Maturity indices of spices
Download as PPTX, PDF7 likes11,539 views
The document provides an overview of various spices, detailing their maturation, harvesting methods, and peak harvest periods. It highlights India as the largest producer and exporter of spices, including cardamom, pepper, ginger, and others, describing the specific stages of maturity and harvesting techniques for each. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of timely harvesting to maintain quality and prevent loss in spice production.
Maturity indices of spices
- 2. INTRODUCTION Those plants ,the product of which are used as food adjuncts to add flavour and aroma are called spices. Spices which are used as food adjuncts to add taste only are called condiments. Spices provide flavour and taste due to presence of essentialoils. Spices are used as whole,grind ,paste or liquid forms to improve flavour,texture,colour and to increase shelflife. India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices in the world.
- 3. MAJOR SPICES: CARDAMOM (Elettaria cardamomom Maton)- Zingiberacea Cardamom yields from the third year onwards,but good yields are expected from the fifth year. Peak harvesting time is October-November. Harvestng is continued at intervals of 30-40 days and completed in 5-6 months. While harvesting,each panicle is carefully searched for the fruits in the correct stage of ripeness for picking.
- 4. At the time of harvest,capsules are at different stages of maturity and distinguished as,bud stage,tender stage(gathered for making pickles),brown seed stage(shrink on drying giving a shriveled appearance), and dark seed stage (right stage for curing) . The capsules are picked with the stalk end intact and the fully ripe stage picked for seed purpose only. If they are to ripen further ,the fruits split during drying.If picked under ripe,the fruits will shrink while drying .
- 5. PEPPER (Piper nigrum L.)-Piperaceae Harvesting of pepper is carried out according to need of the kind of pepper. ie white or black . For preparation of white pepper, the berries are harvested at a slightly advanced stage of ripeness,that is when berries turn red.Then they are heaped for a day or two until berries turn yellow. To get black pepper the berries are gathered at younger stages,heaped for a day or two and then dried in sun.
- 6. GINGER(Zingiber officinale Rose)-Zingiberaceae Ratoon ginger matures early.The rhizome will be ready for harvest when the stalks begin to wither and dry. While harvesting care is necessary not to injure the rhizome
- 7. TREE SPICES:CLOVE (Syzygium aromaticum)- Myrtaceae The spice is the unopened flower bud produced on the terminal shoots of the twigs. The buds are collected when they are dull red in colour. It is necessary to collect the buds before they open as otherwise the value of the spice will be lost.
- 8. NUTMEG (Myristica fragrans Houtt) Myristicaceae Seedlings starts bearing in 7-8 years,reaching full bearing in when they are about 25 years old and continue to yield well upto sixty years. A ten years old tree may be expected to yield 500-800 fruits. Peak harvest are during two seasons-March april and August-September. Raw nutmeg kernel at maturity stage is firmly attached to outer shell and cannot be separated without injuring. Individual fruit weighs on an average 60g of which the seed weighs 6-7g,mace 3-4g and rest pericarp.
- 9. CINNAMON(Cinnamomum verum P.resl.)Lauraceae Barks of cinnamon are used as spice. There are two seasons one in May and other in November to cut the shoots for the extraction of bark. The cutting of shoots always depends upon the receipt of rains. As soon as rain ceases,cutting of shoots for peeling of bark is commenced. When the growth of bushes of leaves stop and the trees have mature leaves is the indication of free flow of sap between the bark and the wood.this is the proper stage at which the best quality of bark can be obtained in the cutting.
- 10. ALLSPICE (Pimenta dioica(L)Morr.)- Myrtaceae Seedling start flowering from the seventh to tenth year but the peak harvest is obtained between 15 to 20 yrs. When the berries become fully developed fully well,usually during july-august they appear greenish and become glossy and dark later. To preserve the spicy conditions,berries are harvested before they change to the dark and glossy appearance .
- 11. SEED SPICES (MINORSPICES):FENUGREEK (Trigonella foenum graceum L)- Leguminosae The crop matures in two and a half to three months after sowing. Fenugreek is ready for cutting 3-4 weeks after sowing when the plants attain a height of 15-20cm. Delay in harvest makes the leaves bitter. Seed crops of common methi matures in 150-160 days and kasuri methi in 160-170 days after sowing. The crops is harvested when the pods turn green to yellowish colour.Crop should be harvested at this stage otherwise delay in harvesting leads to shattering of the seeds.
- 12. FENNEL(Foeniculum vulgare Mill) -Apiaceae Fennel matures in about 170-180 days.In this crop all the umbels do not mature at the same time hence,harvesting should be done in 3-4 pickings. Crops is harvested 40 days after pollination for the production of chewing type lucknavi fennel while for production of general type fennel the umbels are harvested when the seeds are fully developed and colour turn to yellow.
- 13. CUMIN(Cuminum cyminum L)- Apiaceae Cumin crop matures in about 130-150 days after sowing. The crop should be harvested when the stems become yellow and leaves fall. Harvesting can be done by uprooting the plants.
- 14. CORIANDER (Coriandrum sativum L)- Apiaceae Coriander matures in about 90-145 days depending upon the variety and growing conditions. Change from green to yellow colour of grains is an indication of maturity. Harvesting should be done at a stage when 50% grains turn yellow to obtain good luster of the grains. Delaying of harvest should be avoided because there is shattering and splitting of grains in subsequent processing operations
- 15. ANISE(Pimpinella anisum L)- Apiacea The crop becomes mature and ready for harvesting in nine or ten months after planting depending on variety The indication of the crop maturity is the yellowing and drying of the leaves. While harvesting the leaves and stems are cut close to the ground.
- 16. OTHER SPICES:GARLIC (Allium sativumL.)Alliaceae Garlic is a crop of four and a half to five months duration. When the leaves start turning yellowish or brownish and show signs of drying up(usually about a month or so for the emergence of seed stalks),the crop is ready for harvest
- 17. VANILLA(Vanilla planifolia Andrews)-Orchidaceae When immature ,the beans turn dark green in colour,but when ripe yellowing commences fron its distal end.This is the optimum time for harvesting the bean. If left on vine the beans turn yellow on the remaining portion and start splitiing.
- 18. SAFFRON(Crocus sativus L.) -Iridaceae Costliest spice The red fibres at the top of the flower ,mongra,provide the colour and flavor and is the superior quality of saffron while style of the flowers the yellowish lachha provides inferior variety of saffron. The crop once planted will remain in the field for 10-12 years. Saffron commences flowering by middle of October and may extent to December.
- 19. Each plant will be in bloom for 15 days and produces an average of five flowers. All flowers bloomed during the morning have to be picked on the same day. The stigmas and tips of the styles of the flowers are used for extraction of saffron