# YouPals — core reference corpus
Data vintage FY2025-26, reviewed 2026-07-16.

## Green Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
Green cardamom is the dried fruit of Elettaria cardamomum, a Zingiberaceae rhizome grown in the Western Ghats. It is graded by size (8 mm, AGEB, bold) and traded green with high volatile-oil content.
Small cardamom is ~9% of India’s spice export basket by value — disproportionate to its volume, because it is the most expensive spice India ships in quantity. The trade is auction-driven: prices reference the Kerala floors, not a fixed list. Buyers specify size in millimetres and colour (bold green commands the premium), and increasingly ask for ETO-free / steam-treated lots after the EU residue episodes.

## Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)
Black pepper is the dried unripe drupe of Piper nigrum, graded by bulk density (g/l) and berry size into MG1 (Malabar Garbled) and TGEB (Tellicherry Garbled Extra Bold). India both grows and re-processes pepper for export.
Indian black pepper sells on grade and cleanliness, not price — Vietnam undercuts it on volume. The two grades buyers name are MG1 (Malabar Garbled, ~500–550 g/l) and the premium TGEB (Tellicherry, bold berries, 550+ g/l). The compliance fact that matters: under EU Reg. 2019/1793, Indian black pepper sits in the increased-controls annex at a 50% physical-check rate for Salmonella, so steam-sterilised, tested lots are effectively mandatory for the EU.

## Dried Red Chilli (Capsicum annuum)
Dried red chilli (Capsicum annuum) is India’s highest-value spice export. Buyers specify it on two independent axes: pungency in Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and surface colour in ASTA units. Guntur delivers heat; Byadgi delivers colour.
Chilli is more than a quarter of India’s spice export earnings, and it is the clearest case of the trade’s hidden specification: heat and colour are separate. Guntur Sannam S4 runs 35,000–45,000 SHU but only ASTA 100–120; Byadgi runs a mild 8,000–15,000 SHU but ASTA 130–150 and is bought for colour extraction. A seasoning house wanting both buys and blends both. The compliance exposure is aflatoxin (EU limit 5 µg/kg B1) and, historically, Sudan dye adulteration — which is why lab-tested, traceable lots matter here more than anywhere.

## Turmeric (Curcuma longa)
Turmeric is the boiled, dried rhizome of Curcuma longa, graded as "finger" and "bulb" and specified by curcumin content. Curcumin varies by origin: Alleppey-type 4–6%, Erode 2.5–3%, Nizamabad 1.5–2.25%.
Turmeric is ~7% of the basket and the export figure has grown on price and mix, not volume. The specification buyers care about is curcumin percentage, and it is set by origin, not by processing — the highest-curcumin finger turmeric comes from Kerala (Alleppey-type, up to ~6.5%), while high-volume Nizamabad bulb sits nearer 2%. The compliance risk that dogs turmeric is lead chromate adulteration (an illegal yellow brightener), so heavy-metal testing is a standing buyer requirement.

## Cumin (Cuminum cyminum)
Cumin is the dried fruit of Cuminum cyminum, graded by purity (Singapore 99%, Europe 99.5%, machine-cleaned/sortex). Gujarat and Rajasthan dominate world supply; the Unjha market sets the reference price.
Cumin is ~12% of the basket and the seed-spice India most dominates — the Unjha mandi in Gujarat sets the global morning price. The commercial grades are purity-defined: "Singapore quality" 99%, "Europe quality" 99.5%, machine-cleaned and sortex-sorted. The live compliance issue: under Reg. (EU) 2019/1793 Indian cumin is at a 30% pesticide check rate (raised January 2025), and pyrrolizidine alkaloids (a 400 µg/kg EU limit from co-harvested weeds) are an increasing focus. Lots for the EU need a clean, recent residue panel.

## Mint (Mentha arvensis)
Mint here means the menthol-mint complex (Mentha arvensis and allied species) grown mainly in Uttar Pradesh. India dominates world menthol and mint-oil supply; the value sits in oils and menthol, not leaf.
Grouped in the Board’s "mint products" line, this is one of the largest single contributors to spice export value — India is the world’s dominant supplier of natural menthol and mint oil, concentrated in the Uttar Pradesh terai. The trade is an oils-and-derivatives business (HS 3301), closer to flavour chemistry than to whole-spice sourcing.

