Quality specifications information

Within the herb and spice industry, the terms authenticity and quality are sometimes at odds. Authenticity can be defined as freedom from adulteration, most obviously in the sense of absence of foreign bodies or extraneous matter, but it also suggests freedom from impurities in the product itself.

However, in practice authenticity is not always helpful in the case of herbs and spices. As an example, sage in virtually all textbooks is defined as Salvia officinalis. But there are some 300 species of sage and some of the major ones, which are traded throughout the world at present, are not the ‘classic’ Salvia officinalis. Salvia trilobula and tomatosa species are widely traded and these are accepted universally as sage. Similarly with thyme, references are usually to Thymus vulgaris but most thyme traded is a mixture of Thymus capitatus, Thymus serpyllum and Thymus vulgaris. This blend is universally accepted as thyme. Turning to examples of spices, turmeric is defined as Curcuma longa, but there are sub-species such as Alleppy turmeric, which is dark red orange in colour with a rough outer appearance to the root, whereas Cuddapah turmeric is lighter lemon yellow in colour with a smoother root. Each type has its own market niche. The reason for these variations is that most herbs and spices were originally wild rather than cultivated crops, gathered from their natural habitat where mixing of the species and sub-species occurred. A more appropriate term is quality which can be defined in the case of herbs and spices as ‘fit (and customary) for the purpose intended’.

Herbs and spices have traditionally been traded as dried products for reasons of preservation. The industry goes back before the time of Christ (fragmentary written records exist from 2600 BC) when drying was one of the main forms of food preservation. Drying was then by means of the sun and this method is still widely used. With the advent of modern transport methods and methods of preservation, frozen herbs and fresh herbs and spices have made an appearance as items of trade, but the industry remains dominated by the trade in dried products. The major quality specifications are based mainly on dried herbs and spices.