Other decontamination techniques for herbs and spices 79
4.2.9 Sampling and laboratory analysis
∑ There should be a quality evaluation laboratory with at least the minimum equipment
for analyzing the common contaminants.
∑ Approved sampling and analytical procedures should be used.
∑ The laboratory technicians should be qualified and trained adequately to carry
out analysis accurately.
∑ The common tests carried out are determination of moisture, mould growth,
plate count, insect infestation, etc. (George 2001a).
4.3 Organic production.........................................................................
Applying organic farming methods for the production of herbs and spices is catching
up in some countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Guatemala. Herbs
and spices produced by organic methods are gaining popularity in Europe, the USA
and Japan because they are produced by environmentally friendly farming systems
and are regarded as particularly safe by consumers. Organic cultivation does not
permit the use of fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and hormones of chemical origin,
which means that herbs and spices produced in this way, are free from chemical
residues. Over 100 countries are members of the International Federation of Organic
Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), which promotes organic farming and is supported
by UN agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
International Trade Centre (ITC) (George 2001b).
4.4 GAP, GMP, ISO 9000, HACCP and ISO 22000
Measures such as good agricultural practices (GAP), good manufacturing practices
(GMP), quality management systems under International Standards Organization
(ISO 9000) and hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) help reduce or
eliminate contaminants in herbs and spices (Steinhart et al., 1996). Many processing
units in exporting and importing countries have already been certified under one or
more of these quality systems.
Certification under HACCP is very important as herbs and spices are food products
and there must be no risk of contamination beyond permissible limits at any of the
critical control points. The HACCP system is based on seven steps which outline
how to establish, implement, maintain and assure quality. They are the following:
- Conduct a hazard analysis. Prepare a list of processing steps where significant hazards
can occur, including purchase of raw materials, and detail preventive measures.
- Identify critical control points (CCPs) in the process by studying the entire
process in depth.
- Establish critical limits for preventive measures for each identified CCP.
- Monitor CCPs and use the results to define procedures and subsequently adjust
or improve processes to maintain controls effectively.
- Introduce proper corrective action/s to be taken when monitoring indicates a
deviation from an established critical limit.
- Set up effective record-keeping to document the HACCP system.
- Institute procedures to verify that the HACCP system is working correctly.