KENYA STANDARD     DKS 2850 :2019 
ICS 67.100.30  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
cheeses in brine— Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      © KEBS 201 9 Third  Edition , 2019 
 
 
  DKS 2850 :2019 
 
ii  © KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved  TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRES ENTATION  
 
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Kenya Dairy Board  
Ministry of Health — Food safety Unit  
State Department of Livestock  
Government Chemist’s Department  
Egerton University — Department of Dairy and Food Science Technology  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI)  
Sameer Agriculture and Livestock (K) Limited  
New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (NKCC)  
National Public Health Labs  
Department of veterinary services  
Brookside Dairy Ltd.  
Eldoville Dairies Ltd.  
Githunguri Dairy  
Bio Food Products Ltd.  
Happy Cow Ltd.  
Kibidav Ltd  
Accelerating Agriculture and Livestock Enterprises Ltd 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretaria t 
 
  
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, 201 9 
 
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 f rom the 
Managing Director.  
  KENYA STANDARD                                          DKS 2850 :2019 
ICS 67.100.30   
© KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved    iii  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cheese s in brine  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENYA BUREAU OF STANDARDS (KEBS)  
 
Head Office: P.O. Box 54974, Nairobi -00200, Tel.: (+254  020) 6 05490, 602350, Fax: (+254 020) 604031  
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Coast Region     Lake Region       Rift Valley Region  
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Fax :  (+254 041 ) 229448    Fax :  (+254 057) 21814  
 
  DKS 2850 :2019 
 
iv  © KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved   
Foreword  
 
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Milk and Milk Products T echnical Committee  under the guidance of the 
Standards Projects Commit tee, and  it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau  of Standards. 
 
Cheese  is the ripened or unripened  soft, semi -hard, hard, or extra -hard milk product , which consists of high 
concentration of the constitu ents of milk, principally fat,  casein and soluble salts, together  with water in 
which small amounts of  soluble  salts, lactose, and al bumin from milk is coagulated. The milk is coagulated by 
means of rennet and/or other protease  enzymes.  it is therefore important to use milk of good quality to obtain 
high quality cheese.  
 
 
There  are various  types of cheese that are produced and mark eted worldwide. This standard specifies the general 
requirements for all types of cheeses in brine  produced and marketed in Kenya. 
 
During the preparation of this standard, reference was  made to the following document : 
 
Group standard for cheese  in brine , CXS 208 -1999  
 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from these sources . 
  
KENYA STANDARD         DKS 28 50: 201 9 
 
 
© KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved    1 Cheese s in brine — 
Specification  
 
 
1        Scope 
 
This Ke nya Standard specifi es the general requirements and methods of sampling and test  for all cheeses  in brine  
intended for direct consumption and/ or for  further proces sing in conformity with the description in Section 3 
of this Standard.  
 
Subject to the provisions  of this Standard, standards for individual varieties of Cheeses in Brine may contain 
provisions which are more specific than those in this Standard. 
 
2        Normative references  
 
The following 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.  
 
AOAC 999.10, Official method for lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, and iron in foods Atomic Absorption 
Spectrophotometry after microwave Digestion  
KS CODEX STAN 192, Codex general standard for food additives  
KS CODEX STAN 193, Codex general Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed  
KS CXS 206 -1999, General Standard for the Use of Dairy Terms  
KS EAS 153 –Drinking (portable) water specification  
KS EAS 38, Labelling of prepackaged foods  
KS EAS 805, Use of Nutrition and health claims  
KS 28 -1, General standard for cheese  
KS 229, Standard for edible salt  
KS 1552,  Code of hygienic practice for milk and milk products  
KS ISO 707, Milk and milk products — Guidance on sampling  
KS ISO 1735, Cheese and processed cheese products - Determination of fat content  - Grav imetric 
method (Reference method) 
KS ISO 4833, Microbio logy of food and animal feed Stuffs -Horizontal  method for the enumerati on of 
microorganisms -colony count Technique at 30 
KS ISO 4832, Microbio logy of food and animal feeding stuffs- Horizontal  method  for the enumeration of 
coliforms -colony-count technique  
KS ISO 5534, Cheese and processed cheese _ Determination of the total solids content (Reference 
method)   
KS ISO 5943, Cheese and processed cheese products  Determination of Sodium chloride content  
Potentiometric titration method  
KS ISO 6785:2001, Milk and milk products – Detection of Salmonella spp 
KS ISO 6888 –1:1999 Microbiology 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  
KS ISO 6611, Milk and milk products — Enumeration of colony -forming units of yeasts and/or moulds — 
Colony -count technique at 25 degrees C  
KS ISO/TS 6733, Milk and milk products -- Determination of lead content -- Graphite furnace atomic absorption 
spectrometric method  
KS ISO 11290 -2, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of 
Listeria monocytogenes and of Listeri a spp. — Part 2: Enumeration method  
KS ISO 14501, Milk and milk powder - Determination of aflatoxin M content - Clean -up by immunoaffinity 
chromatography and determination by high -performance liquid chromatography  
KS ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and anim al feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the  detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique   
2  © KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved  KS ISO 55381: Milk and milk products - Sampling - Inspection by attributes .  
KS ISO 16649 –2:2001, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for the  
enumeration of beta -glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli – Part 1: Colony -count technique at  
44°C using 5 -bromo -4-chloro -3-indolyl Beta -D-glucuronide  
 
