General account of spices – The term spices apply to plant products or mixtures in whole or ground form, which are used for imparting flavor, aroma and pungency to the food items. Spices cannot be classed as foods, because they contain little nutritive value. They stimulate the appetite and increase the flow of the gastric juices. For this reason, they are often referred to as food accessories or adjuncts. Uses of Spices – Spices have tremendous importance as ingredients in food, alcoholic beverages, medicine, perfumery, cosmetics, colouring and also as garden plants. Apart from these primary effects, spices can prevent of food spoilage. The basic effects of spices when used in cooking and confectionary can be for flavouring and deodorizing/masking, pungency and colouring (as listed below) – 1. Flavouring - parsley, cinnamon, mint, cardamom, fennel, fenugreek, basil, nutmeg, vanilla, celery 2. Deodorizing/ Masking - garlic, bay leaves, clove, rose mary, coriander, mint 3. Pungency - garlic, pepper, coriander, clove, ginger, mustard, bay leaves 4. Colouring - paprika, turmeric, saffron They are also used to make food and confectionary more appetizing and palatable. Some spices, such as turmeric, paprika are used more for imparting an attractive colour than for enhancing taste. The major colour components of spices are given below – 1. B-carotene (reddish orange) - red pepper, mustard, paprika, saffron 2. Flavonoids (yellow) – ginger 3. Curcumin (orange yellow) - turmeric 4. Chlorophylls (green) – herbs Because of their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties spices have dual function and in addition to imparting flavour and taste they play a major role in food preservation by delaying, the spoilage of food. The toiletries and allied industries use spices and their fragrant oils for manufacture of soaps, tooth pastes, face packs, lotions, freshness sachets and hair oils. They are essential ingredients in beauty care as cleansing agents, infusions, skin toners, moisturizers, eye lotions, bathing oils, shampoos and hair conditioners, cosmetic creams, antiseptic lotions, improvement of complexion and purifying blood. Spices also form an important component of alcoholic beverages like Gin, Beer, Aquavit, Curcao, Kummel, Ganica. Chemical Nature – Spices are storehouse of many chemically active compounds that impart fragrance and piquancy (a pleasantly sharp and appetizing flavor). Most spices owe their flavouring properties to volatile oils and in some cases, to fixed oils and small amount of resin, which are known as oleoresins. Phytochemicals in spices are secondary metabolites, which are originated for the protection from herbivorous insects, vertebrates, fungi, pathogen, and parasites. Most probably, no single compound is responsible for flavours; but a blend of different compounds such as alcohols, phenols, esters, terpenes, organic acids, resins, alkaloids, and sulphur containing compounds in various proportions produce the flavours. Besides these flavouring components every spice contains the usual components such as proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, tannins or polyphenols.
Total Number of Spices Cultivated – According to International Standards Organisation (ISO) there are about 109 spices and India produce as a many as 75 in its various agro climatic regions. India is known as ‘The Home of Spices’.
Classification of Spices – Classification of spices becomes difficult because of their heterogeneity. Spices could perhaps be classified or grouped according to different systems of classification such as based on (i) botanical analogies or families (ii) economic and commercial importance (iii) climatic requirement (tropical, sub-tropical, temperate etc.) (iv) number of seasons required to complete the life cycle (annuals, biennials, perennials etc.) and (v) morphology of the useful parts; but each system has its own merits and demerits (Singh and Singh, 1596). Since spices come from various woody shrubs and vines, trees, aromatic roots, flowers, seeds, rhizomes, and fruits of herbaceous plants, most convenient system of classification may possibly be based on the morphological characters. Two of the most popular ways of classifying spices are: 1. Classification based on Degree of Taste:
- Hot spices - Pepper, Chilli, Ginger, Mustard - Mild spices - Coriander, Paprika - Aromatic spices - Pimento, Cardamom, Cassia, Cinnamon, Cumin, Clove, Dill, Fennel, Fenugreek, Mace, Nutmeg - Herbs - Basil, Bay, Dill leaves, Maijoram, Thyme - Aromatic vegetables - Onion, Garlic, Celery, Shallot 2. Classification based on Plant Organs:
- Seed as Spice - Ajwain, Aniseed, Caraway, Celery, Coriander Cumin, Fennel, Fenugreek, Mustard, Poppy Seeds. - Leaf as Spice - Basil, Tejpat, Curry leaves, Mint, Chives, Spearmint, Thyme leaves, Parsley. - Flower as Spice - Rose, Caper, Saffron - Fruit as Spice - Cardamom, Chilli, Kokam, Mace, Tamarind, Nutmeg Anise, Vanilla - Root as Spice - Garlic, Ginger, Onion, Turmeric, Galangal - Bark as Spice - Cinnamon, Cassia
