Herbs and spices are among the most versatile ingredients in food processing, and alongside their sustained popularity as flavourants and colourants they are increasingly being used for their natural preservative and potential health-promoting properties. An authoritative new edition in two volumes, Handbook of herbs and spices provides a comprehensive guide to the properties, production and application of a wide variety of commercially-significant herbs and spices.Volume 1 begins with an introduction to herbs and spices, discussing their definition, trade and applications. Both the quality specifications for herbs and spices and the quality indices for spice essential oils are reviewed in detail, before the book goes on to look in depth at individual herbs and spices, ranging from basil to vanilla. Each chapter provides detailed coverage of a single herb or spice and begins by considering origins, chemical composition and classification. The cultivation, production and processing of the specific herb or spice is then discussed in detail, followed by analysis of the main uses, functional properties and toxicity.With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, the two volumes of the new edition of Handbook of herbs and spices are an essential reference for manufacturers using herbs and spices in their products. They also provide valuable information for nutritionists and academic researchers. - Provides a comprehensive guide to the properties, production and application of a wide variety of commercially-significant herbs and spices - Begins with a discussion of the definition, trade and applications of herbs and spices - Reviews the quality specifications for herbs and spices and examines the quality indices for spice essential oils

Together with its companion volume, Handbook of herbs and spices: Volume 2 provides a comprehensive and authoritative coverage of key herbs and spices. Chapters on individual plants cover such issues as description and classification, production, chemical structure and properties, potential health benefits, uses in food processing and quality issues. - Authoritative coverage of more than 50 major herbs and spices - Provides detailed information on chemical structure, cultivation and definition - Incorporates safety issues, production, main uses, health issues and regulations

Woodhead Publishing in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition'... a good reference book for food processors and packers of herbs and spices.'Food Technology (of Volume 1)'... a standard reference for manufacturers who use herbs and spices in their products.'Food Trade Review (of Volume 2)The final volume of this three-volume sequence completes the coverage of the main herbs and spices used in food processing. The first part of the book reviews ways of improving the safety of herbs and spices. There are chapters on detecting and controlling mycotoxin contamination, controlling pesticide and other residues, the use of irradiation and other techniques to decontaminate herbs and spices, packaging and storage, QA and HACCP systems. Part two reviews the potential health benefits of herbs and spices with chapters discussing their role in preventing chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease and promoting gut health. The final part of the book comprises chapters on twenty individual herbs and spices, covering such topics as chemical composition, cultivation and quality issues, processing, functional benefits and uses in food. Herbs and spices reviewed range from asafoetida, capers and carambola to perilla, potato onion and spearmint.The final volume will consolidate the reputation of this three-volume series, providing a standard reference for R&D and QA staff using herbs and spices in their food products. - The final volume of this three-volume sequence completes the coverage of the main herbs and spices used in food processing - Incorporates safety issues, production, main uses and regulations - Reviews the potential health benefits of herbs and spices

A practical guide offering updates in the spices and seasonings industry Since the publication of the first edition of Spices and Seasonings: A Food Technology Handbook, there have been many developments in the food industry. This much-needed new edition is the authoritative handbook for seasoning developers and contains essential information on formulating and labeling dry seasoning blends. There have been regulatory changes in the spice industry and other areas of the food industry. Spices and Seasonings, Second Edition explores these changes and gives the food industry professional updates of important statistics, the latest research on the antimicrobial capabilities of certain spices, new American Spice Trade Association specifications, and new FDA labeling regulations. In addition to providing a general overview of the industry, this book offers practical details on specifications and formulations for the food technologist. Topics covered in Spices and Seasonings, Second Edition include: * U.S. regulations as they apply to spices * Spice processing * Quality issues dealing with spices * Spice extractives * Recent spice research * Common seasoning blends * Meat, snack, sauce, and gravy seasonings * Spice and seasoning trends for the new millennium Food technologists and managers from the spices and seasonings industry will find this a comprehensive and practical guide on spices and their applications.

An A to Z Catalog of Innovative Spices and Flavorings Designed to be a practical tool for the many diverse professionals who develop and market foods, the Handbook of Spices, Seasonings, and Flavorings combines technical information about spices-forms, varieties, properties, applications, and quality specifications- with informatio

"Let food be your medicine, medicine your food."-Hippocrates, 2400 B.C.When the "Father of Medicine" uttered those famous words, spices were as important for medicine, embalming, preserving food, and masking bad odors as they were for more mundane culinary matters. Author James A. Duke predicts that spices such as capsicum, cinnamon, garlic, ginger

The term Spice and Condiments applies to natural plant or vegetable products or mixtures in whole or ground form, which are used for imparting flavour, aroma and piquancy to the food items. Spices and condiments are a major commercial crop in India, and earn a major part of foreign exchange annually. They have been the backbone of agricultural industry. The importance of spices and condiment in dietary, medicinal and other uses, and their commercial importance are immense. India is known the world over as the home of spices. Thus spices are an important group of agricultural goods, which are virtually indispensable in the culinary art. Spice processing includes different steps: spice cleaning, spice reconditioning and spice grinding. Some spices were also used for preserving food like meat for a year or more without refrigeration. In the 16th century cloves for instance were among the spices used to preserve food without refrigeration. Cloves contain a chemical called eugenol that inhibits the growth of bacteria. It is a natural antibiotic. It is still used to preserve food like Virginia Ham. Likewise later mustard and ground mustard were also found to have preservative qualities. India alone contributes 25 30 % of the total world trade in spices. It may be interesting to note that nine spices namely pepper ginger clove cinnamon cassia mace nutmeg pimento (allspice) and cardamom alone contributed as much as 90% of the total world trade. Pepper is the most important spice in the world and so also of India. This book basically deals with brief history of spices, uses of spices, world trade in spices area & production of spices in India, area and production of spices in India, major and minor spices of India, spice processing, quality issues with spices, bird chillies and Tabasco chillies, basil or sweet basil, seasoning blend duplication and tricks, sauces and gravies, snack seasonings, quality issues with spices, etc. This book is a single compendium which deals with all aspects and facts of spices and condiments which may meet the requirements of all those handling them at various stages, from harvesting to their end use. This book contains post harvest management, the potentials of genetic engineering, high production technology in spices with plantation and processing of various spices and condiments such as vanilla, turmeric, tamarind, saffron, black pepper, onion, mint, ginger, garlic, curry leaf, coriander etc.