KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2994 :2023  
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First Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2023  
 Pumpkin seeds  — Specification    
 
  
 
 
KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2994 :2023  
ICS ##.###  
First  Edition  
 
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  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 Organization  
 
Kenya Nut Company Limited  
 
Kenyatta University  
 
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS)  
 
Sagana Nuts Limited  
 
Syncom Food Consultancy Ltd.  
 
Tensenses Africa EPZ Ltd.  
 
Topnuts Enterprises Ltd.  
 
Agventure  Ltd 
 
Healthy U 2000 limited  
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2994 :2023  
ICS ##.###  
First  Edition  
 
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  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  
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 Burea u 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  2994 :2023  
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  Pumpkin Seeds  — Specification   
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
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KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2994 :2023  
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  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  
Pumpkin seeds refer to the edible seeds of a pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.). Pumpkin seeds are rich in lipids, 
protein,  and crude fibre. In addition, the seed is a good source of minerals like phosphorous, sodium, calcium, 
copper, zinc, magnesium, potassium,  and iron that are important for our health.  
This Kenya Standard is intended to guide farmers/traders in achieving quality of pumpkin seeds required for 
internal and external market  
During the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following document:  
TZS 2499: 2019 Pumpkin Seeds - Specification  
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from this source  
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© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  vi 
   
  KENYA STANDARD  DKS  2994 : 2023  
 
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  1 
 Pumpkin Seeds  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This draft Kenya Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for seeds obtained from 
pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo L.)  intended for human consumption or for other use in the food industry. This  
standard applies to raw and roasted pumpkin seeds.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this standard. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition  of the referenced document 
(including any amendments) applies:  
Codex Stan 193, General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed.  
KS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements.  
KS EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
KS EAS 803, Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
KS EAS 804, Claims — General requirements  
KS EAS 805, Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
KS ISO 542, Oilseeds — Sampling  
ISO 660, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of acid value and acidity  
KS ISO 665, Oilseeds — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content  
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 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
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.  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.)   
hard and roundish fruit vegetable of the squash family that usually comes in a bright orange colour  or also green 
and yellow depending on how ripe and grown it is.  
3.2 pumpkin seed   DKS 2994 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  2 
 edible seed of a pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo L.)   
3.3 Roasted pumpkin seed  
Edible seed of a pumpkin  which has been subjected to heat  
3.4 foreign  matter   
Any visible and/or apparent matter or material not usually associated with raw and roasted pumpkin seeds  
.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.2 Pumpkin Seeds shall  be. 
 a) dry flat and oval in shape.  
 b) free from dead or living insects, insect fragments and mites.  
 c) free from foreign matter such as stones, dirt, or any contamination.  
 d) free from foreign odours and undesirable flavour and/or taste.   
 e) free from decayed and mould -damaged seeds  
  
4.1.2  Raw Pumpkin seeds may be brown  or green  in colour .  
 
4.2 Specific Requirements  
Pumpkin seeds shall comply with specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the 
methods specified therein.  
   Table 1 - Specific requirements for pumpkin seeds  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
1. Moisture content, % 
(m/m) max  Raw 8.0 KS ISO 665  
Roasted  5.0 
2.  Free fatty acids, 
m/m, max.    
2 KS ISO 729  
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 4.4 Grading requirements  
Raw pumpkin seeds  shall comply with the grading requirements given in Table 2 when tested in accordance with 
the test methods specified therein.  
Table 2 — Grading requirements for raw pumpkin seeds  
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirement  Test Method  
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i)  Damaged seeds , % m/m, 
max.  0.5 1.5 <3  
 
ISO 605 ii)  Other defects, % m/m, 
max.  0.5 1.5 <3 
iii)  Split and broken seed s, 
% m/m, max.  1.0 2.0 3.0 
iv)  Foreign matter, % m/m, 
max.  0.1 0.2 0.3 
 
 
 5   Food additives  
Food additives when used in pumpkin see ds shall comply with CXS 192.  
6    Flavouring agents  
Flavouring agents when used in pumpkin seeds  shall comply with CXG 66.  
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Aflatoxin  
Aflatoxin levels in pumpkin seeds shall not exceed the limits given in Table 3 when tested in accordance  
with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 3 — Aflatoxin limits for groundnut kernels  
S/N Aflatoxin  Maximum Limit  Test Method  
i) Total aflatoxin µg/kg  10  KS ISO 16050  
 ii) aflatoxin B1 µg/kg  5 
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 7.2 Pesticide residues  
Pumpkin seeds  shall comply with those maximum residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius  
Commission.  
7.3 Other contaminants  
Pumpkin seeds  shall comply with those maximum limits for other contaminants established in CXS 193.  
 
8 Hygiene  
8.1 Pumpkin seeds shall be produced, processed, handled,  and stored in accordance with KS EAS 39  
Roasted pumpkin seeds shall comply with the microbiological requirements given in Table 4 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
                   Table 4 — Microbiological requirements for pumpkin seeds        
S/N Organism  Maximum Limit  Test Method  
i) Escherichia coli, MPN/g  Absent  KS ISO 7251  
ii) Salmonella per 25 g  Absent  KS ISO 6579 -1 
iii)  Staphylococcus aureus, CFU/g  Absent  Ks ISO 6888 -1 
 
9 Packaging  
Pumpkin seeds shall be packaged in containers made from food grade packaging material and sealed in a 
manner that will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional,  and organoleptic properties of the product.  
10 Labelling  
10.1 General  
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 as “Raw pumpkin seeds ” or “Roasted pumpkin seeds  
b) where grading is applied, it shall be in accordance to clause 4.4 of this standard . 
 
11 Nutrition and health claims  
Nutrition labelling and health claims shall comply with the requirements given in EAS 803, EAS 804 and EAS 
805.  DKS 2994 : 2023  
© KEBS 2023  – All rights reserved  5 
 12. Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with KS ISO 21294  
  
 
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