KENYA STANDARD        KS 435: 1992 
UDC 664.844 
   
KENYA STANDARD              DKS 435:2018 
                          ICS 67.080  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
Dehydrated vegetables- Specification 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 KEBS 2018      Second Edition 2018 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION 
 
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee: 
 
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology- Department of Food Science and Technology Victoria Juice Co ltd 
Kevian Kenya Ltd 
Government chemist 
Consumer Information Network 
Premier Foods Ltd. Pest control products board 
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute 
Ministry of Health- Food Safety Unit Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries 
Kenya plant health inspectorate services 
National Public Health Laboratory services Ten senses Africa Ltd 
Coca-Cola East Africa Ltd 
Del Monte Kenya Ltd Agri Pro-pak Ltd 
Horticultural Crops Directorate 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS 
 
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standard shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Bureau are welcome. 
 
 
 
©Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2018 
 Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of t he Copyright Act, Cap. 12 of 2001  of the Laws of Kenya, copyrig ht subsists in 
all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 26 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Standard s may 
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmi tted by any means without prior permission in writing from th e Managing 
Director. 
 KENYA STANDARD         KS 435: 1992 
UDC 664.844 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
Dehydrated vegetables- 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  
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Fax: (+254  041) 229448   Fax: (+254 057) 21814  
 
 KS 435: 1992            @KEBS  
 
 2FOREWORD 
 
This Kenya Standard was developed by the Technical Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables under 
the guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya 
Bureau of Standards.  
This standard stipulates the essential compositional,  quality, microbiological, contaminants and labelling 
requirements for dehydrated
 vegetables.  
 
In the preparation of this standard useful information was derived from members of the technical committee, and 
local manufacturers 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 @KEBS             KS 435: 1992  
 
3  
KENYA STANDARD 
 
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLES- SPECIFICATION 
  
 
1. SCOPE 
 
This Kenya Standard specifies requirements and methods of test and sampling for dehydrated vegetables, as defined in Section 3 below and which are offered for direct consumption or further processing, including for 
catering purposes or for repackaging if required. 
 
2. Normative references 
 KS EAS 38, labeling of prepackaged foods 
KS EAS 39, Code of practice for hygiene in  the food and drink ma nufacturing industry 
KS EAS 12, Drinking (Potable) water- Specification KS EAS 803; Nutrition l abeling – Requirements 
KS EAS 804:2013 Claims on foods – Requirements 
KS EAS 805; Use of Nutrition and health claims  Codex Stan 195, General Standard for Food Additives 
Codex Stan 193, General Standard for contaminants 
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 6888-1; Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase-p-staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) -- Part 1: Technique using Baird-Parker agar medium 
KS ISO 16649-1; 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 degrees C using membranes and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl beta-D-glucuronide 
KS ISO 763; Fruit and vegetable products -- Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid KS ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichi a coli - Most probable number technique 
KS ISO 5522, Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of total  sulphur dioxide content 
KS ISO 6561-2:2005; Fruits, vegetables and derived products -- Determination of cadmium content -- Part 2: 
Method using flame atomic absorption spectrometry  
KS ISO 6636-2:1981; Fruits, vegetables and derived products -- Determination of zinc content -- Part 2: Atomic absorption spectrometric method  
KS ISO 17239; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of arsenic content - Method using 
hydridegeneration atomic absorption spectrometry KS ISO 7952; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of copper content - Method using flame 
atomic absorption spectrometry 
KS ISO 5517; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of iron content - 1,10- Phenanthroline photometric method  
KS ISO 9526; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of iron content by flame atomic absorption 
spectrometry KS ISO 6633; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of lead content - Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric method 
KS ISO 6637; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of mercury content - Flameless atomic 
absorption method  
KS ISO 2447; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of tin content 
KS ISO 6636-2; Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of zinc content - Atomic absorption spectrometric method  
 
