DRAFT KENYA STANDARD             DKS 2841:2018  
                                                                                                               ICS 67.060  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Arrowroot ( Taro)  crisps  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
©KEBS  2018                              First Edition 2018 
  
 DKS 2841:2018  
   ii TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
 
The following organizations were represented on the National Technical Committee : 
University of Nairobi  
Agriculture and Food Authority - Food Cop directorate  
Kenya Agricultural  & Livestock Research Organization  
Kenya Industrial Research & Development Institute  
National Potato Council of Kenya  
Propack Ltd.  
Graduate Africa Ltd 
Mhogo foods Ltd  
Food Science and Technology platform of Kenya  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
 
 
 
 
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
 
In order to keep abreast with the progress in the industry, Kenya standards shall be regularly reviewed. 
Suggestions for improvement of published standards are welcome and should be addressed to the Managing 
Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
©Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2018 
 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 12 of 2001  of the Laws of Kenya, copyr ight subsists in 
all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Sect ion 26 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 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   iii  
 
 
  
 
 
 DKS 2841:2018  
   iv  
 
DRAFT KENY A STANDARD              DKS 2841:2018  
                       ICS 67.060 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Arrowroot ( Taro)  crisps  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENYA BUREAU OF STANDARDS (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) 23549, 22396        Tel.: (+254 051) 210553, 210555  
Fax: (+254 041) 229448    Fax: (+254 057) 21814               
 
  
   v Foreword  
 This Kenya Standard has been developed by the Tubers and Tuber Products Technical Committee under the 
guidance of the  Standards Projects Committee and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau 
of Standards.  
Arrowroots have become common foods in many households in Kenya  due to its nutritional value . Currently, 
processed arrowroot  crisps consumption  is on the rise . However, many processors who are largely small scale 
lack appropriate standards for uniformity and conformity.  In order to assure quality and consumer safety, it was 
necessary to develop a national standard for arrowroot crisp s. This first edit ion of t he standard  thus intends to 
safeguard the interests of the stakeholders in the entire value chain, guaran tee product quality and enhance  
safety of the consumers.   
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to:  
KSEAS 745 Potato crisps - specification  
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from these sources.  
 
 DRAFT KENYA STANDARD          DKS 2841:2018  
   1  
Arrowroot ( Taro)  crisps  — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
This draft Kenya  Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for crisps  
made from a rrowroots (Taro ) of edible  variety colocasia esculenta (L) Scott  
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:  
 
 EAS 35, Specification for edible (fortified) salt  
EAS 38, General standard for labeling of prepackaged foods  
EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manu facturing industry  
EAS 103, Schedule of permitted food additives  
ISO 3960 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of peroxide value  
EAS 321, Edible oils and fats —Specification  
EAS 748, Fresh potatoes — Specification  
EAS 98, Spices and condimen ts — Specification  
KS XXX Fresh arrowroots - specification  
AOAC 2013.06, Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury and Lead in foods  
KS ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms — 
Part 1: Colony count at 30 degrees  C by the pour plate technique  
KS ISO 5498 , Agricultural food products — Determination crude fibre Content -General method  
KS ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
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 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococc i (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique using Baird -
Parker agar medium  
KS ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal 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  
KS ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in produ cts with water activity less than or equal to 0,95  
ISO 874, Fresh fruits and vegetables — Sampling   
 
 DKS 2841:2018  
   2 3 terms and definitions  
 
3.1 arrowroot crisps  
thin slices of peeled and washed arrowroots deep -fried or baked until  crunchy  
3.2 food grade material  
mater ial which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, technological, and organoleptic qualities of the product  
3.3 rancidity  
 Unpleasant taste or odour in foods resulting from deterioration in the fat or oil portion of the food.  
3.4 blisters  
 Air/ fluid-filled and slightly sunken spots found on the surface of arrowroot.  
 
4 Requirements  
4.1 Raw materials  
The following materials shall be u sed in the processing of arrowroot crisps : 
a) arrowroot  conforming to relevant fresh arrowroot standard,  
b) edible oil or f at conforming to relevant East African Standards.  
 
In addition,  the following optional ingredients may be added:  
a) spices and condiments conforming to EAS 98; and  
b) edible salt conforming to EAS 35.  
 
