Turmeric processing
Practical Action
of the mechanical mills, such as a hammer mill, heat is generated during the grinding process,
which can cause some of the volatile taste and aroma compounds to be lost. For higher quality
ground turmeric, the grinding temperature should be kept as low as possible.
After grinding the powder is sieved through different mesh screens until a uniform, fine powder
is obtained.
Grade
Moisture
(%w/w) max
Turmeric powdera
Standar 10
d
Coarse ground powderb
Standar 10
d
Total ash
(%w/w) max
7
9
Acid insoluble
ash (%w/w)
max
1.5
1.5
Lead
(ppm)
max
2.5
2.5
Starch
(%w/w)
max
60
60
Chromate
test
Negative
Negative
Table 3: Agmark standards for turmeric powder (www.turmeric.8m.com/standards.html)
a. Ground to pass through a 300 micron sieve
b. Ground to pass through a 500 micron sieve
Packaging
Dried rhizomes and rhizome pieces are packed in jute sacks, wooden boxes or lined corrugated
cardboard boxes for shipping.
Ground turmeric should be packaged in moisture proof, air-tight polyethylene packages. The
packages should be sealed and labelled with attractive labels. The label needs to contain all
relevant product and legal information – the name of the product, brand name (if appropriate),
details of the manufacturer (name and address), date of manufacture, expiry date, weight of the
contents, added ingredients (if relevant) plus any other information that the country of origin and
of import may require (a barcode, producer code and packer code are all extra information that is
required in some countries to help trace the product back to its origin). See the Practical Action
Technical Brief on labelling for further information on labelling requirements.
Storage
The bulk rhizomes are stored in a cool and dry environment, away from direct sunlight.
The bright colour of ground turmeric will fade when it is left in the light for a long period of time.
Therefore the packets should be stored in a cardboard box, away from the sunlight.
The storage room should be clean, dry, cool and free from pests. Mosquito netting should be
fitted on the windows to prevent pests and insects from entering the room. Strong smelling
foods, detergents and paints should not be stored in the same room.
Standards
Moisture (%)
Curcumin (%)
Volatile oil (%)
Extraneous matter (% by
weight)
Mould (% by weight)
US Government
requirements and ASTA
<9.0
5-6.6
<3.5
0.5
3.0
5