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INTRODUCTION
Fenugreek is one of the earliest spices known
to man. Ancient Egyptians used it as a food, medicine and an embalming agent.
The ripe, dried fruit of a quick - growing annual leguminous herb, fenugreek
has a strong, pleasant and quite peculiar odour reminiscent of maple.
Traditionally, fenugreek grows best in well-drained
loams with a low rainfall. In India, this spice is often cultivated as a
cover crop in citrus-fruit groves to take advantage of their leguminous
nature. The major producers of Indian fenugreek are Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Uttar Pradesh and Tamilnadu.
Commercially known as 'Methi', Indian fenugreek
comes in several well-known varieties such as 'Desi' and 'Champa'. The spice
is exported in its whole and powdered forms as well as in the form of extracted
oil which is extensively used in perfumery.
The major importers of Indian fenugreek are
Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia, USA, The UK, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
BOTANICAL NAME
Trigonella foenum-graecum L.
FAMILY NAME
Fabaceae
NAME IN INTERNATIONAL
LANGUAGES
| Spanish : |
Alholva |
| French : |
Fenugrec |
| German : |
Bockshorklee |
| Swedish : |
Bockshornklee |
| Arabic : |
Hulba |
| Dutch : |
Fenegriek |
| Italian : |
Fieno Greco |
| Portuguese : |
Alforva |
| Russian : |
Pazhitnik |
| Chinese : |
k'u - Tou |
| Japanese : |
Koroha |
COMMERCIAL PART
Fruit
GRADE SPECIFICATIONS
Grade designations and
definition of quality of Fenugreek Seed
| Special characteristics |
| Grade designation |
Extraneous matter percentage by weight (max) |
Damaged Blackened and insect bored seeds percentage
by weight (max.) |
Shrivelled and immature seeds percent by wt.
(max.) |
Moisture percent by wt. (max.) |
| Special |
1.00 |
0.50 |
1.5 |
10.0 |
General characteristics:
Fenugreek seeds shall:
- Be the dried mature seeds of the plant botanically
known as (Trigonella foenum graecum L.);
- Be free from mould, live insects, any harmful
foreign matter and musty odour;
- Generally conform to the characteristic
size, shape, taste, colour and aroma of the variety / type.
Definitions:
- 'Extraneous matter' means dust, dirt, stones,
earth, chaff, stalks, stems, straw or any other foreign matter.
- 'Damaged and blackened seeds' are those
seeds which are damaged or blackened materially affecting the quality.
- 'Insect board seeds' are those seeds which
are partially or wholly bored or eaten by weevils or other insects.
- 'Shrivelled and immature seeds' are those
seeds which are not properly developed.
Grade designations and
definition of quality of Fenugreek Ground
| Special characteristics |
| Grade designation |
Moisture percentage by weight (max) |
Total Ash percentage by weight (max.) |
Acid insoluble ash, percent by wt. (max.) |
Total cold water soluble extract percentage by
weight (max.) |
| Standard |
10.0 |
7.0 |
2.0 |
30.0 |
General characteristics:
- Fenugreek powder shall be the material obtained
by grinding the dried ripe, clean and sound seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella
foenumgraecum L.)
- It shall be free from admixture, mould,
growth, insect infestation or musty odour. It shall be free from coarse
particles and ground to such a fineness that the whole of it passes through
a 500-micron sieve.
PRODUCTION
Highest Yearly Production : 38806 Tonnes
HARVESTING SEASON
February to May
MARKETING SEASON
April to July
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