4.2 General requirements   
a) Plain arrowroot crisps sh all be of a colour that is characteristic of the variety used . Where  additives are used, 
the colour shall be characteristic of the ingredients . 
b) arrowroot crisps  shall be f ree from off -flavour, rancidity and bitter  taste  
c) The arrowroot crisps  shall no t show any blisters or noticeable separation between the outer and  
the inner portions  or any other blemish.  
d) The arrowroot crisps  shall be crunchy or crispy and free from sogginess and excessive oil   
e) Arrowroot  crisps shall be free from foreign matter and any other adulterants  
 
4.3 specific  requirements  
4.3.1 The crisps shall be uniform in size and have a thickness of between 1.0 mm - 1.5 mm  
4.3.2 Arrowroots  crisps  shall not contain more than 10 % by mass of small pieces, slivers and irregular  
pieces.  
4.3.3 Packaged arrowroots  crisps shall have not more than 1 % of the crisps with the following defects:  
a) surface or internal pigmentation;  
b) blisters;  
c) callous area; and  
d) black specks and spots .         DKS 2841:2018  
 
   3 4.3.4  Arrowroot crisps  shall conform to the specified composition al requirements  in Table 1.  
 
Table 1 — Compositional requirements  for arrowroot crisps  
 
SL No.  Parameter  Limit  Test 
method  
i.  Moisture content, %, by 
mass, max.  5               
ISO 712  
ii.  Fat content on dry 
weight, %, max.  30 ISO 11085  
iii.  Free fa tty acids on dry 
weight basis, %, max.  0.5 EAS 321  
iv.  Sodium chloride (NaCl) on 
dry weight basis, %, max  1.5 EAS 35  
v.  Acid insoluble ash, %, by 
mass, maxa 0.05 KS EAS 82  
vi.  Peroxide value, mEq peroxide 
oxygen/kg oil, max.  
 10 ISO 3960  
a) % mass on dry matter  basis . 
 
5 Food additives  
Food additives may be used in the preparation of arrowroot  crisps in accordance with EAS 103.   
6 Hygiene  
6.1 Arrowroot crisps shall be prepared and handled in accordance with EAS 39.  
6.2 The product shall comply with microbiolo gical limits given in Table 2 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein  
 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for arrowroot crisps S/No.  
s/no Micro -organism  Maximum limit  Test method  
 
ii.  
 Escherichia coli per 
1 g  Absent  ISO 1664 9-1  
 
iii.  
 Salmonella per 25 
g  Absent  ISO 6579  
 
iv.  
 Yeast and moulds 
cfu/g  103  ISO 21527 -2 
 
v.  Staphylococcus 
aureus per 25 g  Absent  ISO 6888 -1  DKS 2841:2018  
   4  
 
 
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Heavy metals  
Arrowroot crisps  shall comply with limits for heavy metals e stablished by the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
as given in Table 3 when tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein  
 
Table 3 — Heavy metals limits for Arrowroot crisps  
 
 Heavy metal  Limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
 
i.  
 Arsenic (As)  0.1  AOAC 952.13  
 
ii.  
 Lead (Pb)  0.2  ISO 6633  
 
iii.  
 Cadmium (Cd)  0.1  ISO 6561 -1/2  
 
6.2 Other contaminants  
Arrowroot  crisps shall comply with the maximum levels of the Codex General Standard for  
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193 ). 
 
8 Packaging  
Arrowroot  crisps shall be packaged in food grade material which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional,  
and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
The packaging materials shall comply with the environmental legislation of the destination country,  
 
9 Weights and measures  
Arrowroot  crisps shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and Measures requirements  
 
10 Labelling  
10.1 In addition to the requirements of EAS 38, the following specific labelling requirements shall  
apply and shall be legibly and indelibly marked  
a)  name of the product ‘ Arrowroot  crisps’;  
b) name, and physical address of the manufacturer/ distributor and /or trade name/ brand name ;  
c) if spiced they shall be labelled ‘Spiced Arrowroot  Crisps’;  
d) date of manufactur e; 
e) list of ingredients  
f) lot identification          DKS 2841:2018  
 
   5 g) best before date ;  
h) country of origin  
i) the net weight  
j) storage instruction  
k) declaration of flavouring agent or spice used  
l) instructions on disposal of used package.  
m) nutritional information  
 
10.2 When labelling non -retail packages, information shall either be given on  
the packages or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identification  
and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the packag es. 
 
11 Methods of test  
The product covered by this standard shall be tested in accordance with the methods of test indicated  
in the relevant clauses of this standard.