DEAS 973 - 1: 2023  
ICS 65.120  
 
© EAC 2023                                                                                                                               xxx Edition 2023   
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Compounded fish feed  — Specification  – Part 1: Tilapia and catfish  feeds  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 973 - 1: 2023  
ii © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 973 - 1: 2023  
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normat ive re ferences  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 Genera l quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  2 
4.2 Specific requirements for compounded fish feed  ................................ ................................ .............  3 
5 Feed a dditives and provisions related to t heir u se ................................ ................................ ...........  5 
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
6.1 Aflatoxins  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
6.2 Pesticide resid ues ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 6 
6.3 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  6 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  6 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
9 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  7 
Annex  A (informative)  Description of common feedstuffs  ................................ ................................ ...........  8 
Annex B (informative)  Nutrient composit ion of common feed ingredients  ................................ ..............  11 
Annex  C (informative)  Micronutrients requirements for fish  ................................ ................................ ...... 13 
C.1 Micronutrients requirements  for tilapia  ................................ ................................ ............................  13 
C.2 Micronutrients requirements for catfish  ................................ ................................ ...........................  14 
Annex  D (normat ive)  Recommen ded ad ditives used in fish feed  ................................ ..............................  15 
D.1 Requirements for antioxidants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  15 
D.2 Requirements for emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickener s and gelling agents  ................................ .... 15 
D.2.1  General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  15 
D.2.2  Name or description  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  15 
D.2.3  Sucrose esters or fatty acids  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  16 
D.3 Requirements for binders, anti -caking agents and coagulants  ................................ .....................  16 
D.3.1  General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  16 
D.3.2  Name or description  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  17 
D.4 Requirements for aromatic and appetising substances  ................................ ................................ . 17 
 
 DEAS 973 - 1: 2023  
iv © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 Forew ord 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East Af rican Communi ty. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers t hat ar e encountered when goods and s ervices are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC) mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of rep resentatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the commu nity.  
East A frican Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are represen tative  of key 
stakeholders including  government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated t o stakeholder s through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments r eceive d are discussed and incorporat ed before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African S tandards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Use rs of the East 
African Standards are  therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The commi ttee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 001, Animal feeding, feeds 
and f eeding  stuffs . . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC sh all not be held responsible for identifyin g any or all such patent rights.  
 DEAS 973 - 1: 2023  
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed v 
 Introduction  
Fish feeds are essential for semi-intensive and intensive aquacul ture farming systems. Fish nutrition has 
therefore become one of the most important subjects in aquaculture. Aquaculture nutrition and feeding is 
concerned with the supply of dietary nutrients to fish either directly in the fo rm of an exogenous ‘artificial ’ diet 
or indirectly throug h the increased production of natural live food organisms within the water body in which the 
fish are cultured. Natu ral food organisms, play a crucial role in the nutrition of fish within exten sive a nd 
semiintensive pond culture systems. In the intensive c ulture systems, with high stocking density natural food 
organisms play little or no role in the nutrition of the far med species. The nutrition and feeding of fish within 
each culture system mus t be considered as being unique and evaluated on its own merits .  
Additionally, the nutrient requirements for fish feeds will inevitably vary between omnivorous and carnivorous 
fish. Omnivorous fish will eat almost anything from vegetable and plant matter,  insec ts, crustaceans and meat 
prote ins while carnivorous fish eat meat only.  
Feeds may be produced by mixing various feeding stuffs or ingredients which may themselves vary in 
composition. The choice of raw material mixtures will depend on locality, seas on and  availability, economics 
and t he quality of the product. The chemical composition of feedstuffs plays an important role in the 
formulation of balanced and economical rations  for various classes of animals. This is only possible when 
exact knowledge o f the chemical composition of feedst uffs is available. Studies on the nutritive value of feed 
stuffs available in the East African region show differences between analytical value s. 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 973 - 1:2023  
 
