KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2992 :2023  
ICS ##.### 
First Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2023  
 Hazelnut  Kernels— Specification    
 
  
 
 
KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2992:2023  
ICS ##.###  
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  ii 
  TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Agriculture and Food Authority - Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate  
Consumer Information Network  
Government Chemist's Department  
Jungle Nuts Ltd.  
Kakuzi PLC  
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization  (KALRO)  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute  
Kenya Nut Company Limited  
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS)  
Ministry of Health  
Sagana Nuts Limited  
SGS Kenya Limited  
Syncom Food Consultancy Ltd.  
Tensenses Africa EPZ Ltd.  
Topnuts Enterprises Ltd.  
Agventure  Ltd  
Healthy U 2000 limited  
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, 2024  KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2992:2023  
ICS ##.###  
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  iii 
  Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of the Laws of Kenya, copyr ight subsists in all Kenya Standards and 
except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Standards may be reproduced, 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  2992:2023  
ICS ##.###  
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  iv 
  Hazelnut  Kernels  — Specification   
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
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 kenya bureau of standards (kebs)  
  
KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2992:2023  
ICS ##.###  
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  v 
  Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Edible Nuts and Seeds Technical Committee under the guidance of 
the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau of Standards  
Hazelnuts are the edible nuts of the hazel tree (Corylus avellana) and are also known as filbert nuts. They are 
popular for their rich, nutty flavour  and are used in a variety of culinary applications, including baking, cooking, 
and as a snack.  
This Kenya standard lays down specifications aiming at ensuring the safety and quality of hazelnut  kernels 
produced or traded in and outside the country for human consumption.  
During the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following document:  
UNECE STANDARD DDP -04 HAZELNUT KERNELS published by the United Nations, New York, and Geneva . 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from this source  
 
 KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2992: 2023  
 
© KEBS yyyy – All rights reserved  1 
  
Hazelnut Kernels — Specification  
1 Scope  
This draft Kenya standard specifies the requirements, sampling and testing methods for raw and roasted hazel  
nut kernels derived from hazelnut fruit  (Corylus avellana L.  and Corylus maxima Mill  and their hybrids intended 
for human consumption.  
This standard applies to shelled raw and roasted hazelnut  kernels.  
 
2 Normative references  
CXG 66, Guidelines for the use of flavourings  
CXS 192, General standard for food additives  
CXS 193, General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
KS EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
KS EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
KS EAS 804, Claims on foods — General requirements.  
KS EAS 805, Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
KS ISO 665, Oilseeds — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content  
KS ISO 729, Oilseeds — Determination of acidity of oils  
KS ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and  
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp.  
KS ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of coagulase -positive  
Staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Method using Baird -Parker agar medium  
KS ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method  
KS ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
beta-glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli — Part 2: Colony -count technique at 44 degrees C using 5 -bromo -
4-chloro -3-indolyl beta -D-glucuronide  
KS ISO 21294, Oilseeds — Manual or automatic discontinuous sampling  DKS  2992 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  2 
 3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
Hazelnut  
edible nuts obtained from varieties of the species Corylus avellana  
3.2  
shelled hazelnut  kernels  
raw hazelnuts  with their shells removed and which have not been subjected to roasting and/or various forms.  of 
chemical treatment  
3.3 
roasted hazelnuts  
hazelnuts  with their shells remov ed which have been subjected to heat  
3.4 
damage/defects  
kernel,  which is damaged mechanically, or by mould or insects , or those showing internal discoloration of 
kernels materially affecting the quality’.  
3.6 
other defects  
hazelnut  kernel that has skin discolouration, flesh discolouration and/or sprouted kernels  
3.7 
whole  
hazelnut  kernel which is not split or broken  
3.8 
split 
separated 'half' of a hazelnut  kernel  
3.9 
broken  
more than one fourth of the  hazel nut kernel is broken off  DKS  2992 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  3 
 3.10 
foreign matter  
Any visible and/or apparent matter or material not usually associated with raw  or roasted hazelnut kernels.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
Raw and roasted hazelnut  kernels shall be. 
4.1.1 practically free of any visible foreign matter  
 
4.1.2 clean, matured, and dry.  
 
