Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Demand driven spice development

• The spice industry is entering into a new era of diversified use of spices, particularly medicinal and neutraceuticals. The antioxidant properties of curcumin from turmeric, which prevent the entry of the cancer virus, is well documented. The phenomenal growth of curcumin exported from India clearly proves the acceptance of such functional properties in addition to its wider use as food colourant. Garcinia is another spice which has gained a lot of importance due to its functional properties by the presence of hydroxy citric acid which is found to be an 'appetite suppressant' helping to reduce weight. The significant growth in the export of this product in the last five years shows its the effectiveness in reducing obesity.
• Piperine from black pepper, is a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism. It acts as a bio-availability enhancer. Bioperin is a pharmaceutical formulation of piperine in the US. Piperine enriches the availability of drugs such as vascicine, spartein, sulpha diazine, rifampicin and phenytoin. Zingiberine from ginger is also considered as a potent bio¬active material.
• Chillies, that are usually regarded as an irritant spice, have counter¬irritant properties also at very low concentration and they are being used in skin ointments. They can reduce the retention time of faecal matter in the rectum and can help in preventing rectum/colon cancer. Garlic, onion and fenugreek are well known for their cholesterol reducing and antidiabetic properties. Also, dill and fennel are used as digestents. The exploration of medicinal and neutraceutical properties of our traditional spices will go a long way in the development of the Indian spice industry.