DKS 2711:2016 
     KENYA STANDARD                 
                     
 
 
 
 
  
 
 Dried Insect products for compounding 
animal feeds - Specification 
  
  
 
   
           
 
 No copying of this standard without KEBS permission except as permitted by copyright law  
 
  
 
PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT   DKS 2711:2016 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION 
 
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee: 
1. Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Fisheries — State Department of Livestock 2. Kenyatta University—Department of animal science 
3. Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) 
4. Unga Farm Care EA Ltd. 5. Modern Ways Ltd. 
6. ICIPE 
7. Department of Veterinary Services 
8. AKEFEMA-Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers 
9. Government chemist department. 10. Pioneer Feeds Ltd 
11. Embu University 
12. Pembe Flour Mills  13. Joeliz Bone meal Ltd. 
14. Proctor and Allan (EA) Ltd 
15. IDRC/ACIAR, NWO, GIZ and DANIDA 16. Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute 
17. Kenya Bureau of Standards ― Secretariat 
 
 
 
  
 
  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS 
 
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for improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, 
are welcome.  
 
  
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 to payment of a royalty.       DKS 2711:2016  
 KENYA STANDARD          
          
 
  
 
  
Dried insect products for compounding 
animal feeds- Specification 
 
  
   
 
          
 
KENYA BUREAU OF ST ANDARDS (KEBS) 
 
Head  Office:  P.O. Box 54974, Nairobi-00200, Tel.: (+254  020) 605490, 602350, Fax: (+254 020)  604031 
E-Mail: info@kebs.org,  Web:http://www.kebs.org   
 
Coast Region    Lake Region       Rift  Valley Region  
P.O. Box 99376, Mombasa-80100  P.O. Box 2949, Kisumu-40100    P.O. Box 2138, Nakuru-20100 
Tel.: (+254  041) 229563, 230939/40 Tel.: (+254 057) 2354 9, 22396    Tel.: (+254 051) 210553, 210555  
Fax: (+254  041) 229448   Fax: (+254 057) 21814  
 
            
  D KS 2711:2016  
2  
FOREWORD 
 
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Animal Feeds Technical Committee under the guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau of 
Standards. 
  
The supply of feed ingredients especially the animal protein based ingredients is becoming limited due to the 
increase in consumption of animal products and nutriti on challenges prevailing in Kenya. To address this 
challenge, it has become necessary to seek for an alte rnative animal protein source and insect products are 
potential candidates since insects are naturally part of animal diets. Insects grow and reproduce easily, have high feed conversion efficiency and can even be reared on bio-waste streams. These organic waste would 
otherwise go to dumping si tes/ landfills,t hereby worsening environmental cont amination. It is technically 
feasible to produce insects on a large scale and to use them as alternative sustainable protein rich ingredient in cattle, fish, pig and poultry diets. The insect based protein wil also reduce the foreighn exchange used in 
importing protein based ingredients. However, scaling up of insects production is hindered by lack of policies 
and standards in Kenya..  
It is anticipated that this standard will assist both manufacturers of insect products and animal feeds to 
maintain good quality and exercise proper quality control during production.  
  
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to:  
 Fertilizers and Animal Fe edstuffs Act, Cap 345. 
 World Bank, 2013. Fish to 2030, prospects for fisheries and aquaculture. 
 FAO 2013. Edible insects Future prospects for food and feed security. FAO, Rome 
 
 
Acknowledgment is made for the assist ance received from these sources. 
 
      
  DKS 2711:2016 
 3 
KENYA STANDARD 
 
 
 
1. SCOPE 
 
 This Kenya Standard prescribes the requirements for dried insect products as sources of protein for 
compounding animal feeds.  
 
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 references, the latest edition of the 
referenced document (including any amendments) applies 
 
 
(i) KS 2543:2014  The animal feed industry - Code of practice (ii) KS 63- Methods of test for animal feedstuffs 
(iii) KS ISO 4832 — Microbiology of food and anima l feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the 
enumeration of coliforms — Colony-count technique. 
(iv) KS ISO 16649-2, Microbiology of food and an imal 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. 
(v) KS ISO 6579 Microbiology of food and animal f eeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the 
detection of Salmonella spp. 
  