© EAC 2023  – All righ ts reserved  1 
 Compounded fish feed  — Specification  – Part 1: Tilapia and catfish  feeds  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, meth od of sampling and test for compounded fish 
feed for tilapia and catfish  feeds .  
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way tha t some or a ll of th eir conten t 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.  
ISO 5983 -1, Animal fee ding st uffs — Determination o f nitrogen content and calculation of crude protein 
content — Part 1: Kjeldahl metho d  
ISO 6490 -1, Animal  feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium content — Part 1: Titrimetric method  
ISO 6491, Animal feeding stuffs — Determi nation of p hosphorus content — Spectrometric method   
ISO 6492, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of fat conte nt  
ISO 6496, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content  
ISO 6497, Animal feeding stuffs — Sampling  
ISO 6865, Animal feeding stuf fs — Determination of crude fibre  content — Method with intermediate 
filtration  
ISO 9831, Animal feeding stuffs, animal products, and faeces or urine — Determination of gross calorific 
value — Bomb calorimeter method  
ISO 1390 3, Animal f eeding stuffs — Determination of amino acids conten t  
ISO 14718, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination  of aflatoxin B 1 content of mixed feeding stuffs — Method 
using high -performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 17375, Animal feeding stuffs — Dete rmination o f aflatoxin B 1 
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following term s and def initions apply.  
3.1   
fish meal  
commercial product made from fish, bones, and offal from processed fish   
2 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 3.2   
fry  
stage of fish growth from yolk sac up  to 1 g to 2 g  
3.3   
fingerling  
stage  of fish growth from 2 g to 10 g   
3.4   
juvenile  
stage of fish growt h from the time the fish morphologically resembles the adult (10 to 25 grams)   
3.5  
adult   
stage of fish growth from 25 g to market weight  
3.6  
starter feed  
feed designed to provide nutritional requirements for fry and fingerlings fis h   
3.7  
grower fe ed  
feed designed to provide nutritional requirements for juvenile fish   
3.8  
finisher feed  
feed designed to provide nutritional requirements for a dult fish   
3.9  
brood stock feed  
feed designed to provide nutritional requirements for fish meant for rep roduction  
3.10 
compounded feed  
mixture of at least two feed materials , whether or not containing feed additives , for oral animal feeding in the 
form of a complementary feed  or a complete feed  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General quality requirem ents  
4.1.1  All in gredients and raw mate rials shall not be decomposed or deteriorated and shall comply with 
the relevant East African standards. The common feed stuffs  described in An nex A and their nutrient 
composition provided in Annex B may be used for purposes of formul ating compounded fish feeds.  
4.1.2  Ingredients of animal origin shall be sterilised before use.   
4.1.3  Where soy bean meal is used it shall have be en subjected to adequate heat treatment t o reduce the  
activity of trypsin inhibitor   
4.1.4 Vitamin prepar ations added to feed s hall be in stabilised form.  
4.1.5    
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 3 
 Urea or any other  non protein  nitrogen  substances shall not be added to or included in any f ish feed except  
such true protein and amino acids as required in this standard  
4.1.6  Fish feed shall be either in the form of a meal, flakes, crumbs or pellets.   
4.1.7  If the feed is i n the form of pellet, the pellet s shall be of the following size and fl oating time as given 
in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Pellets size and floating ti me for fish feed  
S/N Parameter  Starter feed  Grower 
feed  Finishe r feed  Brood stock  feed 
 Tilapia  
i. Pellet si ze(mm) 
max. 2 5  6 5 
 Catfish  
ii. Pellet size(mm) , 
max 2.5 5  6 5 
 Duration of pellet floating in water  
iii. Floating time   
(minutes -
minimum)  2 2  2 2 
4.1.8   Compounded fish feeds sha ll:  
a) be free from harmful levels of substances such as metallic o bjects, and adulterants.  
b) be free from fungi, pa thogenic microorganism s or insect infestation.  
c) not be musty, rancid and shall not have any objectionable odours.   
4.2 Specific requirements f or comp ounded fish feed  
4.2.1  The level of free  fatty acids in fe eds should not exceed 15 % of the crude fat cont ent at the time of 
manufacture.  
4.2.2  Compounded fish feed shall meet the requirements of the nutrients and digestible energy in Table 2 
and Ta ble 3. Compounded fish feed may contain additio nal micronutrients  and when added shall comply with 
the limits pro vided in Annex C.   
4 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 Table 2 — Specific  nutritional requirements for compounded tilapia feed   
S/N  Parameter  Starter 
feed  Grower 
feed  Finishe r 
feed  Brood stock 
feed  Test method    
i.  Moisture content o f pellets, %, 
max.  10  10  10  10  ISO 6496  
ii.  Crude protein, %, m in.  35  30  25  35  ISO 5983 -1  
iii.  Energy (DE) Kcal/Kg, min.  2 500  2 750  2 900  2 800  ISO 9831  
iv.  Lysine, %,  min.  2.1  1.7  1.7  1.7    
ISO 13903  
v.  Methionine, %, min.   0.9  0.8  0.8  0.8  
vi.  Methionine + cystein e, %, min.  1.4  1.1  1.1  1.1  
vii.  Crude fibre, %, max.  5  10  10  10  ISO 6865  
viii . Crude fat, %   5 - 8  5 - 12  5 - 12 5 - 12 ISO 6492  
ix.  Calcium, %,   1.0 - 2.5  1.0 - 2.5  1.0 - 2.5  1.0 - 2.5  ISO 6490 -1  
x.  Phosphorus, %  0.6 - 2.0  0.6 - 2.0  0.6 - 2.0  0.6 - 2.0  ISO 6491  
xi.  Sodium chloride, %   0.25 - 0.4  0.25 - 0.4  0.25 - 0.4  0.25 - 0.4  ISO 6495  
 