 
3        DESCRIPTION KS 435: 1992            @KEBS  
 
 4 
 
3.1     Product definition  
 
3.2. Dehydrated vegetables are products : 
 
a)  prepared from edible portion of clean, sound, mature named vegetables and dried under natural or artificially 
induced conditions and they can undergo operations such as washing, peeling, grading, cutting, blanching or 
dipping  etc., depending on the type of product. 
 b) Obtained by drying pieces of one or more of named vegetables 
 
 
4. Essential composition and quality factors  
 
4.1. Composition 
 
4.1.1. Basic Ingredients 
 
Vegetables as defined in clause 3 
 Examples of the Vegetables suitable for Drying are but not limited to those listed in Annex A  
 
4.2     Quality Criteria  
 
- Dehydrated vegetables shall have characteristicl colour, flavour and odour of dried vegetables, 
corresponding to the variety and type of the named vegetable and shall possess and maintain the 
product's essential texture, physical, chemical, organoleptic, and nutritional characteristics of the vegetable(s). 
 
- The product shall be prepared from wholesome vegetables free from blight, discolouration or fungi.  
 
- Only the edible portion of the vegetable shall be used and it shall be free from stalks, peel stems and 
extraneous leaves.  
 
- The dried or dehydrated vegetables may contain permitted preservatives.  
 
- The finished product shall be of good edible quality and shall reasonably reconstitute to its original 
shape and quality on boiling from fifteen minutes to an hour. 
 
- The finished product should be free from visible mould, insects or larvae. 
 
 
5. FOOD ADDITIVES 
 
 
5.1 Only those food additive listed below may be used in products covered by this Standard.  
 
- Citric acid  
- Sodium (or potassium) di-hydrogen pyrophosphate. 
- Calcium (or magnesium) stearate. 
- Sodium carbonate 
- Ascorbic acid or erythrosascorbic acid. 
- Sulphur dioxide, or sodium (or potassium) hydrogen sulphate or m-hydrogen sulphite. - For carrots only starch, complying with the Kenya Standard specification for edible starch  (KS 05-340). @KEBS             KS 435: 1992  
 
5 - Pectin. 
- Vegetable flavours such as garlic, onion, petter, etc. 
 
5.2 Acidity  regulators,  colours,  colour  retention  agents, antioxidants,  and  firming  agents  used  shall be 
in accordance to the General Standard for Food Additives (CODEX STAN 192-1995)  
 
 
5.3 Nutrients 
 
For the purpose of product fortificat ion, essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals may be added to 
products. Such additions shall comply with national legislation established for this purpose. 
 
NOTE : any optional ingredients added are subject to i ngredient labelling requirements (see Clause 10) 
 
 
5. Physico- Chemical Requirements 
 
5.1 Moisture Content  — dehydrated vegetables may vary in their moisture content but shall not contain 
more than 8.0 % m/m moisture, when tested in accordance to test method provided in Annex B   
 5.2 Total ash on dry basis — dehydrated vegetables shall not contain more than 5.0 % m/m total ash on 
dry basis when tested in accordance to KS ISO 1026 
 5. 3 Acid Insoluble Ash  — dehydrated vegetables shall not contain more than 0.5 % m/m acid insoluble ash 
on dry basis when tested according KS ISO 763 
  
 
 
5.4  Content of Defective Vegetables — on testing in accordance with the method in Appendix C, the 
content of vegetables having major defects shall not exceed 1per cent.  
 
 5.4 Sulphur Dioxide Content  — when tested in accordance to KS ISO 5522, the sulphur dioxide of the 
product shall not exceed the following values: 
 
a) cabbage and cauliflower – 2500 ppm 
 
b) potatoes – 550 ppm 
 
c) other vegetables – 1000 ppm 
 
5.6  Peroxide Activity — Vegetables which have undergone the blanching process shall show a negative 
reaction when tested according to the method given in Annex C . This requirement is not applicable to 
vegetables which have not been blanched. 
 
5.7  Defects and Allowances  
 
Dehydrated vegetables should be substantially free fr om defects. Certain common defects should not be 
present in amounts greater than the 1% when tested in accordance to method provided in Annex D.  
 
