Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 15.4a
Specifications of the European Spice Association.
Item
Specification
Extraneous matter
Herbs 2%, spices 1%
Sampling
Routine sampling: square root of units/lots to a maximum of 10 samples Arbitration
sampling: square root of all containers.
Foreign matter
2% maximum
Ash, acid soluble ash, moisture
content, volatile oil
See Table 15.4b.
Heavy metals
To comply with national/EU legislation.
Pesticides
Used in accordance with manufacturers' recommendations and good agricultural
practice and comply with national/EU legislation.
Treatments
Use of EU approved fumigants in accordance with manufacturers' recommendations.
Irradiation only if agreed between buyer and seller.
Microbiology
Salmonella absent in at least 25 g; yeasts and moulds 10
5
target, 10
6
maximum;
Escherichia coli
10
2
target, 10
3
maximum.
Off odours
Free from off odour or taste.
Infestation
Free in practical terms from live and/or dead insects, insect fragments and rodent
contamination visible to the naked eye.
Mycotoxins
Should be grown and processed as to prevent the occurrence of ochratoxin A and
aflatoxins or minimise the risk of occurrence. Aflatoxin total maximum 10 ppb,
B
1
5 ppb.
Adulteration
Shall be free from.
Bulk density, water activity,
species, packaging
To be agreed between buyer and seller.
Documents Should provide details of treatments, name of product, weight, country of origin, lot
and year of harvest.
Source: From European Spice Association as quoted by Muggeridge and Clay (2001).
cleanliness criteria, quality minima and quality standards;
some examples are shown in Tables 15.4a, 15.4b and 15.4c.
In addition, the ASTA and the Spices Board India have
recently produced HACCP protocols for spices in their
respective countries (ASTA 2003; SBI 2003).
The ESA draws on national (e.g. from BSI in the United
Kingdom and AFNOR in France) and international
standards from the International Standards Organisation.
Muggeridge and Clay (2001) point out that the ESA criteria
are more relaxed in their quantitative aspects than the
American ones since they refer to minimum standards, and
do not prevent buyers and sellers setting additional
standards if they wish. The onus would then be on the
seller entering into a commercial contract to satisfy the
buyer that the contractual conditions have been met.
Organic standards for spices are developed and established
in much the same way as for other plant products, namely by
private organisations, companies, certifying agencies or
states. To be effective and trustworthy, organic production
and processing should be certified by an independent body.
Currently there are over one hundred organic standards for
spices world-wide (George 2001).
As with other perishable produce, there are several
major considerations when dealing with fresh herbs.
Improvements in post-harvest handling measures devel-
oped for other fresh produce have also been made use of in
this sector. In Australia, wastage of fresh herbs in domestic
markets has been high, so that supermarkets have had to
renew stock every 24 to 48 hours to ensure quality
(Lopresti & Tomkins 1997).
Temperature
Temperature has a major influence on the keeping quality
and storage life of fresh herbs. Most herbs store best at 0°C
and 95-98% relative humidity, as shown in Table 15.5.
Chives and mints can be stored for two to three weeks at 0°C