Table 3 — Specific  nutritional requirements for compounded catfish feeds  
S/N  Parameter  Starter feed  Grower feed   Finisher 
feed  Brood 
stock feed   Test m ethod  
i.  Moistu re content of pellets, %, 
max.   10  10  10  10  ISO 6 496  
ii.  Crude protein, %, min.  45  35  30  35  ISO 5983 -1  
iii.  Energy (DE) Kcal/Kg, min.  3 000  3 000  3 000  3 000  ISO 9831  
iv.  Lysine, %, min.  2.1  1.7  1.7  1.7    
ISO 13903  
v.  Methio nine, %, min.  0.9  0.8  0.8  0.8  
vi.  Methionine+c ysteine, %, min.  1.4  1.1  1.1  1.1  
vii.  Crude fibre, %, max.  5  10  10  10  ISO 6865  
viii.  Crude fat, %   5 -12  5 - 15  5 -15  5 - 15  ISO 6492  
ix.  Calcium, %  1.0 - 2.5  1.0 - 2.5  1.0 - 2.5  1.0 - 2.5  ISO 6490 -1  
x.  Phosphorus, %  0.6 - 2.0  0.6 - 2.0  0.6 - 2.0  0.6 - 2.0  ISO 6491   
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 5 
  
5 Feed additives and provisions related to their use  
5.1 Additives in the following categori es may be used  in fish feeds and if used,  they shall comply  with the 
requirements given in Annex D.   
a) antioxidant s;  
b) colourants;   
c) emulsifiers;   
d) stabilisers;   
e) thickeners and gelling agents;   
f) binders;   
g) anti-caking agents and coagulants;   
h) aromatic and a ppetising substances;  
i) enzymes; a nd   
j) preservatives.  
NOTE  Materials intended for mixing with animal feed as addi tives for use as feeding stuffs should specify the kind of 
and, if appropriate the age group  of the animal for which the feed is intended. In a ddition the quantity in grams per  
kilogra m (or percent by w eight) of the complete feed which conform to the provi sions of this standard should be stated in 
the label.  
5.2 No antibiotic, hormone substance,  drug or mineral shall be added to or included in a  feed other than 
such ingredients  require d to satisfy this standard and approved by World organization for animal  health (OIE).  
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Aflatoxins    
Fish feeds shall comply with the maximum a flatoxin requirements stated in the Table 4 when te sted in 
accordance with the metho ds speci fied therein.  
Table 4 — Maximum tolerable limits for aflatoxin  
S/N  Aflatoxin  Type of fish feed  Maximum limit, 
µg/kg  Test method  
i.  Total aflatoxin   Starter feed, grower feed, 
finisher feed, brood stock fee d  20  ISO 16050  
ii.  Aflatoxin  B1  Starter feed, gro wer feed, 
finisher feed, brood stock feed  10  ISO 14718  
ISO 17375   
6 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 6.2 Pesticide residues  
Fish feeds shall comply with th ose maximum pesticide residue limits e stablished by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission for the ingredient used  in fish feed.  
6.3 Heavy metals  
Fish feeds shall comply with the limits of heavy metals as specified in the Table 5 when tested in accordance 
with the methods specified therein.  
Table 5 — Heavy metal limits for fish feeds  
S/N  Heavy metal  Maximum limi t, 
mg/kg  Test method  
i.  Arsenic   2.0    
ISO 27085  
  ii.  Lead   5.0  
iii.  Cadmium   1.0  
iv.  Mercury   0.1  
7 Packaging  
Fish feeds for sale shall be packaged in suitable  containers that a re of sufficient strength, and sufficiently 
sealed so  as to withstand reasonable handling without tearing, bursting or falling open. The containers shall 
be clean and not previously used.  
8 Labelling   
Each package of compounded fish feed  shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the following:  
a) name of t he feed for example “tilapia grower feed” or “catfish finisher feed”;  
b) name and physical address  of the manufacturer;  
c) declared propor tions of cru de protein, crude fibre, crude fat, ph osphorus, calcium,  ,lysine, and 
methionine;  
d) additives if included shal l be declared;  
e) net weight in metric units;  
f) directions for use;  
g) information about the species or category of animals for which the fe ed is intend ed;  
h) floating pellets feeds shall be l abelled as “floati ng feeds”;  
i) batch number/ lot identification;  
j) manufa cturing date;  
k) storage instructions; and   
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 7 
 l) expiry date.  
9 Sampling  
Representative samples shall be drawn in accordance with ISO 6497.   
8 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 Annex  A 
(informative)  
 
