KENYA STANDARD       KS 2915:2020  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      Coffee premix  ― Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 © KEBS 2020  First Edition , 2020  
 
 
  KS 2915:2020  
 
ii  © KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved  TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRES ENTATION  
 
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
 
AFA- Coffee Directorate  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI)  
KALRO - Coffee Research Institute  
University of Nairobi  
Dedan Kimathi University of Technology   
Consumer Information Network  
Government Chemist's Department  
Dorman  coffee  Ltd. 
 Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service  
Nestle Kenya 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, 2020  
 
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 
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                                          KS 2915:2020  
  
© KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved    iii  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Coffee premix  ― Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENYA BUREAU OF STANDARDS (KEBS)  
 
Head Office: P.O. Box 54974, Nairobi -00200, Tel.: (+254  020) 605490, 602350, Fax: 
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Coast Region     Lake Region      Rift Valley Region  
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051) 210553, 210555  
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  KS 2915:2020  
 
iv  © KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved   
Foreword  
 
This Kenya standard has been developed by the Technical Committee on Coffee and 
coffee products under the guidance of the Standards Projects Committee and is in 
accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau of Standards.  
 
This standard is aimed at providing specification and guidance to all stakeholders to 
conduct all activities in a manner that ensures food safety and quality. It also int ends to 
enhance compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements in Kenya.  
 
Kenya  Coffee and its product has its uniqueness in the world market and the desire to 
maintain the positive attribute of the product is one of the drivers towards developmen t of 
this standard.  
 
This first edition provides updates on existing national legislations and also covers 
requirements for new premix coffee introduced into the market.  
 
During the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following documen t: 
 
CAC/RCP 1: 1969, General principles of food hygiene    
  
KS CAC/RCP 69:2009: Code of practice for prevention and reduction of ochratoxin in 
coffee  
 
CODEX Online Commodity details for coffee.  
 
ITC (2012). Coffee: An Exporter’s Guide. ITC product and ma rket development 
UNCTAD/WTO, Geneva, Switzerland   
Acknowledgement is hereby made for  the assistance derived from this source.  
 
  
KENYA STANDARD         KS 2915:2020  
 
 
© KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved    1  
Coffee  premix ― Specification  
 
1 Scope   
 
This Kenya standard sp ecifies requirements, sampling and test methods for  coffee   
premix.  
  
2 Normative references  
 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this 
document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated refe rences, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies  
 
CAC/GL 66, Guidelines for the use of flavourings  
CODEX STAN 192, General standard for food additives  
CODEX STAN 234, Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling  
 KS EAS 12, Portable water — Specification  
 KS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods  
 KS EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry - Code of practice  KS 
ISO 22000, Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in    
the food chain  
KS 2221, Coffee packaging -specification  
EAS 105:2019 Instant coffee specification  
KS 2366, Coffee code of practice  
 
 
 
3 Terms and Definitions  
 
For the purposes of this document, the definitions given in KS ISO 3509 and the following 
shall apply . 
 
3.1 Coffee Premix  
 
A mixture or blend of instant coffee with one  or more ingredients to which hot water  is 
added to make  a beverage . 
 
3.2 Creamer  
 
Milk  or milk   substitute    
 
3.3 Instant coffee  
 
Dried , water -soluble product, obtained exclusively from roasted coffee by physical 
methods using water as the only carrying agent  that is not derived from coffe  
4 Ingredients   
2  © KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved   
All ingredients shall comply with relevant Kenya Standards  
 
  4.1 Essential ingredients  
I. Instant coffee  
II. Creamer  
 4.2Optional ingredients  
I. Sugar  
II. Sweetener  
III. Flavourings  
IV. Approved additives  
 
 5. Requirements  
 
5.1 General requirements  
 
The coffee premix product shall  be as follows : 
   
 
5.1.1  Appearance  
 
Coffee premix  shall be fine grained and homogenous mixtures , 
   
5.1.2 .1.2flavour , colour  and odour  
Coffee premix shall be of cha racteristic flavour, colour and odour.  
 
