KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2307: 2023  
ICS 67.140.10  
Second Edition  
 
 © KEBS 2023   
 Animal casing  ― Specification  
 
 DKS 2307: 2023  
ii © KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Ministry of Health ― Food Safety Unit  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute  
National Public Health Laboratory  
Government Chemist’s Department  
Farmer’s Choice (K) Ltd.  
University of Nairobi — Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology  
Consumer Information Network  
Kenchic (K) Ltd.  
Kenya Meat Commission  
Directorate of Livestock Production  
Directorate of Veterinary Services  
Kenya Nut Company  ― Morendat farm  
Meat Training institute  
Choice Meats Ltd.  
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  2023 
Copyright. Users are reminded 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 reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any mea ns without prior permission in writing from the 
Managing Director.   KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2307: 2023  
ICS 67.140.10  
Second Edition  
 
© KEBS 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Animal casing  ― 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 2307: 2023  
iv © KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Meat and Poultry products  Technical Committee under the guidance 
of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau of 
Standards  
Animal casings are generally obtained from the intestines of sheep, goats, cattle and hogs, and are mainly  used 
in the production of sausages and also for non -edible purposes, such as surgical sutures, guts for  sports goods 
and strings for musical instruments. The process of manufacture of animal casings has been  included in this 
standard as a guide (see Annex A). In view of the common trade practice, the term 'sheep  casings' has been 
used in the standard to include goat casings also.  
For the purpose of this standard, the word 'shall' has been used to clearly indicate that the requirements are   
mandatory. Where 'should' is used, requirements are considered not to be mandatory but strongly  
recommended.  
In the preparation of this standard, the following sources were consulted extensively:  
IS 1981:1978(R2000), Specification for animal casing.    
Acknowledgement  is hereby made for the assistance derived from these sources . 
 DKS 2307: 2023    
 
© KEBS 2023 – All rights reserved   
 Animal casing  ― Specification  
 
1 Scope   
This Kenya Standard specifies the requirements and the methods of sampling and test for animal casings  
derived from approved  and gazette food  animals .  
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 . 
I. CAC/RCP 1, Recommended international code of practice — General principles of food hygiene  
II. KS CODEX 192 
III. KS 2 761, Meat Hygiene  — Code of practice  
IV. EAS 12, Drinking (potable water) — Specification  
V. EAS 35, Edible salt — Specification  
VI. EAS 38, Labelling of prepackaged foods — Specification  
VII. EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
VIII. ISO 4831, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and  
IX. enumeration of coliforms — Most probable number technique  
X. ISO 4832, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of  
XI. coliforms — Colony -count technique  
XII. ISO 4833, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of  
XIII. microorganisms — Colony -count technique at 30 degrees C  
XIV. ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of  
XV. Salmonella spp.  
XVI. ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and  
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique.   
ii © KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  
 XVII.  ISO 21527 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of yeasts and moulds — Part 1: Colony count technique in products with water activity greater than 0.95  
XVIII.  ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of  yeasts and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal 
to 0.95 
 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the  following  terms and definitions apply . 
3.1 
abattoir  
an approved premise processing animals for the production of meat for human consumption  
3. 2 
black node  
black node usually caused by the residue of the ingesta or slime left behind in the casing  
3. 3 
cattle  
includes bull, cow, ox, heifer, calf, steer, bullock and buffalo  
3. 4 
animal casing  
Includes the following:  
a) Fat end — the terminal end of the large intestine measuring about 1.5 m in length from the anus.  
b) Middle — Remaining part of the large intestine.  
c) Bung — Caecal part of the intestine.  
d) Runner — Small intestine.  
e) Urinary Bladder.  
f) Gullet or oesophagus.  
3.5 
sheep casing  
shall also include goat casing  
3.6 
cicatrix   
© KEBS 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 scar of healed -up wound  
3.7 
contamination  
the presence of objectional matter, including substances or microorganisms, that make meat unwholesome.  
3.8 
runner  
Emptied intestines not processed beyond loosening of the submucosal layer from the surrounding layers of  
intestinal tissue  
3.9 
green runners  
the runners after stripping of ingesta  
3.10 
natural casings  
the sub -mucosal layer of intestines obtained from green runners after cleaning and placing in a preservative  
3.11 
nodule  
small rounded structure  
3.12 
3.13  
potable  
water quality that is consistent with standards for drinking water in compliance with EAS 12  
3.14 
salt burn  
areas of discolouration generally caused by: (a) the entry of air -into tin containers in which the casings are  
packed, and/or (b) by the use of poor quality salt  
d) is free from defects recognized as unsafe to consumers; and  
e) is produced under adequate hygiene control.  
3.15 Types  
The casings shall be of the following types:  
a) Sheep casing ;   
iv © KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  
 b) Cattle casing (dried cattle casing and salted cattle casing);  
c) Hog casing; and  
d) Dry ready -to-wet casings of sheep, goats and cattle.  
e) Casings from approved animals.  
 