 
 
7. Contaminants 
 
The products covered by this Standard shall comply with the maximum levels of the General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193-1995). 
  KS 435: 1992            @KEBS  
 
 67.1 Pesticide residues 
 
The products covered by this Standard shall comply with the maximum residue limits for pesticides established 
by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 
 
7.2 Heavy Metal Contaminants 
 
The products covered by the provisions of this standard shall conform to those maximum limits for Heavy metals 
contaminants established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for these products in table 3 below  
Table 1 – Heavy metal contaminants limits for dried vegetables 
 
 
 CONTAMINANTS MAXIMUM LEVEL Method of Test 
Arsenic (As) 0.2mg/kg  
Lead   (Pb) 0.3 mg/kg KS ISO 6733
 
Tin  (Sn) 250 mg/kg KS ISO 2447
 
Mercury            (Hg) 0.01 KS ISO 6037 
 
Cadmium           (cd) 0.05 mg/kg KS ISO 6732 
 
 
 
 
7.3 Other contaminants  
 
The products covered by the provisions of this standard  shall conform to those maximum levels for contaminants 
established by the Codex Alimentarius Commiss ion for these products, in table 1 below 
 
 
  
8. Hygiene 
 
8.1 It is recommended that the products covered by the provisions of this Standard be prepared and 
handled in accordance with the appropriate sections of the KS CAC RCP 5:1971; Recommended international 
code of hygienic practice for dehydrated fruits and vegetables including edible fungi and  other relevant standards such as codes of hygienic practice and codes of practice
 
 
 
8.2 The products shall conform to microbiological criteria in Table 2 and those provided in KS 2455; Food 
Safety -general standard and other microorganisms of food safety concern 
 
Table 2 - Microbiological limits for dried vegetables 
 
SL No.  Microorganism  Limit  Method of Test  
i.  Total plate count, cfu/g, max  2×104 KS ISO 4833  
ii.  Escherichia coli, (cfu/g), max  Absent  KS ISO 7251  
iii.  Staphylococcus aureas, (cfu/25g)  Absent  KS ISO 6888-1  
iv.  Salmonella. Cfu/25g  Absent  KS ISO 6579  
v.  Coliforms, CFU/g  Absent  KS ISO 4833  
vi.  Vibrio cholera, cfu/25g  Absent  KS ISO 4833  @KEBS             KS 435: 1992  
 
7 vii.  Yeast and Moulds (cfu/25g), max  Absent  KS ISO 7954  
 
 
 9. Packaging
 
 
The products covered by the provisions of this sta ndard shall be packaged in clean food grade packaging 
material to protect the product from contamination. T he packaging materials and process shall not contaminate 
the product or otherwise affect its tech nological, nutritional or sensory quality. 
 
 
 
 
10.  LABELLING 
 
In addition to the Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (KS EAS 38), the following specific provisions apply: 
 
10.1 The name of the product: 
 
The name of the product as declared on the label shall be (X) Dehydrated vegetables or Dried (X) Vegetables or 
Dehydrated (X) Vegetables where X is the name of the dried vegetable;  
 
10.2 In the case of mixed dried vegetables; List of the na mes of the various vegetables species used in the 
mix, shall be listed in descending order of the proportions  
 
10.3 List of Ingredients — a complete list of ingredients shall be declared on the label in descending order 
of proportion.  
10.4 Nutrition declaration  - Any added essential nutrients declarati on should be labelled in accordance with 
the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (KS EAS 803), General Guidelines on Claims  (KS EAS 804) and 
the KS EAS 805; Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims 
 10.5 Net Contents — the net contents shall be declared by volume in metric units ( Systeme Internationale ). 
 
10.6 Name or business name and Address of the manufacturer, packager, dist ributor, importer, exporter or 
vendor of the product, whichever may apply, shall be declared. 
 
10.7     Instructions for use and storage shall be declared  
 
 
10.8 Lot Identification —  each container shall be embossed or otherwise permanently marked in code or in 
clear identity the producing factory and the lot. 
 
10.9      Place/country of origin 
 
10.10        Date of expiry 
 
 
11. Methods of sampling and test 
 
The products covered by the provisions of this stan dard shall be tested using 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. Sampling shall be as described in the Standard 
 
 
. 
 KS 435: 1992            @KEBS  
 
 8 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX A 
 
Examples of Vegetables Suitable for Drying: 
 
Asparagus 
Beets 
Brussels Sprout 
Brocolli Cabbage 
Carrots 
Cauliflower Celery 
            Sweet corn 
Chard Cucumber 
Garlic 
 spinach,  cow peas leaves (Kunde) 
beet,  
mustard,  turnip  
greens 
kale @KEBS             KS 435: 1992  
 
9 African egg plant 
African indigenous vegetables (amaranth, night shade, slender leaf, spider plant, jute mallow etc) Onions 
Peas 
Pepper and pimientos Potatoes (Irish and white) 
Pumpkin and squash 
Rutarbagas Sweet potatoes 
Sauer kraut 
Chayole and chirabi 
Tomatoes 
Horsedish Okra 
Mushrooms 
Parsnips Parsley 
Peppers (red, green and chilli) 
  
 
ANNEX B 
 
DETERMINATION OF  MOISTURE CONTENT 
 
B1. Weigh out 25 g of the specimen, grind it thoroughly, and sieve through a No. 20 sieve weigh out, to an 
accuracy of 1 mg × x g (approximately 2 g) of the sieved specimen into a weighed drying dish. Place the 
open dish in a vacuum oven at a temperature of 70 °C, 6 h pressure of 55 ± 10 mm Hg. During drying admit air to the oven at the rate of 2 bubbles per second through concentrated H
2SO 4 bubbler. After 6 h 
stop vacuum pump and introduce air at such rate that the oven is at atmospheric pressure within 5 min. 
remove the dish, replace cover, cool in  a desiccator and weigh within 30 min. 
 
B2. When the pressure in the oven drops to 100 mm of mercury, pass a slow current of dry air into the oven, 
at the rate of 2 bubbles per second. 
 
B3. After drying for 6 h relieve the vacuum. Close the mouth of the dish, and allow it to cool to room 
temperature, whilst in a desiccator. 
B4. Repeat the weighing and determine the loss in mass ( N g) and then calculate the moisture content ( A 
per cent) by using the formula: 
 
100x 
xNA  
 
 
 
  
 
 
Annex C 
 
TEST FOR PEROXIDE ACTIVITY 
 
 
C1.  REAGENTS  
 KS 435: 1992            @KEBS  
 
 10 C1.1   Guiacol Solution  — A solution containing 1 g guiacol per 100 ml. This may be prepared by an alcohol 
solution containing 1 g guiacol pe r 10 ml with distilled water. 
 
C1.2  Hydrogen Peroxide Solution  — 15 per cent. 
 C1.3  Mixed Solution — Containing equal parts by volume of the solutions in D1.1  and D1.2.  
 
C2. PROCEDURE  
 
Pour the dried vegetable sample into a 200 ml wide-mouth flask until the flask is approximately one-
quarter full. Add 20 ml of this mixed solution (reagent 3), close the flask and shake well for a few 
seconds. Open the flask, and pour the contents into a wide porcelain dish, and see whether any reddish- 
brown colour is present.  
C3. CONCLUSION 
 
If this colour does not appear clearly in an appreciable part of the specimen, within one minute, then the 
reaction is negative. 
 
ANNEX D 
DETERMINATION OF  DEFECTS 
 
D1. Spread 20 g of the specimen on a sheet of white paper or white ceramic tile, and collect the pieces of 
vegetables which appear defective. Compare these pi eces with the standard established pieces, and 
determine the seriousness of the defect. 
 
D2. Collect the pieces which have serious defects, those which have moderate defects, and those which 
have moderate defects, and those which have minor defects and weigh each group separately.