5.1.3  Texture  
 
Coffee premix    shall be free flowing    
 
5.1.4  Dispensability  
 
Coffee premix shall fully dissolve within two minutes in hot water with constant stirring and 
show no evidence of undissolved floating particles, b e smooth and free from  lumps or 
sedimentation  
 
  
5.1.5  Foreign  matter 
 
All ingredients and finished product shall be clean ,wholesome, and free from evidence of 
rodent or insect infestation.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.2 Specific requirements  KS 2915:2020  
© KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved    3  
Coffee premix shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
 
                                   Table 1 — Requirements  
S/N Characterist ic Limits  Test method  
I.  Moisture, % by mass, max.  
 4.0 AOAC  
925.45A, 2007.04, or 2008.06  
II.  Fat content  % by mass   15-25 AOAC  
932.06,985.15, 991.36, 2007.04, or 
2008.06  
III.  Total ash % by mass, max.  7.0 Annex A  
IV.  Acid insoluble ash   Annex B  
V.  Caffeine Content  1.0 AOAC 979.11  AOAC 979.08  
VI.  PH  AOAC 981.12  
BS EN 1132  
VII.  Brix 14 KS ISO 2173  
VIII.  Insolubility index % by mass, 
max.  1.5 ISO 8156  
EAS 81 -6 
IX.  Total solids  30 AOAC 975.30  
  
6. Hygiene   
 
Coffee premix  shall be processed and handled in hygienic manner in accordance with the 
EAS 39 and shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 2 when tested in 
accordance with test methods specified therei n 
 
                         Table 2 — Microbiological limits for coffee premix  
 
S/N Micro -organism  
 Maximum limit  Test Method  
 Total plate count, per gram  
 ≤30,000  ISO 16654  
 Staphylococcus aureus , per 
gram  
 <100  ISO 6888 -1 
 Salmonella, per 25 gram  
 Absent  AOAC 986.35, 
996.08, 
2000.06D(c), 
2003.09, or 2011.03  
 Yeast and moulds, per gram  
 ≤100 ISO 4833 -1 
 Entrobacteriaceae  <100  ISO 21528 -2 
 
7 Food additives  and flavourings  
 
When used it shall comply with codex Stan 192  and  CAC/GL 66  
 
 
  
4  © KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved  8 Contaminants  
 
8.1 Pesticide residues  
 
Coffee premix shall comply with maximum pesticide residues l imits established by the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
 
8.2 Heavy metal  
 
  Coffee premix shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance  with the test methods specified therein.  
 
                                 Table 3— Limits for metal contaminants  
 
S/N Metal  Maximum Limits 
mg/kg (ppm)  Test method   
a) Lead  2 AOAC 986 -15 
 b) Arsenic  1.0 
C) Cadmium  1  
 
 
9 Packaging  
 
The Coffee premix shall be packaged in food grade material that ensure the integrity and 
the safety of the product  
 
10 Weights and measures  
 
The weight and fill of coffee premix shall comply with the weights and measures 
regulations or equivalent legislat ion. 
 
 
 
 
11 Labelling  
 
In addition to the labelling requirements in KS EAS 38, in particular the following specific 
declarations shall be legibly and indelibly marked on each label:  
 
a. the name of the product;   
b. net weight in  SI units ;  
c. list of ingredients in descending order of proportion;  
d. expiry date;  
e. instructions for use;  
f. conditions of storage;  
g. country of origin;  
h. lot/batch number;  
i. Irradiation status where applicable; and  
j. Allergens where applicable  
 KS 2915:2020  
© KEBS 2020 — All rights reserved    5  
 
12 Sampling  
 
Sampling of coffe e premix shall be done i n compliance with CODEX STAN  234. 
 
 
Annex A  
 
A.1 Determination of total ash  
A.1.1 Procedure  
Place about 3 g of the ground material, accurately weighed, or the quantity specified in the 
monograph, in a suitable tared dish (for example, of silica or platinum), previously ignited, 
cooled and weighed. Incinerate the material by gradually increa sing the heat, not 
exceeding 550  °C±25, until free from carbon; cool, and weigh. If a carbon -free ash cannot 
be obtained in this way, exhaus t the charred mass with hot water, collect the residue on an 
ashless filter -paper, incinerate the residue and filter -paper, add the filtrate, evaporate to 
dryness, and ignite at a temperature not exceeding 450 °C.   
 
A.1.2 Calculation  
Calculate the content in milligrams of ash per gram of air -dried material.  
A.2 Determination of acid -insoluble ash  
 
Annex B  
 
A.2.1 Acid insoluble ash  
Procedure  
Boil the ash for 5 min with 25 ml of hydrochloric acid (~70 g/l) TS; collect the insoluble 
matter in a sintered crucible, or on an ashless filter -paper, wash with hot water, and ignite 
at about 500 °C to constant weight.   
 
A.2.2 Calculation  
Calculate the  content in milligrams of acid - insoluble ash per gram of air -dried material.