Quality Evaluation of Spices – Quality of spices is assessed by its intrinsic as well as extrinsic characters. The former consists of chemical quality, i.e. the retention of chemical principles like volatile oil, alkaloids and oleoresins while the latter emphasizes physical quality. This include appearance, texture, shape, presence or absence of unwanted things etc. In addition, certain health requirements are also implemented as export quality standard viz. pesticide residue, aflatoxin, heavy metals, sulphur dioxide, solvent residues, and microbiological quality. However, physico-chemical quality remains the ultimate attribute, while considering export requirement of spices as these properties delineate its grade in the market. These qualities vary unpredictably. The physicochemical characteristics vary widely depending on the variety, agro- climatic conditions existing in the area of production, harvest, and post-harvest operations. Besides this, proper harvesting time is also important, a good spice product from low quality harvested material is not possible. The main obstacle to correct harvesting is the crop being picked immature. Every spice importing country has developed quality requirement specifications, or adopted quality specifications of international agencies. Cleanliness specifications for spices of American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) are a universally adopted manual for the assessment of physical quality of spices. USFDA (United States Food and Drugs Administration) has also provided requirement of quality for spices. Methods for the analyses of these parameters are also standardized (ASTA, 1997; 1998). Besides these specifications, Indian agencies such as Agmark and BIS (bureau of Indian Standards) have developed quality regulations. ESA (European Spice Association), BSI (British Standard Institution), ISO (International Standards Organisation), AFNOR (Association Francaise De Normalisation), EOA (Essential Oil Association) etc. are the other reputed international agencies providing spice quality regulations. Here we are describing two important spices in details, black pepper and clove.
1. Black Pepper -
Botanical Name: Piper nigrum L. Family: Piperaceae. Vernacular name: Hindi, Punjabi— Kalimirch; Telugu— Miryalu: Sanskrit: Maricha ushana, Hapsha; Tamil— Malagu; Gujrati— Kalimari, Bengali: Golmorich Morphology - climbing shrub that grows to about 30 ft (9 m) tall through a system of aerial roots, but is usually pruned to 12 ft (3.66 m) in cultivation. Its flowers are slender, dense spikes with about 50 blossoms each. The berry-like fruits it produces become peppercorns; each one is about 0.2 in (5 mm) in diameter and contains a single seed.
Part used: White pepper and black paper both are Piper nigrum. Fully mature unripe dried fruits are Black pepper while ripe berries are stemmed then dried to get white pepper (sheetal mirchi). Green pepper is tender green spike of unripe fruits. Used as pickles. A mixture of black and white peppercorns is called a mignonette.
Uses:
1. Medicinally in Malaria, hemorrhoids/dyspepsia and also credited for relieving arthritis, nausea, fever, migraine headaches, poor digestion, strep throat, and even coma. 2. Essential preservative of meat or perishable food. 3. Flavoring Agent. 4. Oil of pepper is used in flavouring Sausages. 5. Black pepper is used in culinary seasoning. 6. Essential ingredient of many food stuffs. 7. In some parts of the world it is used as moth killer and insect repellant.
Pepper is often described as the "king of spices," and it shares a place on most dinner tables with salt. The word pepper originated from the Sanskrit word pippali, meaning berry. Pepper is now grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Kampuchea as well as the West coast of India, known as Malabar, where it originated. The United States is the largest importer of pepper. India is still the largest exporter of the spice, and Brazil may be among the newest exporter of pepper. The hot taste sensation in pepper comes from a resin called chavicine in the peppercorns (berry- like fruits). Peppercorns also are the source of other heat-generating substances, including an alkaloid called piperine, which is used to add the pungent effect to brandy, and an oil that is distilled from the peppercorns for use in meat sauces.
Manufacturing process – Cultivation 1. The pepper berries grow on bushes that are cultivated to heights of about 13 ft (4 m). If the berries were allowed to ripen fully, they would turn red; instead, they are harvested when they are green. Harvesting is done without any mechanical equipment. Women pick the unripened berries and transport them in large wicker baskets to drying platforms. The berries are spread on these large platforms to dry in the sun over a period of about a week and a half. In their dried state, the green berries blacken to become the peppercorns we use in pepper mills. 2. Alternatively, the pepper berries can be picked just as they begin to turn red. They are plunged into boiling water for approximately 10 minutes, and they turn black or dark brown in an hour. The peppercorns are spread in the sun to dry for three to four days before they are taken to the factory to be ground. This process is quicker than airdrying alone but requires the added step of the boiling water bath. 3. If white pepper is to be produced, the peppercorns are either stored in heaps after they have been boiled or they are harvested and packed in large sacks that are then lowered into running streams for seven to 15 days (depending on location). Bacterial action causes the outer husk of each peppercorn, called the pericarp, to break away from the remainder of the peppercorn. The berries are removed from the stream and placed in barrels partially immersed in water; workers trample the berries, much like stomping grapes, to agitate the peppercorns and remove any remaining husks. Some processors now use mechanical methods to grind off the outer coating to produce so-called decorticated pepper, but many exporters prefer the old-fashioned method.
