brine carries dissolved salt and soluble tissue material as well as water, so total loss is not pure water evaporation. |
| Weighing differences | Use the actual packaging tare, calibrated scales and identical loose-salt and drain rules at both dispatch and arrival. Pieces near a weight boundary can cross it with mass loss and change grade. |
7. Formal Regulatory Standards: Sources and Links
International standards bodies
- UNECE Standard for Edible Meat Co-Products (2016 edition, current) Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Item 6634 defines omasum. Weight tolerances are delegated to the buyer-seller contract.
unece.org/trade/wp7/Meat-Standards - Codex CXC 58-2005 — Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. General hygiene floor for meat and edible co-products including offal. Reference standard for WTO member countries under the SPS Agreement.
fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius - OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code Sets the veterinary health requirements around BSE and SRM removal that destination countries apply to bovine products including offal. Referenced by the UNECE standard for this purpose.
woah.org — Terrestrial Code
Destination country requirements
- China — GB 2707-2016 National food safety standard covering fresh and frozen livestock and poultry products including offal. Sets sensory requirements and volatile basic nitrogen limit.
gacc.app — GB 2707-2016 (English translation) - China — GACC Decree 248, overseas manufacturer registration Overseas establishments must be registered with the General Administration of Customs of China before exporting meat products, including offal, to China.
gacc.app - China — FSIS export requirements summary USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service overview of applicable standards including GB 2707-2016, GB 12694-2016 and GACC Decree 248.
fsis.usda.gov — China - Vietnam — Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT as amended by 35/2018 Lists terrestrial animal products subject to quarantine on import into Vietnam, including bovine offal. Requires plant listing and a veterinary health certificate per shipment.
food.chemlinked.com — Vietnam meat regulations - Vietnam — NAFIQAD eligible establishments list The official list of overseas establishments approved to export animal products to Vietnam.
nafiqad.gov.vn - Kenya — DKS 2762 (2017), Standard for Edible Meat Co-Products Kenya Bureau of Standards national standard. References the UNECE 2008 edition and Codex CXC 58-2005 as indispensable source documents. Classifies omasum within the white offal category.
WTO TBT notification — Kenya DKS 2762
8. Commercial trade parameter sources
The parameters in sections 3 and 4 are not drawn from any formal standard. They are documented here from the following independent trade sources, each of which records the same converging specification from a different geography or market role.
- Agromic Trading Ltd, Kenya — Trade India listing Moisture below 2%, AA 1,000 g+, A 850–950 g, B 550–800 g.
tradeindia.com — Agromic Trading dry salted omasum - Multiple suppliers, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India — Go4WorldBusiness Moisture below 3%, salt 1%, AA 1,000 g+, A 800–1,000 g, B 500–800 g, 20 kg carton or 40 kg poly bag.
go4worldbusiness.com — salted beef omasum suppliers - Ekokey, Turkey — Salted Dried Beef Omasum Moisture below 3%, salt clean, fat below 1%, colour black and brown, AA grade, 12-month shelf life.
ekokey.com — salted dried beef omasum - Dry salted beef omasum supplier, Denmark Moisture 3%, salt below 1%, 800 g to 1,000 g, 1,000 g to 1,500 g and 1,500 g+ per piece, 40 kg bags, 12-month shelf life.
dryseahorseforsale.com - Buyer enquiries — Tradewheel RFQs confirming salt below 1%, moisture below 3%, unit weight approximately 1,000 g and above as the standard buyer request across multiple enquiries.
tradewheel.com — salted omasum buyers - Accio beef omasum market intelligence, 2026 Moisture content limits usually below 3% and salt percentage described as the key trade specifications across the international omasum market.
accio.com — beef omasum market
Published by EarthwormExpress · Eben and Christa van Tonder · ebenvt@gmail.com
Trade enquiries and structured agreements: contact via earthwormexpress.com · All source links verified at time of research. Standards bodies publish new editions; confirm currency before use in a commercial contract.