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Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition FDA Technical Bulletin Number 5 |
A. GENERAL METHOD FOR SPICES, HERBS, AND BOTANICALS (V-32)
This method covers several procedures applicable to spices, herbs, and botanicals that consist of dried plant parts which have been processed and marketed in various sizes and forms. Included in this group are parts of plants such as dried leaves, seeds, fruits, bark, roots, stems, buds, and flowers. Examples of plant part(s) products include but are not limited to:
(ii) A procedure for separating and classifying defective product materials (such as insect-damaged or moldy material); these are recorded as percentages of reject material by weight or count of each type of reject.
b. Specific methods -- Procedures for certain types of products (e.g., black pepper, nutmegs, etc.) are specialized for dealing with specific problems. Special techniques related to these products are covered by supplemental methods described in Sections 8.B and C.
b. 21 CFR Standards of Identity and Quality
c. I0M 624.11 Establishment Inspection, and 624.12, Sample Collection
d. Service and Regulatory Announcements, Food and Drug, No. 2, Nov. 1936, pp. 11-14 -- "Advisory Standards for Spices"
Defects in these products may be categorized as due to insect infestation, contamination by animals, mold development, or contamination by extraneous material.
b. Animal Contamination -- Contamination of these products by animals usually results from either gnawing or defilement by excreta. Whole rodent pellets, bird droppings, and other pieces of animal dung are typically found.
c. Moldiness and Fungal Deterioration -- Products may be attacked by fungi in the field or while in storage. Field fungi capable of attacking and infecting the growing product may cause varying degrees of decomposition and damage. The damage from invading fungi and molds may be manifested as leaf spot diseases, dry rot, decomposed and discolored tissue of stems and roots, or decay in seeds and fruits. Storage fungi (which can grow under limited moisture conditions) may cause moldiness in some products stored under conditions of temperature and relative humidity favorable to their growth. Pockets of moist product can arise in a dried and otherwise normal product through roof leaks, insect activity, and moisture translocation when temperature gradients develop within the product mass. These pockets can promote the rapid growth of molds in the stored product. Moldiness can range in appearance from mycelium-matted leafy spices and surface mold on cassia bark, to internal molds in nutmegs and capsicum pods.
d. Contamination by Extraneous Material -- Objectionable matter such as sticks, stones, burlap bagging, or cigarette butts may enter the product at various points during its production, transit, and storage because of improper preparation or handling. Also, valueless parts of the raw plant material and other foreign plant material may contaminate the product and require special attention for removal. This general category is intended to include all other miscellaneous objectionable matter not reported in the other specific categories.
b. Visual Examination -- Analyze 300-500g subsamples of high density products (cassia, ginger, cloves, allspice, turmeric, condimental seeds) and 200-300g subsamples of light, bulky products (capsicum pods, mace, leafy spices). Examine the product in small amounts with good light and against a white or other suitable contrasting background. A moving belt or other mechanical device may be used if all the material can be seen easily. Sifting may facilitate separation and concentration of certain types of objectionable matter. Examine macroscopically for rodent excreta, manure, insects, and insect debris, mold clumps, miscellaneous objectionable matter, and other evidence of contamination. If sifting is performed, size of screens used and method of use should be stated in the report of results.
c. Classification of Contaminants -- Separate contaminants into suitable groupings relative to defect action levels, regulatory guidelines, or other applicable requirements. Add categories to tabulation of results depending on type(s) of contaminants found. Classify as follows:
(ii) Rodent (Rat or Mouse) Excreta -- Rodent excreta pellets are normally black or dark colored, roughly cylindrical, blunt at one end and pointed at the other. They range in length from 1.5 to 15 mm. They usually contain rat or mouse hairs, partially digested plant material, and sometimes insect parts. When wet with water, rodent pellets form a characteristic gray mucous coating. Weigh suspect pellets and report as such only if rat or mouse hairs are present. Confirm identification by removing a hair from the pellet and identifying it microscopically. When none are present, proceed with AOAC 44.B08-44.B11, alkaline phosphatase method for mammalian excreta.
(iii) Animal Dung -- Animal dung consists of an amorphous, usually dark colored material pressed into a matrix. Incorporated plant material usually consists of ligneous, fibrous material which is either pale-yellow or green. Parts of insects and small amounts of inorganic, earthy material may also be present. Weigh suspect material and report as animal dung or excreta, only when matricized plant material predominates. Confirm as excreta, using 44.B08-44.B11, alkaline phosphatase method for mammalian excreta.