In the factory 4. Black and white pepper are processed in the factory by cleaning, grinding, and packaging. Blowers and gravity separators are used to remove dust, dirt clods, bits of twigs and stalk, and other impurities from the peppercorns after they are imported from the field. Sometimes, treatments are used to eliminate bacteria on the cleaned, dry peppercorns. 5. Grinding consists of using a series of rollers in a process called cold roll milling to crush the peppercorns. Cracked peppercorns are only crushed lightly to bruise the peppercorns and release their flavor. Further grinding steps crush peppercorns into coarse and fine grinds of pepper that are packaged separately. A sifter sorts the grains by size, and they are conveyed to packaging stations. Packaging varies widely among processors and includes bags, boxes, and canisters for large- volume commercial sales and smaller jars, cans, and mills for home use. Packing may also include the blending of pepper with other spices in a variety of spice mixes for preparing sauces, cajun recipes, Italian foods, seafood, and a range of other specialized blends.
2. Clove – Botanical name: Syzygium aromaticum Family: Myrtaceae. Vernacular name: Hindi— Laung, Gujrati, Kannada, Marathi— Luvanga, Sanskrit— Lavanga, Tamil— Kirambu, Lavangam, Telugu— Lavangalu. Morphology - tropical evergreen tree that grows to about 8 to 12 metres (25 to 40 feet) in height. Branches of the tree are semi-erect with smooth oval shaped leaves. Its gland-dotted leaves are small, simple, and opposite. The branches end with a 3–4 flowers near the tip with one terminal flower and the others opening below it. The leaves, flowers and bark all have a distinct smell. The clove is the unopened flower buds. Part used: Dry Buds
Uses: 1. Very aromatic spice with a fine flavour imparting warming properties. 2. Culinary spice in both sweet and Savoury dishes. 3. It is used in Pickles, gravy, baked food, cake, pudding, syrups etc. 4. Oil of clove is used in confectionary, Pickels, Sausages etc. 5. In Jawa, clove is used in preparation of a special brand of cigarette for smoking.
Manufacturing process – Cultivation – 1. Clove is propagated through seed. The seeds lose their viability within one week after harvest under normal conditions and hence it is necessary to sow them immediately after collection from the tree. 2. The seeds can be sown with or without the fruit coat. Raised nursery beds are prepared in a shady place and the seeds are sown in rows adopting a spacing of about 12 cms. 3. The seeds begin to germinate in four to five weeks after sowing. The seedlings are very slender and delicate and grow very slowly. Watering is necessary throughout the nursery period. 4. The seedlings after about six months of nursery life are transferred to baskets made of bamboo or mud pots and nurtured properly under the shade till they attain an age of 12 to 18 months. Clove can also be propagated vegetatively by grafting on its own stock. 5. Clove can conveniently be grown mixed with other commercial crops like arecanut, coconut, nutmeg, etc. The shade cast by these crops will provide enough protection to clove from the sun. 6. Clove tree begins to yield from the seventh or eighth years after planting. The full bearing stage is attained after about 15 to 20 years. The flowering season is September-October in the plains and December-January in high altitudes. The buds are ready for harvest in about four months. 7. Just before flowering there is fresh flush of young leaves and soon after this, the flower buds begin to appear. The optimum stage for picking clove buds is indicated by the change in the colour from green to slightly pinkish tinge. 8. The unopened clove buds are carefully picked with hand when they turn pink in colour. It is necessary to pick the buds before they open, otherwise, the value of spice will be lost to a considerable extent. 9. The harvested buds are spread evenly to dry in the sun either on grass-mats or on cement drying floor. During nights the buds should be stored under cover, or they re-absorb moisture. Normally it is possible to dry the cloves in four to five days under direct sun and in about four hours when they are heated in zinc trays over a regulated fire. Fully dried buds develop the characteristic dark brown colour and crisp. Clove is then graded according to size, condition and quality, packed into bales and exported. 10. Good quality clove should be brownish black in colour, with full and plump crown, somewhat rough to the touch and without wrinkles and it should not contain more than 16% moisture and 5% foreign matter. Also it should have fine aroma and flavour and should readily exude oil when the stem is pressed with the finger nail.