Description of common feeds tuffs  
Product   Description  Main nutritional constituent  
1. Alfalfa meal    Alfalfa as grown, dried and processed, and to which no 
other matter has been added  Crude protein, crude fibre  
2. Barley meal   The meal o btained by grinding barley, as grown, which 
shall be the  whole grain together only with such other 
substances  as may reasonably be expected to have 
become associated with the grain in the field.  Crude protein, crude fibre  
3. Bean meal   The meal obtaine d by grinding commercially pure 
legumi nous beans (other than soya bean).  Crude protein, crude fibre  
4. Blo od m eal   The meal has been dried out to which no other matter has 
been added  Crude protein  
5. Bone meal   Commercially pure steamed bone, raw o r degreased, 
which has been ground or crushed and which contains 
phosphorus not less than 4.5% phosphorus.  Crude protein, phosphorus, calcium  
6.  Brewery  and  
grains  distillery  The product obtained by drying the residue from 
distillery mash -tube, and  to which no other matter has 
been add ed  Crude fibre, c rude protein  
7. Cassava, dried   The dried root of the species Manihot esculenta   starch     
8. Clover meal   Clover as grown, dried and processed and to which no 
other matter has been added  Crude  protein, crude fibre  
9. Coconut cak e   The residue re sulting after part removal of oil and of 
cortex from comm ercially pure coconut kernels  Crude protein crude fibre  
10. Cotton seed cake   The residue resulting after part removal of oil and of 
cortex  from commercially pure cotton seed  Crude protein, crud e fibre  
11. Sorghum meal   The meal obtained by gri nding sorghum as grown which 
shall be the whole grain together only with such 
substances as may reasonably be expected to have 
become associated wi th the grain in the field.  Crude prot ein, crude fibre, starch   
12. Fish meal   A product, which may contai n an added antioxidant but 
to which no other matter has been added, obtained by 
drying and grinding or otherwise treating fish or fish 
waste.  Crud e protein, oil, total ash   
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 9 
 13. Grass,  meal   Any produc t which,  
(i) is obtained by artificially drying any of t he following: grass, 
clover, lucerne, green cereal, or any mixture consisting 
of any of them, and  
(ii) is otherwise as grown (that is to say including any 
growths harvested there with but w ith no o ther 
subst ance added thereto), and contains not less than 13 
% crude protein calculated on the assumption that it 
contain 10 % moisture.  Crude protein, crude fibre  
14. Groundnut cake   The residue resulting after part removal of oil and part of 
non-removal of cor tex from commercially pure 
groundnuts  Crude protein,   
Oil, crude fibre  
 
