DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD
 DEAS 828 :2014 
ICS 67.120. 30 
 
© EAC 2014 First Edition 2014  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
 
Dried and salted dried  fish — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2014 — All rights reserved  1  
Foreword  
 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing 
requirements governing quality of products and services in East Africa. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers which are encountered when goods and services are 
exchanged within the Community will be removed.  
 
In order to meet the above objectives, the EAC Partner States have enacted an East African 
Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology and Test Act, 2006 (EAC SQMT Act, 2006) to make 
provisions for ensuring standardization, quality assurance, metrology and testing of products 
produced or originating in a third country and traded in the Community in order to facilitate industrial 
development and trade as well as helping to protect the health and safety of society and the 
environment in the Community . 
 
East African Standards are formulated in accordance with the procedures established by the East 
African Standards Committee. The East African Standards Committee is established under the 
provisions of Article 4 of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006. The Committee is composed of representatives o f 
the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the private 
sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders 
through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner States. The comments received are discussed 
and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures of the 
Community.  
 
Article 15(1) of the EAC SQMT Act, 2006 provides that “Within six months of the declaration of an 
East African Standard, the Partner States shall adopt, without deviation from the approved text of the 
standard, the East African Standard as a national standard and withdraw any existing national 
standard with similar scope and purpose”.  
 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the 
East African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of 
the standards they are implementing.  
 
© East African Community 201 0 —All rights reserved* 
East African Community  
P O Box 1096  
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8 
Fax: 255- 27-2504481/2504255 
E-Mail: eac@eachq.org  
Web: www.each.int 
                                                           
* 2010 EAC — All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for EAC Partner States’ NSBs. 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2014 — All rights reserved  2  
 
Dried and salted dried fish — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope 
 
This draft standard specifies the requirements and the methods of sampling and test for various types 
of dried and salted dried fish. This standard does not apply for Rastrineobola argentea species and 
smoked fish . 
 
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. 
 
CODEX STAN 192 , General standard for food additives  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry ― Code of practice 
CAC/RCP 52[CD/K/521:2010] , Code of practice for fish and fishery products  
 
EAS 12,  Drinking (potable water) — Specification  
 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre-packaged foods — Specification 
 
EAS 103, Schedule for permitted food additives  
 
ISO 483 3, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
microorganisms — Colony-count technique at 30 degrees C  
 
ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of 
Salmonella spp.  
 
ISO 6888- 1, 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  
 
ISO 6888- 2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 2: Technique 
using rabbit plasma fibrinogen agar medium  
 
ISO 6888- 3, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 3: Detection 
and MPN technique for low numbers  
 
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique 
 
ISO 11290- 2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection 
and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes — Part 2: Enumeration method 
 
ISO 7937, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
Clostridium perfringens — Colony-count technique 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2014 — All rights reserved  3 ISO 270 85, Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, 
potassium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadmium by I CP-
AES 
 
ISO 16050,  Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B 1, and the total content of aflatoxin B 1, B2, G 1 
and G 2 in cereals, nuts and derived products  — High performance liquid chromatographic method 
 
ISO 6496, Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content 
 
ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid 
 
ISO 21527-1,  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of yeasts and moulds -- Part 1: Colony count technique in products wit h water activity greater than 0. 9 
 
AOAC 990.04, Mercury (Methyl) in seafood by liquid chromatography-atomic absorption spectroscopy 
(LC-AAS) 
 
AOAC 977.15/974.14, Mercury in fish by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS 
 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purpose of this standard the following terms and definitions shall apply; 
 
3.1  
dry salting (kench curing) 
process of mixing fish with suitable food grade salt and stacking the fish in such a manner that the 
excess of the resulting brine drains away 
 
3.2  
wet salting (pickling) 
process whereby fish is mixed with suitable food grade salt and stored in water-tight containers under 
the resultant brine (pickle) which forms by solution of salt in the water extracted from the fish tissue. 
The fish is subsequently removed from the container and stacked so that the brine drains away 
 
3.3  
split fish 
fish split and with approximately the anterior two-thirds of the backbone removed 
 
3.4  
split fish with entire backbone 
fish split with the whole of the backbone intact 
 
3.5 
fillets 
fish split and divided longitudinally into two parts and with fins, fin bones, tail and the whole of the 
backbone removed 
 
