To be competitive you need to be export ready

Recent studies have promoted spices as having substantial health benefits, adding to demand. