KENYA STANDARD         KS 1284: 2018 
  ICS 67.220.20  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Substitute  vinegar  — Specification   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
© KEBS 201 8          Fourth  Edition 201 8 
 
 
 
 KS 1284: 2018 
 
ii           © KEBS 201 8 — All rights reserved  TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
 
The following organizations were rep resented on the Technical Committee:  
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology  
Technical University of Kenya — Department of Food and Beverage Production and Service  
Consumer Information Network (CIN)  
Ministry of Health — Department of Public Hea lth 
Government Chemist ’s Department  
K.I. R. D. I  
Unilever (K)  Ltd. 
Jomu Spice Firm  
Tropical Heat Ltd.  
Top Foods  EA Ltd.  
Adamji Multi Supplies  
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
 
 
 
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
 
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
©Kenya Bureau of Standards, 201 8 
 
Copyright. Users are rem inded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 12 of 2001  of the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists in 
all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 26 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Standa rds may 
be re produced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from the M anaging 
Director . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENYA STANDARD                         KS 1284: 201 8 
                ICS 67.220.20  
  
© KEBS 20 18 — All rights reserve d                    iii  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Substitute vinegar — 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) 229 448   Fax: (+254 057) 21814  
 
 
 
 
 KS 1284: 2018 
 
iv           © KEBS 201 8 — All rights reserved   
 
Foreword  
 
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee on Spices and Condiments under the guidance 
of the Standards Projects Committee and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau of 
Standards  
 
Substitute vinegar is a dilute solution of glacial ( food grade) acetic acid with or without ad ded colouring matter 
(caramel).   
 
It is largely confined to fo od flavouring and preservation.  Substitute vinegar is a food which is designed to 
resemble v inegar in appearance, texture and flavour. It is intended to be used as a complete or partial 
replacement for the  natural  vinegar it resembles.  
 
This standard emphasizes that the quality of substitute vinegar must be such that it is safe for human 
consump tion as food.  
 
Substitute non -brewed vinegars usually contain about 4.5 % m/v of synthetic acetic acid and are coloured with 
caramel.   The minimum of 4 % acetic acid applies to non -brewed condiment as well as to brewed vinegar.  
 
This fourth   edition of the  standard incorporates reviewed microbiological limits, heavy metal contaminant limits 
and reviewed test methods and  incorporates an environmental management clause.  This Edition also uses 
normative references that are Reviewed to current EAS and ISO test  method Standards. These will ensure 
better trade facilitation.  
 
During  the preparation of this standard references were m ade to the following documents:  
The Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act,  Cap. 254 of the Laws of Kenya  
 
The Public Health  Act, Ca p. 242  of the Laws of Kenya.  
 
Codex Stan 192 - Codex General Standard for food additives  
. 
Codex Stan 193 - Codex General Standard for contaminants in Foods  and feeds  
. 
Srilanka Standard 625 VDC 661. 731 Specification for artificial vinegar  
 
 KS 400 - Specification for Acetic Acid  
 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for  the assistance derived from the se source s. 
 
 
 
.KENYA STANDARD            KS 1284: 201 8  
© KEBS 201 8 — All rights reserved  1  
 
Substitute vinegar  — Specification  
 
1 Scope  
 
This Kenya  Standard specifies the quality  requirements and methods of sampling and test for subs titute  
vinegar  
 
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.  
 
KS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods  
 
KS ISO 7954:1  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — General guidance for enumeration 
of yeasts and moulds — Part 8: Colony count technique at 25 degrees C  
 
KS ISO 21 527-1:2008  Kenya Standard — Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — 
Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts and moulds Part 1: Colony count technique in products with 
water activity greater than 0.95,  First Edition .  
 
KS ISO 6579, Microbio logy of food and animal feeding stuffs — Part 6: Horizontal method for the 
detection of Salmonella spp.  
 
KS ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of f ood and animal feeding stuffs Horizontal method for the 
enumeration of coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphyloco ccus aureus and other species)  Part 1: 
Technique using Baird -Parker agar medium.  
 
KS ISO 21528 -2,  Microbiology of the food chain —Method for the detection f 
enterobacterium aerogenes.  
 
KS ISO 793, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal m ethod for the 
enumeration of Clostridium perfrigens -- Colony -count technique.  
 
KS ISO 6633, Fruits ,Vegetables and derived products - Determination of lead content - 
Flameless atomic absorption Spectrometric Method.  
 
 KS ISO 6634, Fruits ,Vegetables and der ived products - Determination of Arsenic Content - 
Silver diethlydithiocarbamate spectrophotometric Method.  
 
ISO 6636 - Pt ,2 – Fruits & Vegetables and derived  Products -  Determination of Zinc . 
 EAS 35,  fortified Edible salt — Specification . 
 
 
KS EAS 39 ---Code of hygienic practice for food and drink manufacturing companies  
 KS 1284: 2018 
 
2          © KEBS 201 8 — All rights reserved  KS ISO 948 –Spices and condiments -- Sampling  
 
KS ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of Aflatoxin B 1,and the total contents of Aflatoxins B 1, B2, 
G1 and G 2 in cereals, nuts and deriv ed products — High performance liquid chromatographic method  
 
Codex Stan 193 --Codex Standard for Contaminants in food and feeds . 
 
Codex Stan 192 - Codex Standard for Food Additives . 
 
 KS EAS 147 -1 EAS -Standard for Vinegar Pt.1 -  Vinegar From Natural Sourc es  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3 Definition s 
 
For the purpose s of this standard, the following definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1 
substitute vinegar  
is a product prepared from food grade glacial acetic acid complying with KS 03 -400 by diluting it with potable 
drinking water comp lying with KS 05 -459  and may contain caramel . 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 Composition  
 
4.1.1  Substitute vinegar shall consist of a dilute solution of food grade acetic acid with or without added 
colouring matter ( caramel)  
 
 
4.1.2  Substitute vinegar shall have th e characteristic taste and odour of dilute acetic acid.  
 
4.1.3  Substitute vinegar shall be free from added colouring matter other than caramel . 
 
4.1.4  Substitute vinegar shall contain total acidity not less than 4 % (m/v)  and not more than 13 % (m/v) when 
tested as per  KS  400.  
 
4.1.5  Substitute vinegar shall be free from any harmful ingredient, injurious to health.  
 
4.1.6  Substitute vinegar shall be free from sedimentation such as vinegar eel, mycordermal suspensions and  
  suspended matter.  
 
 
4.1.7  Substi tute vinegar shall have  10.5 g/L. max total soluble  solids.  
 
 
4.2 Heavy metal contaminant limits  
 KS 1284: 201 8 
 
© KEBS 20 18 — All rights reserve d 3 Substitute vinegar shall comply with the heavy metal contaminant limits stipulated in Table 1.  
 
 
Table 1 — Heavy metal contaminant limits  
 
Sl No.  
 Contaminant s Contaminants limits, max . Test methods  
i) Arsenic (As)  1mg/kg  (0.5 ) KS ISO 6634  
ii) 
 Lead (Pb)  1 mg/kg  ( 2 ) . KS ISO 6633  
  
 
4.3 Microbiological limits  
 
The substitute vinegar  shall comply with the microbiological limits stipulated in Table 2. 
 
 
Table 3 — Microbiological limits for  substitute vinegar  
 
i) Yeast and mould counts, cfu/g  < 10  KS ISO 7954:1  
ii) Enterobacter aero genes  cfu/g Absent ? KS ISO 21528 -2 
iii) Proteus mirabilis  cfu/g  
 absent ? KS ISO 21528 -2 
****iv 
) Clostridium perfrigens  < 10 KS ISO 793 ? 
v ) Salmonella , cfu /25 g  Absent  KS ISO 6579  
vi) Staphylococcus aureus cfu/ g  < 10  KS ISO 6888  
 
***  -- unless canned  
 
 
5 Hygiene  
 
Substitute vinegar shall be produced, processed and handled in premises complying  with KS EAS 39 , Public 
Health Act,  Cap. 242;   Food, Dru gs and Chemical Substances Act, Cap. 254; and Factories and Other Places of 
Work Act, Cap. 514 of the Laws of Kenya.  
 
6 Environmental ma nagement  
 
The disposal of used package and condemned substitute vinegar shall be done in  compliance with the 
Environmental Management and Co -ordination (EMCA) Act No.8 of 1999 of the Laws of Kenya on disposal of 
solid and liquid wastes.  
 
7 Packaging  
 
7.1 The minimum fill of the container shall comply with the weights and measures Act , Cap. 513 Laws of 
Kenya.  
 KS 1284: 2018 
 
4          © KEBS 201 8 — All rights reserved  7.2 Substitute vinegar shall occupy not less than 90 % v/v of the w ater capacity of the container.  The water 
capacity of the container is the volume of distilled water at 20  oC which the sealed container will hold when 
completely filled.  
 
7.3 Substitute vinegar shall be packed in food grade materials that secure the integrity and safety of the 
product.  
 
8 Labelling  
 
Substitu te vinegar shall be  labelled in accordance with the requirements of KS EAS 38 , and shall include the 
following information legibly and indelibly marked:  
 
i) name of th e product as substitute vinegar;  
 
ii) name and physical addres s of the manufacturer /importer;  
 
iii) the total  acid content shall be declared;  
 
iv) the net content sh all be declared in metric units;  
 
v) batch code/lot number;  
 
vi) date of manufacture;  
 
vii) expiry date;  
 
viii) instructions for use;  
 
ix) storage instructions,  
 
x) instructio ns for disposal of used package;  
 
xi) where caramel has b een added, it shall be declared;  
 
xii) country of origin .