Spice Powders

In India, it is an essential ingredient in the Bengali spice mixture panch phoron and in Chinese five-spice powders. In the west, fennel seed is a very common ingredient in Italian sausages and northern European rye breads. Many egg, fish and other dishes employ fresh or dried fennel leaves. Florence fennel is a key ingredient in some Italian and German salads, often tossed with chicory and avocado, or it can be braised and served as a warm side dish. One may also blanch and/or marinate the leaves, or cook them in risotto. In all cases, the leaves lend their characteristically mild, anise-like flavour. 

The colour of chilli spice powder is due to the presence of red-pigmented carotenoids. The main pigments are capsanthin, capsorubin, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin. Carotenoids are very stable in intact plant tissue. However, when chillies are processed by drying and then grinding into spice... 

The final quality of chilli spice powder is assessed by a number of different parameters. Colour and pungency levels are the most obvious parameters assessed, but sweetness and flavour of non-pungent paprika powders are also important. In addition, the spice trade may specify limits of impurity, levels of microbial counts of, for example, fungi, yeasts, Salmonella and coli forms, particle size and moisture content, among others. The main desired characters are colour, pungency and less extraneous contamination in relation to their biochemistry, assessment and desired levels. Table 14.5... 

Milk powdered whole skim low fat non-fat mixed fat filled permeate protein Molasses Pudding mixes Sauce mixes Soup mixes Soy milk and protein Spices, powders and extracts Starches and derivatives Teas, powders and extracts Yeasts... 

Some of the most powerful traditional blends of spices are chili powder (capsicums, onion, paprika, garlic, cumin, oregano), five-spice powder (white or black pepper, cinnamon, anise, fennel, cloves), salsa (capsicums, onion, garlic, tomatoes, lime), and curry powder (tumeric [a potent antibacterial antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral herb], curry leaves [a potent antiamebic, antimalarial, and antidiarrheal herb], cumin, cardamom, ginger, mustard, coriander). 

Among spice factory workers, pruritus and skin irritation were reported as common in persons working with spice powders, with cinnamon being noted as the most common irritant. Positive patch test reactions to cinnamaldehyde were found in 11 of 25 factory workers who had skin reactions, and skin prick testing elicited positive reactions in 6 workers (Meding 1993). 

Kumkum, a turmeric-based paste applied topically, has been associated with cases of dermatitis (Nath and Thappa 2007). Cases of contact urticaria from the compounds curcumin and tetrahydrocurcumin have been reported (Fischer and Agner 2004 Lamb and Wilkinson 2003 Liddle et al. 2006 Thompson and Tan 2006). Contact dermatitis with positive patch test for turmeric was reported in a spice shop worker routinely exposed to spice powders (Goh and Ng 1987). Similarly, contact dermatitis was reported in a pasta factory worker exposed to curcumin food coloring (Kiec-Swierczynska and Krecisz 1998). Two cases of contact dermatitis were reported in individuals using a topical ointment containing turmeric. Patch testing of both individuals indicated a sensitivity to both turmeric and curcumin (Hata et al. 1997 Sakurane et al. 1999). 

Contamination of spice powders with microorganisms is often very high, hence the addition of ground spices to food preparations may accelerate microbial food spoilage. 

Spice extracts are being used in increasing amounts in industrial-scale food preparation since they are easier to handle than spice powders and are free of microorganisms. The production of these extracts is outlined in 5.5.1.2. The flavor quality depends on the solvent used and also on the raw material. 

Chinese cassia has a more powderful aroma than cinnamon and is reddish-brown used as an ingredient of Chinese five-spice powder and in flavoring beverages, confectioneries, meat dishes, bakery products, sauces, and pickles. The cassia oil of commerce (made from the leaves, stalks, and twigs) is widely used for the same purposes as the powdered bark and is also widely used for flavoring soft drinks and liqueurs (ravindran). 

Eor the products under its jurisdiction, eg, meat and meat products, the United States Department of Agriculture (USD A) has requirements similar to those of the EDA. However, mustard and spices that impart color must always be listed separately onion and gadic powder may be listed simply as flavors. 

Chill Powder. Chili powder is a commercial blend of several spices, ie, chili peppers, oregano, cumin seed, onion and gadic powders, aUspice, perhaps cloves, and others. Chili powder is the basic flavor for many highly spiced dishes, among them chili con came, and is used in cocktail sauces and ground meats. 

Cumin Seed. Cumin spice is the dried ripe fmit of Cuminum cyminum L. (UmbeUiferae). The seed-Uke fmit is elongated about 0.31 to 0.63 cm and is yeUowish brown. It is native to upper Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean, but is now cultivated in Pakistan, Turkey, India, China, and Syria. It has a strong pecuhar aroma and flavor, pleasing to some and offensive to others. Cumin seed is used in chutney and curry, chili powders, chili con came, cheeses, and the pickling of cabbage. 

Mustard is marketed in three forms, ie, as a seed as a prepared blend of ground mustard seed, vinegar, salt, sugar, and other spices and as powdered dry mustard, also known as ground mustard or mustard flour. The seeds of the white or yellow mustard add pungency to any preparation, and that of the black mustard is required for aroma. Mustard is the largest volume spice imported into the United States and its use covers almost every flavor category except dessert items. 

Onion Powder. Dehydrated onions, cepa L. and Milium species (Lihaceae), are ground to produce this spice. These botanicals are... 

USP-grade anhydrous magnesium carbonate is used as a flavor impression intensification vehicle in the processed food industry (see Flavors and spices). Basic magnesium carbonates are used as free flowing agents in the manufacture of table salt, as a hulking agent in powder and tablet pharmaceutical formulations, as an antacid, and in a variety of personal care products (see Pharmaceuticals). 

It was as dark as a motive, and smoky on the tongue, like a kiss between cigarettes. It didn t even have a name. There was sugar on the rim, but wait, there was an adult spice in the sugar, too—a coarse powder of freshly ground cinnamon. I felt as if the drink was watching me, sleepy-eyed, to see the effects begin. 

Ms. Kim previously worked at Michael Jordan s, the steak house in Grand Central Terminal, and she seems to appreciate the standard bar and a hard night out. But she knows that she wants a Cabernet-Merlot blend for her red wine martini, because of its specific notes of spice. And she achieves it the cocktail is seasoned as surely, and subtly, as if she had pinched powders into it. 

Spices Rosemary (1000 ppm of extract with 0.92 mmol/g total phenols) Rosemary (200 ppm of extract with 0.92 mmol/g total phenol) Dried chicken meat for soup powder (up to 1000 ppm is acceptable sensorically) Potato flakes for mashed potatoes (up to 200 ppm is acceptable sensorically) Rosemary extract gave better protection than extracts of tea, grape skin or coffee Rosemary extract gave better protection than extracts of green tea, grape skin or coffee Nissen et al., 2000 Nissen et al., 2002... 

Paprika, powdered spice, orange-red, paprika oleoresin as food colorant... 

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