Product  Description  Main nutritional constituent  
15. Maize  Maize kernel or crushed maize kernel as grown for 
commercial purposes  Crude protein, starch   
16. Maize germ meal  Consisting mainly of embryo of kernel not less than 1 0  
% oil, and not more than 5 % ash  Crude protein, starch   
17. Maize and cob meal  Ground maize on the cob  Crude protein, oil, crude fibre  
18. Maize meal  Milled whole maize  Crud e protein, oil, st arch   
19. Maize gluten meal  A by-product resulting  from removal of a bran starch and 
germ from maize  Crude protein,  oil,   
20. Meat and bone meal  A product, which may contain an added antioxida nt but 
to which no other matter has be en added, containi ng not 
less than 65 % protein, obtained by drying and  grinding 
animal carcasses of portions thereof but excluding hair, 
have been preliminarily treated f or the removal of fat  Crude protein,  oil,   
21. Milk powder / milk replacer  Dried milk from which a substantial amount of fat has 
been removed and to whic h no other substan ce is 
added  Crude protein  
22. Millet  Finger millet of the species Eleusine coracana   Crude protein, orude fibre, starch  
23. Mineral mixtu re  
Mixture of substanc es used whether in  the form powder 
or licks and purporting to be essenti al for livestock  Percent of the mineral and trace elements  
24. Molasses  A concentrated syrup product obtained in the 
manufacture of sugar from sugar cane to which no other 
matter h as been added  Sugar as sucrose  
25. Oats, ground  The product obtained  by grinding comme rcially pure oats  Crude protein, crude fibre  
26. Pea meal  The meal obtained by grinding or crushing commercially 
pure peas including pods  Crude protein, crude fi bre  
27. Rice bra n  The outside husk or rice kernel to which no other m atter 
has been add ed  Crude protein, crude fibre, oil, starch   
10 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 28. Rice meal  The product obtained by grinding commercially pure rice 
after the removal of hulls  and to which no other 
substance is added   Crude fibre,  crude protein, oil, starch  
29. Rice polishings  The pr oduct obtained when polishing kernels after the 
removal of hulls and bran  Crude protein, oil, crude fibre, starch  
30. Sesame cake  The resid ue resulting after the part removal of oi l from 
commercially pure simsim kernels  Crude protein , oil,  crude fibr e  
31. Soya bean meal  The residue resulting after the part removal of oil from 
commercially pure soya bean seeds  Crude protein, oil,  crude fibre  
32. Sweet potat oes  The dried tub ers of the species Ipomea batatas   Crude protein, crud e fibre, starch  
33. Wheat meal  The meal obtained by grinding commercially pure wheat 
as grown and to which no other substance has been 
added  Crude protein, c rude fibre, starch  
34. wheat bran  Outs ide husk of what kernel to which no other matter was 
added  Crude protei n, crude fibre, starch  
35. Wheat pollard  A by -product of wheat separated during production of 
flour not mentioned otherwise in this schedule  
containing not more th an 4 % of other th an wheat 
vegetable substances  Crude protein, crude fi bre, starch  
36. Yeast dried  The product obtained by drying of yeast or yeast  
residues, and to which no other matter has been added.  Crude protein  
  
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 11 
 Annex  B 
(informative)  
 
Nutrient composition of commo n feed ingredients  
Ingredients  DM%  CP%  CF%  Ca%  P%  ME  
Kcal/kg  Lysine 
%  Methionin 
e %  
Maize  88  8  12  0.17  0.55  3000  0.53  0.29  
Maize bran  88  9.4  13  0.04  1.03  2200  0.18  0.21  
Maize/cob meal  88  7  8  -  0.30  -  -  -  
Rice bran  88  13.5  6.5  0.06  1.43  3000  0.5  0.22  
Cassava meal  88  2.8  4.0  0.3  0.05  3000  -  -  
Molasses  75  3.0  -  0.75  0.08  2330  -  -  
Millet  88  10.5  2.0  0.05  0.40  1392  0.2  0.27  
Sorgh um  88  9.0  2.1  0.03  0.28  3250  0.2  0.12  
Fish m eal  88  60.0  1.0  4.37  2.53  2310  4.08  1.70  
Blood meal  92  72.9  1.7  0.28  0.22  1177  7.0  0.9  
Cotton seed cake  88  40.0  14  0.20  1.20  968  1.6  0.52  
Soya bean meal  88  43.0  6  0.53  0.64  2800  2.84  0.65  
Limestone  98  -  -  38.0  -  -  -  -  
Oyster  shells  98  -  -  35.0  -  -  -  -  
Wheat pollard  98  15.0  -  -  -  -  0.60  0.35  
Wheat bran  91.4  15.0  12.5  -  1.20  -  0.60  0.35  
Sunflower cake  92  35.0  26.7  -  -  -  1.80  1.20  
Groundnut cake  93  40.0  7.3  -  -  -  2.00  1.80  
Rice p olishings  92.5  12.0  4.2  -  -  -  4.0  0.40  
Bone meal  94  24  1.5            
Dicalcium 
phosphate  -  -  -  24  18  -  -  -  
Tricalcium 
phosphate  -  -  -  38  19  -  -  -   
12 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 Meat meal  -  60.0  -  -  -  -  0.50  1.0  
Alfalfa hay  87.5  18.9  33.1  -  -  -  -  -  
Sugarcane 
bagasse  90.5  1.7  50.3  -  -  -  -  -  
Sesame cake  93  36.1  6.7  -  -  -  -  -  
Sugarcane tops  33.5  6.2  29.5  -  -  -  -  -  
Whey  90  13.0  1.3  0.97  0.76  3100  -  0.2  
  