3 DESCRIPTION  
 
Cheeses in Brine are semi -hard to soft ripened cheeses in conformity with the general Standard for Cheese 
(KS 28 -1). The body has a white to yellowish colour and a compact texture suitable for slicing, with none to  
few mechanical openings. The cheeses have  no actual rind and have been ripened and preserved in brine 
until delivered to, or prepacked for, the consumer. Certain individual Cheeses in Brine contain specific herbs 
and spices as part of their identity.  
 
4 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS  
 
4.1  Raw materials  
 
Milk and/or products obtained from milk complying with the relevant Kenya Standards.  
 
4.2  Permitted ingredients  
 
The following ingredients shall be permitted in cheese:  
 
a) Starter cultures of harmless lactic acid and/or flavour  producing bacteria and cultures of other harmless 
microorganisms.  
 
b) Safe and suitable enzymes.  
 
c) Sodium chloride complying with KS 229  
 
d) Potable water complying with KS EAS 153.  
 
e) Herbs  and spices where  part of the identity of the 
Cheese in Brine complying with the relevant Kenya  
standards  
 
 
4.3       Compositional  requirements  
 
The following requirements  given in Table  shall be applicable to l cheeses in brine .  
 
However, this requirements shall not preclude the designation of more  specific requirements  in l standards for 
individual varieties of Cheeses in Brine  
 
 
 
Table 1 — compositional requirements of cheeses in brine  
 
 
S/N R   Test method  
i) Minimum fat in dry matter, % 40 40 KS ISO 1735 
ii) Minimum dry matter, % 40 52 KS ISO 5534  
iii) Salt,%                                           3% KS ISO 5943  
 
 
5      FOOD ADDITIVES 
 DKS 28 50:2019 
 
© KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved    3 INS no. Name  of additive 
 
Acidity regulators  
 
270  
Lactic acid, L-, D- and DL- 
 
575  
Glucono delta-lactone 
 Only those food additives listed may be used and only within the limits specified. 
 
 
 
Maximum level 
 
 
 
Limited by GMP 
 
Limited by GMP 
 
 
 
 
6         HYGIENE  
 
6.1  It is recommended that the products  covered by the provisions of this standard be prepared and 
handled in accordance  with the Code of  Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk Products (KS 1552)  and other 
relevant texts such as Codes of  Hygienic Practice and Codes of Practice. The products should comply with 
any microbiological criteria established in accordance with the Principles and Guidelines for the 
Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods (KS CXG 21-1997). 
 
6.2       The products  shall comply with microbiological criteria  established in accordance  with Table 4 below  
 
 
Table  4 — Microbiol ogical  requirements  for cheese s in brine  
 
S/N Quality  Requirement
, 
 Test method  
i) Total coliforms , CFU/ g, max  100 KS ISO 4832  
 
ii) Listeria monocytogenes, CFU/25g Absent  KS ISO 11290 -2 
iii) Salmonella spp.CFU /25g 
 Absent  KS ISO 6785  
iv) Staphylococcus aureus, CFU/g Absent  KS ISO 6888 -1 
v) Escherichia c oli, cfu/g  Absent  KS ISO 7251  
  Yeast and moulds, CFU/g, max  10 KS ISO 6611  
 
 
7        Contaminan ts 
 
The products covered by this standard shall comply with the maximum levels for contaminants that are specified 
for the product in the General Standard for Contaminants and To xins in Food and Feed (CXS 193 -1995).  
 
