Turmeric processing
Practical Action
Figure 3: A typical tray drier
Figure 4: A typical solar drier developed in Bolivia
Polishing
After drying the rhizomes are polished to remove the rough surface. This can be done by hand or
by shaking the rhizomes in a gunny bag filled with stones. Polishing drums are used in many
places – these are very simple, power driven drums that have an abrasive metallic mesh lining.
In some places the rhizomes are sprinkled with a solution of ground turmeric in water during the
final polishing, to give the rhizomes a good colour.
Grading
Quality specifications for turmeric are imposed by the importing country. They refer to the
cleanliness of the product rather than on the eating quality.
Bulk rhizomes are graded into fingers, bulbs and splits. The Indian standards for turmeric follow
the Agmark Specifications (Agricultural Directorate of Marketing) to ensure quality and purity of
the products.
Grade
Flexibility
Alleppey fingersa
Good
Hard to touch
Fair Hard
Fingers other than Alleppey
Special
Hard to touch,
metallic twang on
break
3
Broken
pieces,
fingers
<15mm
No more than
(% by weight)
Foreign
matter
No more
than (% by
weight)
Defectives
No more
than (% by
weight)
Percentage
of bulbs by
weight max
5 134
7
1.5 5
5
2 1 0.5 2