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 13 
 Annex  C 
(informative)  
 
Micronutrients requirements for fish  
C.1 Micronutrients requirements for tilapia  
S/N  Parameter  Starter 
feed  Grower 
feed  Finisher 
feed  Brooder 
feed  
i)  Vitamin A IU/Kg  3000  1500  3000  3000  
ii)  Thiamine mg/Kg  18  9  18  18  
iii)  Copper mg/Kg  6  3  6  6  
iv)  Zinc mg/Kg  100  50  100  100  
v)  Manganese mg/Kg  50  25  50  50  
vi)  Iodine mg/Kg  6  3  6  6  
vii)  Iron mg/Kg   60  30  60  60  
viii)  Vitamin B 12  mg/Kg  0.015  0.0075  0.015  0.015  
ix)  Vitamin A  IU/Kg  3000  1500  3000  3000  
x)  Vitamin D IU/Kg  1500  750  1500  1500  
xi)  Choline mg/Kg  1200  600  1200  1200  
xii)  Vitamin E mg/Kg   120  60  120  120  
xiii)  Riboflavin m g/Kg  24  12  24  24  
xiv)  Pyridoxine mg/Kg  18  9  18  18  
xv)  Pantothenic mg/Kg  48  24  48  48  
xvi)  Biotin mg/Kg  0.2  0.1  0.2  0.2  
xvii) Ascorbic acid mg/Kg   300  150  300  300  
xviii ) Institol mg/K g  150  75  150  150  
xix)  Thiamine mg/ Kg  18  9  18  18   
14 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 C.2 Micronutrients requirements fo r catfish  
S/N  Parameter  Starter 
feed  Grower 
feed  Finisher feed  Brooder feed  
i)  Vitamin A IU/Kg, min  900  900  900  900  
ii)  Ascorbic acid mg/Kg, min  60  60  60  60  
iii)  Copper mg/Kg  4.8  4.8  4.8  4.8  
iv)  Zinc mg/Kg  20  20  20  20  
v)  Manganese mg/Kg  2.4  2.4  2.4  2.4  
vi)  Iron mg/Kg  20  20  20  20  
vii)  Vitamin A IU/Kg  900  900  900  900  
viii)  Vitamin D IU/Kg  220  220  220  220  
ix)  Choline mg/Kg  400  400  400  400  
x)  Vitamin E mg/Kg  23  23  23  23  
xi)  Niacin mg /kg  14  14  14  14  
xii)  Riboflavin mg/Kg  9  9  9  9  
xiii)  Pyridoxine mg/Kg  3  3  3  3  
xiv)  Pantothenic mg/Kg  15  15  15  15  
xv)  Ascorbic acid mg/ Kg   60  60  60  60  
xvi)  Thiamine mg/K g  1  1  1  1  
  
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 15 
 Annex  D 
(normative)  
 
