FSSAI Releases Draft Regulations For Light Black Pepper

Black pepper used almost in all household kitchen is originated in India from Western Ghats of Kerala according to Ancient literature. It is widely known as “King of Spices”.  Indian pepper-growers were perfectly happy to take manufactures and coins in exchange for their peppercorns. Black pepper is termed black gold, was used as currency in the Middle Ages and the term “as dear as pepper” was used for anything very expensive. At present, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the top three pepper-producing states in India.

Who would have thought that the humble pepper that sits as a part of the salt-and-pepper shaker on present-day dining tables would have had such an influence over the trade history in the world?

Attention! Purchasing a perfect pepper or you pay with your health 

There are over 600 types of pepper,but only a few are used as spice, and are distinguished by the degree of maturation and the type of processing.

Light Black Pepper means the dried berries of Piper nigrum L. dark brown to dark black in colour. Light Berries are pepper corns which float on the surface of a water/alcohol medium. Light berries are a lower grade quality of whole black pepper. The grade of the product can vary naturally, depending on how the pepper berries break and float in the medium. Light berries are grade 400 g/l or lower. This is used in various food and beverages like spices, meat products, and meals. It shall be well dried and free from mold, living and/or dead insects, insect fragments, and rodent contamination. Some of the manufacturers use cheap raw materials with glass, plastic, metal impurities, insects and their body parts, fruits and parts of plants infected with mold.

Now, the problem is how to distinguish the quality spices from the fake one like in the case of Light Black Pepper. FSSAI in the new regulations of the Food and Safety Standards,2011 jotted down some standards of Light Black Pepper for each one dealing with the food business.

FSSAI Standards of Light Black Pepper

SL No.	Parameter	Standards
1.	Extraneous matter	Not more than 1.0 percent by weight
2.	Other Foreign edible seeds	Not more than 2.0 percent by weight

So, manufacturers should take care of the above mentioned FSSAI standards for selling Light Black Pepper.

References:

1. Compendium_Food_Additives_Regulations_29_03_2019 (1).pdf. Available at:  https://fssai.gov.in/…/Compendium_Food_Additives_Regulations_29_03_2019.pdf.Accessible on: 01.07.2019