4.0 Raw material requirements  
4.1.1 Animal casing   
4.1.1.1 The animal casing  shall be derived from healthy food animals slaughtered in a hygienically managed 
slaughterhouse complying with CAC/RCP 58 , KS EAS 39  and KS 2761 .  
4.1.1.2 The animal casing  from which the product is prepared shall be of a quality suitable for human 
consumption  and shall comply to the KS 2308.  
4.2 Quality  requirements  
a) The casings shall be of uniform natural colour and shall be free from defects like holes, blisters, 
lacerations, nodules and cicatrices.  
b) The casing wall shall be free from any parasitic infestation and from cicatrix.  
c) The casings shall be free from domestics, black nodes, slime, mucus and dung.  
d) The casings shall be free from moulds or fungus infestation.  
e) The casings shall be free from salt burns and rust.  
5.3 Food a dditives  
Only approved food preservatives shall be used  and shall comply with KS Codex stan 192 . When common salt 
is used, it shall comply with the requirements of EAS 35.  
5 Hygiene  
5.2 animal casings  shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with 
the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Microbiological limits for animal  casing  
S/N Micro -organism  Limit  Test method  
I.  Escherichia coli O157:H7 per 25 g  Absent  ISO 16654  
II.  Staphylococcus aureus , cfu/g, max.  102 ISO 6888 -1 
III.  Salmonella spp per 25 g  Absent  ISO 6579 -1  
IV.  Listeria monocytogenes per 25 g  Absent  ISO 11290 -1  
V.  Campylobacter a per 25 g  Absent  ISO 10272 -1  
 
 
6 Pesticides and veterinary drug residues   
© KEBS 2023 – All rights reserved  v 
 6.1 Veterinary drug residues  
Animal casing  shall comply with the maximum veterinary drug residue limits specified in CX/MRL 2.  
6.2 Pesticide residues  
Animal  casing  shall comply with the maximum pesticide residue limits set by Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
7 Heavy metal contaminants  
Animal casing  shall not contain Lead (Pb) in amounts exceeding 0.1 mg/kg, when tested in accordance with 
AOAC 972.25.  
8 Meat identification  
Identification of animal species from which the animal casing  was derived shall be done in accordance with 
ISO/TS 20224.  
9 Packaging  
9.1 animal casing  shall be packaged in food grade materials that protect the product from any physical, 
microbiological, chemical or any other type of contamination during handling, storage and distribution.  
 
10 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements given in EAS 38, the product shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the 
following information:  
a) name of the product;  
c) allergens declaration;  
d) name, location and address of manufacturer;  
e) net weight, in metric units;  
f) declaration as “ natural animal casing ” product;  
g) species of animal from which the meat has been obtained;  
h) date of production/manufacture;  
j) best before date;  
k) batch number;  
l) instructions for use (shall inform the end -user to cook the product for recommended period of time before 
consumption);  
m) storage instructions; and  
n) country of origin.  
11 Sampling  
Sampling shall be carried out in accordance with CAC/GL 50. For microbial analysis samples, sampling shall 
be carried out in accordance with ISO/TS 17728.