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Spice Processing (Practical Action Technical Brief)
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== Correct harvesting time == It is not possible to produce a good spice product from low quality harvested material. The main obstacle to correct harvesting is the crop being picked immature. This is usually due to fear of theft or the farmer requiring money urgently. However, every effort should be made to wait until the spices are fully mature. === Cleaning === The crop should be cleaned before processing. The first stage is to remove dust and dirt using a winnowing basket. This can be made locally from bamboo, palm or other leaves. Someone used to this work can remove the dust, dirt and stones quickly and efficiently (eg they could clean 100kg of pepper in an eight-hour day). Small machines are available for cleaning but they are rarely cost effective. After winnowing the crop needs to be washed in water, all that is needed is two or three 15 litre buckets. For larger quantities a 1m³ sink/basin with a plug hole needs to be constructed. This can be made out of concrete. However, the water must be changed regularly to prevent recontamination of spices by dirty water. Only potable water should be used. === Drying === This is by far the most important stage in the process to ensure good quality spices. Inadequately dried produce will lead to mould growth. The sale value of mouldy spices can be less than 50% of the normal value. In addition the growth of food poisoning bacteria on some spices is a real danger if proper washing and drying is not carried out. '''Drying during the dry season ''' During the dry season, sun drying is usually adequate to dry the produce. The simplest and cheapest method is to lay the produce on mats in the sun. However, there are problems associated with this method. Dust and dirt are blown onto the crop and unexpected rainstorms can re- wet the crop. [[File:spice processing solar dryer.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Figure 1: Cabinet solar dryer]] A solar dryer avoids these problems. The simplest type is the cabinet solar dryer, see Figure 1, which can be constructed out of locally available materials (eg bamboo, coir fibre or nylon weave). For larger units (over 30kg/day) an 'Exell Solar Dryer' could be used, see Figure 2. However, the construction costs are greater and a full financial evaluation should therefore be made to ensure that a higher income from better quality spices can justify the additional expense. [[File:spice processing excell solar dryer.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Figure 2: Excell solar dryer]] '''Drying during the wet season ''' During the wet season or times of high humidity, which often coincides with the harvest of the spices, a solar dryer or sun drying cannot be used effectively. An artificial dryer that uses a cheap energy sourceis necessary. This may be a wood or husk burning dryer or a combined wood burning and solar dryer. Figures 3-6 show a combined wood burning and solar drier which is based on the McDowell Dryer and has been used in Sri Lanka. [[File:spice processing comboned dryer.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Figure 3: Combined dryer showing solar upper section]] [[File:spice processing wood burning section.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Figure 4: Wood burning section]] [[File:spice processing foodtrays.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Figure 5: Showing the food trays]] [[File:spice processing mainbody.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Figure 6: The main body of the dryer]] The crop should not be overheated (eg the maximum air temperature for drying pepper and cardamom is 50ºC). Neither should it be overdried (the final moisture contents for various spices are shown in Table 1). {| class="wikitable" | Spice | Maximum final moisture content % (wet basis) |- | Mace | 6.0 |- | Nutmeg, cloves | 8.0 |- | Turmeric, coriander | 9.0 |- | Cinnamon | 11.0 |- | Pepper, pimento, chillies, ginger | 12.0 |- | Cardamon | 13.0 |} Table 1: Spice moisture content The drying of certain spices requires special conditions. For example, cardamom has to be dried in the dark so that the green colour is retained.
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