4.1.3 free from rancid  and undesirable foreign odour and taste,   
 
4.1.4 free from live  or dead insects,  rodent contamination,  and insect  fragments   
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Raw and roasted hazel nut kernels shall comply with specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the methods specified therein.  
 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for raw and roasted  hazelnuts  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test Method  
1. Moisture  
content, %, m/m,  
max.  Raw Kernels  6.0 KS ISO 665  
Roasted kernels  5.0 
2. Free fatty acids, %, m/m,  
max.  2 KS ISO 729  
 
 DKS  2992 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  4 
 5 Grading  
Raw hazelnuts  may be graded according to Annex A . 
 
6.  Food additives  
Food additives when used in hazelnut  kernels shall comply with CXS 192.  
7 Flavouring agents  
Flavouring agents when used in hazel nut kernels shall comply with CXG 66.  
8 Contaminants  
8.1 Aflatoxin  
Aflatoxin levels in hazel nut kernels shall not exceed the limits given in Table 2 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein.  
 
                 Table 2 — Aflatoxin limits for hazelnut kernels  
S/No.  Aflatoxin  Maximum Limit µg/kg  Test Method  
i)  Total Aflatoxin  10  
KS ISO 16050  ii)  Aflatoxin B1  5 
 
8.2 Pesticide residues  
Hazelnut  kernels shall comply with those maximum residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
8.3 Other contaminants  
Hazelnut  kernels shall comply with those maximum limits for other contaminants established in CXS 193.  
9 Hygiene  
9.1 Hazel nuts kernels shall be produced, prepared,  and handled in accordance with KS EAS 39.  
 DKS  2992 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  5 
 9.2Hazelnut  kernels shall comply with the microbiological requirements given in Table 3 when tested in accordance with the 
test methods specified therein.  
 
 
Table 3 , Microbiological requirements for almond kernels  
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirement  Test Method  
i)  Escherichia coli, 
CFU/g A  Absent   
KS ISO 16649 -2 
ii)  Salmonella spp. in 
25 g Absent  KS ISO 6579 -1 
iii)  Staphylococcus 
aureus,CFU/g  Absent  KS ISO 6888  
 
 
9 Packaging  
Hazelnut  kernels shall be packaged in food grade packaging material that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional , 
technological, and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
10 Labelling  
10.1 General  
In addition to the requirements given in KS EAS 38, the product shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the  
following information:  
       a) name of  the product as “Raw haze lnuts” or “Roasted hazelnuts” and  
b)  where grading is applied, it shall be in accordance to Annex A of this standard.  
10.2 Nutrition labelling and health claims  
Nutrition labelling and health claims shall comply with the requirements given in KS EAS 803, KS EAS 804 and 
KS EAS 805. 
11 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with KS ISO 21294.  DKS  2992 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  6 
  
 
 
Annex A  
(Normative)  
Grading requirements for raw hazelnut  kernels  
 
 Tolerances allowed  
percentage of defective hazelnut kernels, by number or weight (with 
regard to the total hazelnut kernel weight basis)  
Defects allowed  Extra  Class I  Class II  
Tolerances for produce 
not satisfying the 
minimum  requirements of 
which no more than:  5 14 18 
Not sufficiently developed 
including  shrunken and 
shrivelled kernels  
Mouldy  
Rancid or damaged by 
pests , rotting , 
deterioration   
of which rancid not more 
than  
Damaged kernels and 
pieces not passing  
through a 5 mm round 
meshed sieve  
Pieces passing through a 
5 mm round meshed sieve  
Living pests  2 4 8 
0.5 1.5 2.5 
2 4 6 
1 2 3 
3 8 10 
0.5 1 2 
0 0 0 DKS  2992 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  2 
 (b) Size tolerances  
For produce not 
conforming to the size  
indicated, if sized  
For round   
 
10  
 
10  
 
10 
For pointed and oblong  
If sized with 1mm intervals  
For round  
For pointed and oblong  15 15 15 
15 15 15 
20 20 20 
c) Tolerances for other defects  
Foreign matter, loose 
shells, shell  fragments, 
fragments of hull, dust (by  
weight)  
Twin kernels  
Hazelnut  kernels 
belonging to varieties  or 
commercial types other 
than that indicated  0.25 0.25 0.25 
2 5 8 
10 10 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DKS  2992 : 2023    
 
© KEBS 2023– All rights reserved