## Compliance — EU increased official controls (Reg. 2019/1793)
Reg. (EU) 2019/1793 lists specific origin–product–hazard combinations for increased documentary, identity and physical checks. For India the material entries are cumin (pesticide residues, 30% — raised January 2025) and black pepper (Salmonella, 50%). A listed consignment needs matching accredited test evidence to clear reliably; failure means detention and, at scale, RASFF notifications.

## Compliance — Aflatoxin limits (EU)
Aflatoxins are the classic spice contaminant, concentrated in dried chilli, paprika, pepper and nutmeg. The EU maxima under Reg. (EU) 2023/915 are 5 µg/kg for B1 and 10 µg/kg total. Control is a drying-and-storage discipline problem at origin; buyers require accredited aflatoxin panels on chilli and paprika as standard.

## Compliance — Ethylene oxide (ETO)
ETO is a fumigant/steriliser banned as a pesticide in the EU since 1991; the default MRL is 0.1 mg/kg (expressed as the sum of ETO and its 2-chloroethanol metabolite). The 2020–21 wave of recalls put it at the centre of spice compliance. The fix is to sterilise by steam, not ETO, and to test — "ETO-free / steam-treated" is now a standard EU-buyer requirement, and India’s Spices Board has issued comprehensive ETO guidelines.

## Compliance — Salmonella (microbiological)
Salmonella is a microbiological, not chemical, hazard: the standard is absence in 25 g, and it is the reason Indian black pepper sits at a 50% physical-check rate under Reg. 2019/1793. Steam sterilisation and post-treatment microbiological testing are the controls.

## Compliance — Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids enter spices from weeds harvested alongside the crop. The EU limit for cumin and dried herbs is 400 µg/kg. It is an increasing cause of cumin alerts and is best controlled by field weed management and cleaning, then verified by test.

## Compliance — Pesticide residues (MRLs)
Pesticide residues are the top cause of EU spice border rejections. MRLs are analyte-and-crop specific; the practical requirement is a recent, accredited multi-residue panel from an ISO/IEC 17025 lab, less than six months old. For Indian cumin this is effectively mandatory given the 30% check rate.

## Compliance — Coumarin (cassia vs cinnamon)
True cinnamon (C. zeylanicum) is very low in coumarin; cassia (C. cassia) carries substantially more, and coumarin has tolerable-intake limits. Selling cassia as "cinnamon" is both mislabelling and a potential intake-limit issue in the EU. India schedules the two as separate spices — get the species right on the label.

## Compliance — Sudan dyes (chilli adulteration)
Sudan I–IV are industrial red dyes once used to brighten chilli and palm oil. They are banned in food and carry zero tolerance; the 2005 Sudan-dye recalls reshaped chilli buying. EU chilli and paprika buyers screen for Sudan dyes as standard on Indian-origin lots.

## Compliance — Lead chromate (turmeric adulteration)
Lead chromate is a bright-yellow industrial pigment documented as an adulterant in some turmeric supply chains to enhance colour. It is a serious lead-exposure hazard. The control is traceable sourcing plus accredited lead testing on every turmeric consignment.

## Compliance — CRES — exporter registration
CRES is issued by the Spices Board and is mandatory to export the scheduled spices. It costs ₹5,000, is valid three years, and requires an IEC, PAN, GST, an FSSAI licence and a bank certificate. Asking a prospective Indian supplier for a current CRES is a basic, verifiable vetting step.

## Source conflict — Is the USA or China India’s largest spice export market?
On the latest year (FY2025-26, Spices Board share) the USA is India’s largest spice market at 14%, with China at 12%. On the prior year’s absolute values (IBEF) China led. State the year and the metric — never just "the largest market is X".
Why they differ: These are different years AND different metrics — not a factual dispute. IBEF ranks by absolute value for FY2024-25 and puts China first; the Spices Board ranks by share of export value for FY2025-26 and puts the USA first. China buys bulk, lower-unit-value chilli and cumin, so it can lead on tonnage-driven value in one year and trail on value share in the next as prices move. Both are correct for what they measure.

## Source conflict — What is the ASTA colour value of Byadgi chilli?
Treat ASTA 130–150 as the reliable Byadgi export band and anything above it as a lot-specific premium claim to verify by test — not a general Byadgi property. We plot the 130–150 band and label premium lots separately.
Why they differ: The two ranges describe different lots, not a contradiction. Standard Byadgi runs ASTA 130–150; selected Kaddi-type premium lots are quoted higher (150–200). Both circulate as "Byadgi ASTA" without saying which lot they describe, which is how the web ends up with two ranges.