Microanalytical Quality of Ground and Unground Marjoram, Sage and Thyme, Ground Allspice, Black Pepper and Paprika
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216 Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 49, No. 3, Pages 216-221 (March 1986) Copyright® International Association of Milk, Food, and Environmental Sanitarians Microanalytical Quality of Ground and Unground Marjoram, Sage and Thyme, Ground Allspice, Black Pepper and Paprika JOHN S. GECAN,1* RUTH BANDLER,1 LARRY E. GLAZE1'3 and JOHN C. ATKINSON2 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article-pdf/49/3/216/1651402/0362-028x-49_3_216.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 Division of Microbiology and Division of Mathematics, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C. 20204 (Received for publication September 9, 1985) ABSTRACT bed. These three leafy spices are susceptible to infestation by field insects such as thrips and aphids before harvest. A 3-year national retail market survey was made to determine They may also become contaminated during processing the sanitary quality of ground and unground marjoram, sage and or storage by insects, rodents and other animals. thyme, and ground allspice, black pepper and paprika. The offi cial methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists Allspice is the dried fruit of Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. were used to count light filth such as insect fragments, rodent (synonym P. officinalis Lindl, an evergreen tree belong hair fragments, feather barbules, mites, thrips and aphids. In ing to the myrtle family. The pea-sized berries are picked sect fragments were the most frequently encountered defect, while still green and are sun-dried for 6 to 10 d, until with count means ranging from 7.8 for 10 g of ground allspice they turn a dark reddish-brown. The spice can be used to 287.7 for 10 g of ground thyme. The percent of samples whole or ground. Insects, rodents and other animals may containing insect fragments ranged from 70.8 to 99.6 for contaminate the berries during sun-drying or storage. ground allspice and ground thyme, respectively. Other counts Black pepper is the dried ripe fruit of the perennial ranged as follows: rodent hair fragments, 0 to 200 (for 10 g vine Piper nigrum L. When the berries begin to turn red, of ground sage); feather barbules, 0 to 60 (for 10 g of ground the fruit stalks are picked and threshed to remove the sage); mites, 0 to 999 (for 25 g of unground thyme); thrips, 0 to 99 (for 25 g of unground thyme); aphids, 0 to 116 (for fruit. The berries may be steeped in boiling water before 10 g of ground sage). Howard mold counts of paprika ranged being spread on mats to dry in the sun for 3 to 4 d. from 0 to 99%, with a mean of 2.8%. The end product is a small wrinkled black peppercorn, which can then be ground. Paprika is a powder made by grinding dried ripe pods Marjoram consists of the dried leaves and sometimes of varieties of the pepper Capsicum annuum L. After har flowering tops of Origanum majorana L. (synonym vesting, the inferior fruits are culled, the paprika pods Majorana hortensis Moench), a perennial herb of the are cut open and either sun-dried on floors or mats on mint family. The plants are harvested as soon as they the ground, or artificially dried on trays in drying houses. have flowered and are dried in the open air or indoors The product is then ground to the required fineness by with controlled, circulating warm air. using a series of mills. Sage is the dried leaves of Salvia officinalis L., a pe Insects may attack the black pepper and paprika fruits rennial shrub of the mint family. Only the perfect green in the field, and along with rodents and other animals leaves are picked while the plants are in flower; they are may contaminate the spice during drying, processing and dried in the shade or indoors by circulating warm air. storage. Thyme consists of the dried leaves and flowering tops The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first re of Thymus vulgaris L., a perennial shrub of the mint ported a study on the quality of spices in 1936, when family. The tops of the bushy shrub are harvested when Howard published a report on the contamination in spices the plants are in full bloom; after drying, the stems are as a probable source of insect and rodent hair fragments stripped of leaves and flowers. in catsup (5). In 1942, Helsel conducted a limited market Dried marjoram, sage and thyme are marketed whole, survey of ground spices purchased in Washington, DC, unground (broken leaf), or ground. Sage is also sold rub- retail grocery stores. Although all the spices examined contained some filth, the extent of contamination varied 1 Division of Microbiology. widely in different spices (3). In 1944, Helsel and Eisen- 2Division of Mathematics. berg made a survey of the spice-grinding industry in the -Current address: 817 Briar Lane NE, Bemidji, MN 56601. New York and Boston areas to determine the relationship JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION, VOL. 49, MARCH 1986 