KENYA STANDARD  DKS2933 :2021 
ICS 67.080.20  
First Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2020   
 Amaranth grain — Specification  
 
 
 
 DKS 2933:2021  
ii © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Agriculture and Food Authority — Food C rop Directorate  
Eastern African grain council  
National Public and Health Laboratories  
Ministry of Health  
Government Chemist  
Ministry of Agriculture, livestock  and Fisheries  
National Cereals and produce board  
Capwell industries  
Unga ltd  
Mombasa Maize Millers  
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute  
University of Nairobi  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2020  
Copyright. Users are remi nded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists 
in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Sta ndards 
may be rep roduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from the 
Managing Director.   KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2933:2021 ICS 
67.080.20  
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  iii 
  Amaranth grain  — Specification  
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards,  Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 kenya bureau of standards (kebs)  
  
DKS 2933:2021  
iv © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
The grain Amaranth  is a grain obtained from the genus Amaranth. Amaranth gr ows as short-lived herbs 
that occur in temperate and tropical regions. There are about 60 species, of which, mainly two are 
cultivated for gra in purposes namely; A. hypocodriacus, A. cruentus . When cultivated. Amaranth  
produc es a large amount of biomass in a short period of time and therefore has the potential to 
contribute to a substantial increase in the world‘s food production. 
Grain Amaranth  has various nutritional and health benefits due to its having high protein content and 
also having high quality proteins. Grain amaranth  is also rich in unsaturated fatty acids especially linoleic 
acid and contain substantial levels of es sential micronutrients. The grain is used  for the vulnerable groups.  
Because of this advantage, the  grain Amaranth h as been used to develop products such as the flour 
for porridge, meal flour, cookies and other snacks. 
During the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following documents : 
Uganda Standard 952 - Amaranth grain - Specification  
Training manual by K enya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization  
Introduction to grain amaranth  by Dr.  Davidson Mwangi  
Acknowledgement is hereby made for th e assistance derived from these sources.  
 CD/XXXX : 2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  v 
  Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ...................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
4.1 Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ..................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
4.2 General requ irements  ................................ ................................ ..... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
4.3 Specific  requirements  ................................ ................................ ..... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
5 Food additives  ................................ ................................ .................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ .............................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ...................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ....................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.2 Other contaminants  ................................ ................................ .........  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ .........................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
8 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ... Error! Book mark not defined.  
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ...........................  Error! Bookmark not defined.  
10  Criteria  for conformi ty ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
 
 
 KENYA STANDARD  CD/XXXX/202
0 
 1 6 
2   
 
 
 Amaranth grain  — Specification  
 
1    Scope 
This Kenya  Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test of whole grains of 
amaranthus  obtained from A. hypochondaricus and A. cruentus and any other variety duly approved and 
released by  Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, as a grain amaranthus  variety  intended 
for human consumption. 
 
2 Normative references  
The following referenced 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 . 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Requirements  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
EAS 900, Cereals and pulses — Sampling  
EAS 901, Cereals and pulses -Test methods  
ISO 16649 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of β-
glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli — Part 1: Colony -count technique at 44 °C using membranes and 5 -bromo -
4-chloro -3-indolyl β-D-glucuronide  
ISO 6888 -1, Microbi ology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of coagulase -
positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique using Baird -Parker agar 
medium  
ISO 7954, Microbiology — General guidance for enumeration of yeasts and moulds — Colony count technique at 
25 °C 
ISO 1871, Food and feed products — General guidelines for the determination of nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method   
CODEX  STAN 193  Codex general standard for contaminants and toxins in food an d feed  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
amaranth whole grains  
ii © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 grains obtained from species of Amaranthus (A. hypochondaricus, and A. cruentus) 
 
3.2 
extraneo us matter 
 organic and inorganic materials other than the amaranth  grains  
 KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2933:2021  
 
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  1 
  
3.3 
inorganic matter  
stones, glass, pieces of soil and other mineral matter  
 
3.4 
organic matter  
any animal or plant matter (seed coats , straws, weeds) other than the amaranth us grains , extraneous matter,  
harmful/toxic seeds and other inedible grains 
 
3.5 
filth  
impurities of animal origin, including dead insects 
 
4   Quality requirements  
 
4.1   General quality requirements  
 
Amaranth  grain shall 
  a)   be free from filth   
       b)     be free from live infestation  
 c)   be free of off flavours and odours, 
d)   have a colour characteristic of the variety 
and shall not be discoloured  
4.2   Specific quality requirements  
 
Amaranth  grain shall comply with the specific quality requirements  specified in Table 1. 
Table 1 — Specific quality requiremen ts for amaranth grain 
 
Characteristic Level Method of test 
Protein content , %, min. 16 ISO 1871  
Moisture content, % by mass, max 12  
EAS 901  Filth, %, max 0.1 
extraneou s matter,%, max 0.2 
  
2 © KEBS: 2020  – All rights reserved  
 5    Contaminants  
 5.1   Pesticide residues 
Amaranth  grain shall conform to those maximum residue limits for pesticides established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity. 
 
5.2   Other contaminants 
5.2.1 Amaranth  grain shall conform to those maximum levels in accordance  CODEX STAN 193  
5.2.2   Amaranth grain   shall comply with limits for mycotoxins given  in Table 3 when tested in accordance with 
the test methods specified therein . 
 
Table 3  — Mycotoxin limits for amaranth grain  
S/N Mycotoxin  Maximum l imit Test method  
EAS 901  
i.  Total aflatoxin s (AFB 1+AFB 2+AFG 1 +AFG 2)), µg/kg 10 Clause 9 or 10  
 
 
6 Hygiene  
6.1 Amaranth grains shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39  
6.2 When tested by appropriate standards for sampling and examination in Clause 2, the product shall be free 
from microorganisms in amounts which may represent a hazard to  health and shall not exceed the limits 
stipulated in Table 2.  
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits in Amaranth grain 
 
S/No  Type of micro-organism Limits Test method 
i) Yeasts and moulds, per g, max. 104 ISO 7954  
ii) S. aureus, per 25 g Absent  ISO 6888 -1 
iii) E. coli, per g, max Absent  ISO 16649 -1 
 
 
7 Packaging  
 
Amaranth grain shall be packaged in food grade materials that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional and 
organoleptic qualities of the product.  
 
  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  3 
 The packaging materials shall comply with the legislation requirements of the destination country.  
 
 
8 Labelling  
 
In addition to the requirements of EAS 38 , the following labelling  requirements shall apply and shall be legibly 
and indelibly marked:   
 
a) common name of the food to be declared on the label shall be 'Amaranth grain';  
b) net contents by weight in metric (`System International') units;  
c) name and physical address of the manufacturer / distributor;  
d) country of origin;  
e) lot identi fication;  
f) statement “Food for Human Consumption‘ ‘shall  appear on the package;  
g) storage conditions as “Store in a cool dry place away from contaminants ‘ :  
i) instructions on disposal of used package;  
ii) crop year; and  
iii) packing date.  
 
 
9 Methods of sampling  
 
Sampling shall be carried out in accordance with EAS 900  
10 Criteria  for conformi ty 
A lot shall be de clared as conforming to this standard if samples inspected or analysed for quali ty requirements 
conform to the pro visions of this standard. 
    
 
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