3.6  
cuts 
split fish or fillets cut up transversely into fairly regular pieces 
 
3.7  
Food grade material 
packaging material, made of substances which are safe and suitable for their intended use and which 
will not impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or flavour to the product 
 
 
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2014 — All rights reserved  4 3.8  
Sound  
free from physiological deterioration or adulteration/contamination, that appreciably affects their 
appearance, edibility and the keeping quality of the dried fish  
3.9  
foreign matter 
any material which is not of fish origin  e.g. sand, stones, metallic chips, plant parts etc 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirements 
Dried and salted dried fish shall :  
-  be obtained from fish which has been gutted/ungutted with or without-beheading, splitting or filleting  
-  have characteristics colour of the skin and flesh shall not show any evidence of halophilic mould 
(dun) nor visible evidence of red, halophilic bacteria (pink). 
-be free from visible fungal, insect or mite infestation. 
-be presented, with or without the black membrane (belly lining), scaled or unscaled, 
-  use the salt that comply with the requirements of EAS 35. 
- when tested as per annex A the level of histamine in species with high levels of histidine such as 
scromboids shall not exceed 20ppm 
- the characteristic odour of the dried and salted dried fish  
- be free from artificial colouring matter and firming agents except common salt.  
 
4.2 Specific requirements 
Dried and salted dried fish shall comply with those specific requirements stipulated under table 1. 
 
      Table 1- Chemical requirements for dried and salted dried fish 
 
S/N Parameter  requirements  Test  methods  
  Dried fish  Dried 
salted  
fish  
i Moisture, %, max.  14 30 ISO 6496  
ii Sodium chloride, 
% by weight on 
moisture free  
basis, max  5 30  
iii Acid insoluble 
ash, %, max.  0.5 0.5 ISO 5985  
  
 
5. Hygiene 
 
The product covered by the provisions of this standard shall be prepared and handled in accordance 
with, EAS 39 and shall comply with microbiological limits given in table 2. 
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for dried and salted dried fish  
 
S/No.  Type of microorganism  Maximum  
limit Method of test  
i Salmonella  in 25 g  Absent  ISO 6579  
ii E. coli per g  Absent  ISO 7251  
iii Staphylococcus aureus per 10 g cfu  10 2 ISO 6888  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2014 — All rights reserved  5 iv Total viable count cfu 105/g ISO 4833  
v Vibrio spp  cfu Absent  ISO 21872  
   vi Yeast and mould    102 
 ISO 21527 -1 
                                          
 
6. Contaminant limits 
 
Dried and salted dried fish shall comply with the contaminant limits given in table 3. 
 
Table 3 — Contaminant limits for dried and salted dried fish 
 
S/NO  Type of contaminant  Maximum limit  
(mg/kg)  Method s of test  
i Arsenic  0.1 ISO 27085  
ii Mercury  0.5 AOAC 977.15/974.14  
iii Lead  0.3 ISO 27085  
iv Cadmium  0.3 ISO 27085  
v Methyl mercury  0.5 AOAC 990.04  
 
7.  Food additive  
 
Permitted food additives may be used in the processing of dried and salted dried fish in accordance 
with CODEX STAN192. 
 
8. Weight and measures 
 
The fill and the weight of the product shall comply with Weight and Measures regulations of Partner 
States or equivalent legislation . 
 
9. Packaging and labelling 
 
9.1 Packaging 
 
9.1.1 Dried and salted dried fish shall be packaged in food grade containers which will safeguard the 
hygienic, nutritional, and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
9.1.2 The containers, including packaging material, shall be made of substances which are safe and 
suitable for their intended use. They shall not impart any toxic substance or undesirable odour or 
flavour to the produc t. 
 
9.2 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements in EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall apply and 
shall be legibly and indelibly marked: 
(i) Name of the product shall be “dried or salted dried fish”  
 
(ii) Name and physical address of processor/packer. 
 
(iii) Net weight in grams or kilograms. 
 
(iv)       Date of packaging. 
 
(v) Batch or code number. 
 
(vi) Expiry date. DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2014 — All rights reserved  6  
(vii) Storage conditions. 
 
Viii) Instruction for use 
 
(ix) Country of origin’  
 
 
10 Method of sampling and test 
 
Sampling and tests shall be done as per test methods described in respective tableDRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD    
    DEAS 828:2014 
© EAC 2010 — All rights reserved