CONTAMINANTS IN GROUND AND UNGROUND SPICES 217 of insect and rodent filth in ground spices to the condi ground marjoram, 716; unground marjoram, 642; ground sage, tion of the raw materials before grinding and the sanitary 868; unground sage, 125; ground thyme, 1,332; unground conditions in the spice-grinding plant. Results of that sur thyme, 1,267; ground allspice, 1,496; ground black pepper, vey indicated that the amount of filth in the unprocessed 1,523; and ground paprika, 467. spice material correlated with the levels of insect frag ments and animal hairs in the ground spices (4). How RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ever, none of these studies resulted in the establishment of regulatory limits to control insect and animal contami The significant defects found in the spices were insect nation in ground spices. In 1975, the FDA initiated a fragments, rodent hair fragments, feather barbules, mites, 3-year study to develop data on insect, bird, rodent and whole or equivalent thrips, whole or equivalent aphids other animal contamination levels in selected retail mar and mold (in ground paprika). Frequency distributions for ket ground and unground spices and mold in ground pap these defects in each spice are given in Tables 1-6. rika. The sampling and analytical details on nine spice Statistical summaries of the defects found in each spice are given in Table 7. products from that program are presented in this report. Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article-pdf/49/3/216/1651402/0362-028x-49_3_216.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 Data from four other products were reported earlier (2). Counts of insect fragments ranged from 0-315 for 25 g of unground sage to 0-9,999 for 10 g of unground mar MATERIALS AND METHODS joram; count means varied from 7.8 for 10 g of ground allspice to 287.7 for 10 g of ground thyme. Samples con Samples were collected by FDA inspectors from 56 Standard taining insect fragments ranged from 70.8% for ground Metropolitan Statistical Areas, which were defined by the Bu allspice to 99.6% for ground thyme. reau of Census as integrated economic and social units with Counts of rodent hair fragments ranged from 0-10 for a recognized urban population nucleus of substantial size (6). 50 g of ground black pepper, 10 g of unground marjoram The selection of 56 areas was subject to the restriction that con and 25 g of ground paprika to 0-200 for 10 g of ground tinental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico be proportion ally represented with statistical adequacy. In each metropolitan sage; count means varied from 0.1 for 10 g of ground area, products in three chain stores and two independent stores allspice to 2.4 for 10 g of ground sage. Samples contain were selected for sampling. Two retail units of each spice were ing rodent hair fragments ranged from 4.6% for ground collected at each store, and whenever possible different brands allspice to 41.9% for ground sage. of product were selected; however, if brand duplication was Counts of feather barbules ranged from 0-7 for 25 g necessary, different production codes were collected. The col of ground paprika to 0-60 for 10 g of ground sage; count lection plan was designed to ensure that the random sampling means varied from 0.1 for 10 g of ground allspice to 2.5 would adequately represent producers nationally. for 10 g of ground sage. Samples containing feather bar Analyses were conducted by FDA District laboratories ac bules ranged from 9.2% for ground allspice to 49.8% for cording to the following Official Methods of Analysis of the ground sage. Association of Official Analytical Chemists (7): ground mar Mite counts ranged from 0-2 for 25 g of ground pap joram, 44.125(b)-126(b); unground marjoram, see 1st supple ment to 14th Edition; ground sage, 44.125(b)-126(b); unground rika to 0-999 for 25 g of unground thyme; count means sage, 44.138; ground thyme, 44.125(b)-126(b); unground varied from 0.0 for 25 g of ground paprika to 35.4 for thyme, 44.125(a)-126(a); ground allspice, 44.127(b); ground 25 g of unground thyme. Samples containing mites black pepper, 44.148; and ground paprika, 44.146 and 44.213. ranged from 2.9% for ground thyme to 53.6% for un Data were obtained on the following numbers of samples: ground thyme. TABLE 1. Frequency distribution of insect fragment counts. Insect fragment Ground Ground Ground Unground Ground Ground Unground Ground Unground count allspice black pepper marjoram marjoram paprika sage sage thyme thyme (1,496 10-g (1,523 50-g (716 10-g (642 10-g (467 25-g (868 10-g (125 25-g (1,332 10-g (1,267 25-g samples) samples) samples) samples) samples) samples) samples) samples) samples) l 0 437 24 10 45 19 26 4 L/ 43 1- 100 1052 1062 246 525 443 715 107 339 760 101- 200 5 225 157 46 3 99 12 302 299 201- 300 80 96 13 1 20 1 212 95 301- 400 52 49 7 4 1 160 47 401- 500 28 35 3 97 10 501-1000 1 44 85 2 1 183 9 1001-1500 5 27 28 2 1501-2000 1 2 8 1 5 1 2001-2500 2 1 2501-3000 1 2 3001-4000 1 1 4001-5000 >5000 1 1 JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION, VOL.