7.1        Heavy metals  
 
When tested in accordance with AOAC 999.10  or KS ISO/TS 6733 , the level of lead (Pb) shall not exceed 
0.02 mg/kg.  
 
7.2  Pesticide  residues  
 
cheeses  in brine  shall conform to maximum limits residues set by Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
 
7.3  Mycotoxin  residues   
4  © KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved   
When tested in accordance with ISO 14501 the level of Aflatoxin M1 shall not exceed 0.50 µg/kg.  
 
7.4  Veterinary drugs residues  
 
Cheeses  in brine shall conform to maximum tolerable residue limits for antibiotics and other veterinary drugs 
set by Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
 
8        Packag ing  
 
The products  shall be packed in food grade material that ensures product safety and integrity.  
 
9     Labelling  
 
In addition to the provisions of the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (KS EAS 38) , 
Use of Nutrition and health claims  (KS EAS 805 ), and the General Standard for the Use of Dairy Terms (KS 
CXS 206-1999), the following specific provisions apply  
 
9.1      Name  of the food  
 
The name  of the food shall be cheese brine . However, the  word “cheese in brin e” may be omitted  in the designation 
of an individual cheese  in brine variety reserved by a standard for individual cheeses in brine , and, in the absence 
thereof, a variety name specified in the national legislation  of the country in which the product  is sold, provided th at 
the omission does  not create  an erroneous impression re garding the character of the food.  
 
9.2    Declaration of milk fat content 
 
The milk fat content shall be declared in a manner found acceptable in the country of sale to the final consumer, 
either (i) as a percentage by mass, (ii) as a percentage of  fat in dry matter, or (iii) in grams per serving as 
quantified in the label provided that the number of servings is stated. 
 
Additionally, the following terms may be used: 
 
High fat                   (if the content of FDM  is above or equal to 60%) 
Full fat                     (if the content of FDM  is above or equal to 45% and less than 60%)  
Medium fat             (if the content of FDM  is above or equal to 25% and less than 45%)  
Partially skimmed  (if the content of FDM  is above or equal to 10% and less than 25%)  
Skim                        (if the content of FDM  is less than 10%) 
 
9.3    Name  of manufacturer  
 
In the case of cheese for export, the original cheese, or where not possible, the original pack or prepared consumer  
pack  shall be marked with the name  of the manufacturer or exporter  in clear lettering. 
 
9.4    Country  of manufacture (origin)  
 
In the case of cheeses sold in the home mark et and designated by the name  of cheese not originating  in the 
producing country, the original cheese, or where not possible, the original  pack or prepared consumer  pack 
shall be marked with 'the name, or other clear indication, of the producing country'.   
 
Other clear indication c ould include things such as a clear statement of the full address  of the manufacturer 
or the name of a well-recognized state, region or province of the producing  country. 
 
10.5     The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor, importer, exporter or vendor of the 
food shall be declared.  
 
10.6 Net contents  
 
The net contents shall be declared by weight in either the metric ("Système International" units) or as required 
by the country in which the product is sold.  DKS 28 50:2019 
 
© KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved    5  
10.7 List of Ingredients  
 
A complete list of ingredients shall be declared on the label in descending order of proportion.  
 
10.8      storage instructions or conditions for use  
 
 
10. 9     date of manufacture   
 
10.10    Expiry date ;  
 
10.11    batch code/number  
 
10.12    lot identification   
 
However, lot identification, and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer m ay be replaced by an 
identification mark, provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents  
 
 10     METHODS OF SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS  
 
10.1 Sampling shall be carried out in accordance with the latest version of KS ISO 707"Milk and Milk 
products - Guidance on sampling" and in KS ISO 55381: Milk and milk products - Sampling - Inspection by 
attributes.  
 
10.2 Analysis for cheese shall be carried out in accordance to appropriate standard methods declared in 
this standard. Other test may be performed as per the methods given in the latest AOAC/ Codex/ ISO and 
other internationally recognized methods  
 
 
10.3   Special requirements for Cheese in Brine: 
 
 A representative piece of cheese is placed on a cloth or on a sheet of absorbent paper for 5 to 10 min. 
A slice of 2–3 cm is cut off and sent to the laborato ry in a sealed insulated box for analysis. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
6  © KEBS 201 9 — All rights reserved