3. DEFINITION 
 3.1 Insect products — Shall include adult, nymphal, larval or pupal stages of insects or processed 
insect material for use as an animal feed ingredient. 
 3.2 Whole insects  – Shall be insect material presented in their natural form after primary processing to 
minimize microbiological contamination and moisture. 
 3.3 Ground insect product – Shall be insect material presented as meal, pellets or crumbs after primary 
processing to minimize microbiological contamination and moisture. 
3.4 Classes of Insect product covered in the standard 
3.4.1 High protein whole or ground insect product -Shall be insect material produced from insects with 
crude protein of 50% and above on dry matter basis (DM). 
3.4.2 Low protein whole or ground insect product  - Shall be insect material produced from insects with 
crude protein of minimum 30% and below 50% on dry matter basis (DM). 
 
3.5 Defatted  insect product  – Shall be insect material presented as whole insect, meal, pellets or 
crumbs that has undergone additional processing to remove a portion of the fat content. 
 4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 
 
4.1 Insect products shall be within acceptable levels of   toxic substances and pathogenic micro-
organisms.             
  D KS 2711:2016  
4 4.2 Insect products shall be free from adulterants, extraneous material and objectionable odour. 
 4.3 Insect products shall be free from infestation and contamination from pests  
 
 5.0 Specific nutritional requirements for insect products  
 
Insect products shall also conform to the nutritional requirements prescribed in Table 1.   
Table 1: Nutritional requirements for different classes of dried insect products 
 
*Methods of test for animal feedstuffs  
 
 
  
6.0 Microbiological requirements 
 
Insect products shall conform to microbiological requirements as shown in Table 2.  
 Table 2— Microbiological limits 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
7.0  Heavy   metals and pesticide residues Heavy metal contaminants, drugs and pesticide residues, shall not exceed the limits established by the 
Codex Alimentarius  
 
 Parameters (%DM) Whole or ground 
insects  ( Low 
protein)   Whole or ground 
insects  ( High 
protein) Defatted insect meal Test 
method 
Moisture Content 
(max) 10 10 10 KS -63*
Crude protein (Low 
protein range) 30 - 49 50(min) 
 45(min) 
 “ 
Fat (max) 40 30 12 “ 
Fibre (max) 12 12 15 “ 
Total ash (max) 15 15 20 “ 
Acid insoluble ash 
(max) 4 4 4 “ 
Calcium (max) 5 5 5 “ 
Phosphorous (min) 0.6 0.6 0.6 “ 
Lysine (min) 1.0 2.4 1.0 “ 
Methionine (min) 0.4 0.7 0.4 KS -63 
Microorganism Max. limit (CFU/ml) Test method 
Total Viable Count (TVC) - KS 63  
Total Colifor m Count 500 KS ISO 4832 
Escherichia  coli (pathogenic) Nil KS ISO 16649 
Salmonellae sp  Nil KS ISO 6579      
  DKS 2711:2016 
 58.0  Aflatoxins 
             Total aflatoxin level shall not exceed 20ppb. 
 9.0  Packaging and Labelling 
  
9.1  Packaging   
  
9.1.1   Insect products for sale shall be packed in containers which are strong and sufficiently sealed so as 
to withstand reasonabl e handling without t earing, bursting or falling open  during normal handling and 
transportation. The containers shall be free from parasites and any disease causing agents. 
  9.1.2   Containers for insect products shall be clean and fr ee from visible indications of contamination.  
  
9.2 Labelling    — the packages shall be securely closed and marked with the following information: 
 
 
(i) Name and class of insect product; 
 
 
(ii) Net Weight of the product;  
(iii) The species of insect used; 
 (iv) Batch number; 
 
(v) Name and physical address of the manufacturer;  
(vi) Date of manufacture and expiry date; 
 
(vii) Nutrient declaration:-  Crude protein (%), Crude Fat (%) and Moisture content (%)  
 (viii) Instructions fo r storage and handling 
 
 
10. SAMPLING  
 
For the purpose of determining compliance with this standard, samples of insect products shall be collected from the market or elsewhere and shall be required to comply with all the requirements of this Kenya 
Standard.  
 
 
  
 
                                                 Annex 1(informative)     Potential species for production of insect products 
 
Insect products may be produced from Black Soldier Fly larvae and pupae ( Hermetia illucens ); Crickets 
adults and nymphs (Family Gryllidae); Blowfly/Housefly larvae and pupae (Calliphioridae/ Muscidae); 
Grasshopper adults and nymphs (Sub- order Caelifera); Silkworm pupae ( Bombyx  spp.); mealworm larvae 
and pupae ( Tenebrio  spp); Termite adults (Termitidae); Lakefly adult larvae and pupae (Chironomidae, 
Chaoboridae, Ephemeroptera),  cockroach adult and nymph (Blattelidae) among others.