(iv) Bird Excreta -- Bird excreta will appear as rounded droppings, sometimes coiled with a white residue. Weigh droppings and test a portion of the white, amorphous particles for uric acid by AOAC 44.177 or 44.183 - 44.185.
d. Report -- Tabulate results as follows, adding additional categories as necessary:
| Subsample No. | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | etc. | |
| Weight Examined (g) | ||||
| Excreta (mg/lb)a | ||||
| Whole Insects or Equivalentb | ||||
| Extraneous Material (% by wt)c | ||||
| Otherd | ||||
| Remarks: | ||||
| Notes: a Excluding insect excreta b Describe ((4)c(i)) c Describe ((3)d) d Substitute appropriate heading(s) | ||||
b. Visual Examination -- Examine each product piece in the analytical unit for reject material visible to the naked eye. Magnification may be used for confirmation, as necessary. If the magnification exceeds 10X, this should be stated in the report of results. Classify, weigh, or count each category according to (5)c. below.
c. Classification of Reject Product Material -- Classify reject product material (leaf, seed, fruit, root, bark, etc.) as follows:
(ii) Moldy -- Any product material bearing mold on more than 1/4 of its surface area or any material where the aggregate moldy area is greater than 1 cm2. Confirm presence of mold with magnification as necessary, but determine the area affected without magnification. Describe general appearance of the moldy areas.
(iii) Animal-Contaminated -- Any product material showing animal excreta, animal chewing, or gnawing.
(iv) Otherwise Reject Material -- Any product material that is not classified as above, but is otherwise decomposed, discolored, abnormal in appearance or otherwise unfit for food.
d. Report - Tabulate results as follows:
| Subsample No. | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | etc. | |
| Amount Examined (wt or no. of units) |
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| Insect-Damageda Wt or No. % |
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| Moldyb Wt or No. % |
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| Animal Contamination Wt or No. % |
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| Total Percent of Reject | ||||
| Remarks: | ||||
| Notes: a Describe ((5)c.(i)); report under Remarks b Describe ((5)c.(ii)); report under Remarks | ||||
B. SUPPLEMENTAL METHOD FOR BLACK AND WHITE PEPPER (V-39)
This method supplements and/or replaces those procedures in Section 8.A., by describing procedures specific to black and white pepper (Piper nigrum (L.). The term "siftings and pickings" is used to describe certain objectionable matter which may be present in black and white pepper. When examining black or white pepper, the procedure for "siftings and pickings" described below may be used in lieu of Procedure (4), Section 8.A.
b. Siftings -- Combine aliquots from each subsample to give a composite sample of approximately 4 kg, unless product lot variability indicates analysis of individual subsamples. Weigh composite sample and divide into approximately two equal portions. Screen each portion separately, using the standard pepper sieve (when using the small or "office" sieve, screen only 400 to 500 g at a time) or the U.S. No. 8 equivalent. Obtain the siftings by tilting the sieve from side to side so that the pepper passes from one side of the sieve to the opposite side 10 times. Weigh siftings after removal of pinheads/light berries. Examine siftings; identify, describe, and quantify, as necessary.
c. Pickings -- After sifting, hand-pick sample ("overs" on the sieve) for foreign material such as sticks, stones, stems, clay, foreign seeds, and other extraneous matter. Weigh pickings other than animal contamination (3)d.â; identify, describe, and quantify, as necessary.
d. Animal Contamination -- Report contamination other than insect excreta separately from siftings and pickings. Examine siftings and pickings for animal contamination, such as mammalian excreta, bird excreta, and whole insects or equivalent. If appropriate, examine a separate analytical sample of approximately 500 g. Classify, weigh, and report as in (3)e.
e. Report -- Tabulate results as follows, adding additional categories as necessary:
| Subsample No. | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | etc. | |
| Weight Examined (g) | ||||
| Mammalian Excreta (mg/lb) | ||||
| Whole Insects or Equivalenta | ||||
| Siftings and Pickings (percent by wt) | ||||
| Otherb | ||||
| Remarks: |
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| Notes: a Describe in Section 8.A.(4)a(i); report under Remarks b Substitute appropriate headings(s) such as bird excreta, etc. | ||||
Follow Procedure (5) in Section 8.A. for detection of pepper berries
with external defects. Examine representative sample of 200 or more berries.
Cut open any suspect berries as necessary. Examine, classify, and report
as in 8.A(5)b, c, and d.
Table of contents
C. SUPPLEMENTAL METHOD FOR NUTMEGS
This method supplements Section 8.A., by describing procedures specific to nutmegs (Myristica fragrans Houtt.).
Examine as in 8.A.(4)a-d. For whole nutmegs, use analytical sample of 500 g or more.
b. Visual Examination -- Examine the cut surfaces of each nutmeg for presence of insects or signs of insect damage, presence of mold, or other evidence of defilement.
c. Classification of Reject Material -- Classify as moldy (reject) any nutmeg showing mold on 1/4 or more of the cut surface. For other categories of rejects, classify as in Section 8.A., (5)c.(i), Insect-Damaged; (5)c.(iii), Animal-Contaminated and (5)c.(iv), Otherwise Reject Material. Weigh each category of rejects.
d. Report -- Tabulate results as in 8.A.(5)d.
(1) American Spice Trade Assn. Inc., Cleanliness Specifications for Unprocessed Spices, Seeds and Herbs, ASTA, 580 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, Jan. 1983.
(2) ASTA, Official Analytical Methods of ASTA, 2nd Ed., 1968.
(3) Parry, J. W., Spices - Their Morphology, Histology, and Chemistry, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., New York, NY, 1962.
(4) White, Ralph T., "Studies on the Storage and Shipment of Whole Black Pepper Grown in the Orient," J. Econ. Entomol. 50: 423-428, 1957.
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