Recommended additives used in fish feed  
D.1 Requirements for antioxidants  
No feeds shall contain any added antioxidant other t han an antioxidant of a  name or descripti on specified in 
the first column of the table below or  any other antioxi dant as shall be approved by OIE. Where an antioxidant 
is added should not exceed the maxim um content, if any, specified in the second column o f the Table D.1.  
Table  D.1 — Requirement s for antioxidants   
Name or description  Maximum conte nt in complete fee d stuff,  
mg/kg  
L-Ascorbic acid  
Sodium L -ascorbate  
Calcium di (L -ascorbate)  
5,6-Diacetyl -L-ascorbic acid  
6-Palmitoyl -L-ascorbic acid  
Tocopherol -rich extracts o f a natural origin   
Synthetic alpha -tocopherol  
Synthetic gamma -tocopher ol  
Synthetic delt a-tocopherol  GMP  
Propyl gallate  
Octyl gallate  
Dodecyl gallate  100, singly or in combination  
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)  150  
D.2 Requirements for emulsif iers, stabilisers,  thickeners and gelling agents  
D.2.1  General  
Fish fe eds shall contain no added emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener or gelling agent other than an emulsifier, 
stabiliser, thickener or gelling agent of a name or descr iption, specified in D. 2.2 and D.2.3 or a ny other 
emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener or g elling agent as shall be approved by OIE.   
D.2.2  Name or description  
Lecithins; Alginic acid; Sodium alginate; Potassium alginate; Ammonium alginate Calcium alginate;   
Prophylene glycol alg inate (propane - 1,1-diol alginate) Agar; Carrageenan; Furcellaran ; Locus t bean gum 
(carob gum); Tamarind seed flour Gurar gum (gua flour); Tragacanth; Acacia (gum Arabic); Zanthan gum; 
Dglucitol (sorbitol); mannitol; Glycerol; Pectin s; microcrystalline cel lulose; Methylcell ulose; Ethylcellulose;  
16 © EAC  2023  – All right s reserved  
 Hydroxylpropyl cellulose ;Hydorx yprophylmethylcell ulose; Ethylmethlcellulose; Carboxymethylcellulose;sodium 
salt; Sodium, potassium and calcium salts or edible fatty acids alone or in mixtures,  derived from edible fa t or 
distill ed fat ty acids Monoacyl and diacylglycerols esterified with the following acid s: (a) acetic (b) lactic (c) citric 
(d) tartaric (e) monoacetylatartaric and (f) diacetyltartaric.  
The additives listed shall conform to the r equirement in Table D.2 .  
Table D.2  — Requirements for emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and  gelling agents  
Name or description  Maximum content in complete feed,  
mg/kg  
Poly (ethylene glycol) (M.W 6 000)  300  
Polyoxypropylene polyoxyethelene  polym ers (M.W 6 800 - 9 000)   50  
  
D.2.3  Sucrose esters or fatty acids  
The following sucrose este rs fatty acids may  be added to fish feeds:  
a) mixture of sucrose esters of monocyl and diacylglycerols (sucroglycerides, polyglycerides);  
b) polyglycerol esters of n on-polymerised edible f atty acids;  
c) propy lene glycol esters of fatty acids (propane -1,2-diol es ters of fatty acid s);  
d) stearoyl -2-lactylic acid; sodium stearoyl -1,2-lacylate; calcium stearoyl -1,2-lactylate;  
e) stearoyl -1-tartrate; glycerol poly (ethylene glyc ol) ricinolcate; dextra ns; sorbitan monos tearate;  
f) sorbitan tristearte; sorbitan monolaurate; s orbitan mono -eleat e; sorbitan monopalmitate;  
g) partial polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids of castor  oil (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) 
polyoxyethyle ne (20) sorbitan monola urate;  
h) polyoxyeth ylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate, polyoxyethylene (20 ) sorbitan monoste arate;  
i) polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monocleate;  
j) polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tricleate, polyoxye thylene (8) sorbitan st earate; and  
k) polyo xyethylene (40) stearate.  
D.3 Requirements for binder s, anti -caking age nts and coagulants  
D.3.1  General  
Fish feeds shall contain no added binder, anti -caking agent or coagulant other than a binder, anti -
caking ag ent or coagulant of a n ame or description  specified in D.3.2.   
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserv ed 17 
 D.3.2  Name or description  
Ligno sulphonates; Collo idal silica; Silicic acid, precipitate and dried; Sodium aluminosilicate, Sodium,  
potassium and calcium stearate; Kaolin and Kaslinitic clays f ree of asbestos natural  accruing mixtures  of 
minerals containing at least 65 % complex hydrated  aluminium silicat es whose main constituent in Kasolinite;  
Bentonite and other montmerillonitee cl ays; Vermiculite  -hydrated silicate of magnesium, aluminium an d iron;  
Citric acid; K ieselguhr (diatoma ceous earth, purified); Calcium silicate (synthetic); Natural mixtures o f steatite 
and chlor ite free of asbestos.  
D.4 Requirements for aromatic and appetising substances  
Fish feeds shall contain no added aromatic or appetising substance  other than an aro matic or 
appetising substance of a name or description  specified in Tabl e D.3 and taking acc ount of any such 
substance which is naturally present, without exceeding the maximum content specified.   
Table D.3 — Requi rements for aromatic an d appetising subst ances  
Name or description  Maximum content in complet e feed,  
mg/kg  
Saccharin  
All natural products and corresponding 
synthetic products    
GMP  
 
. DEAS 973: 2023    
 
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserved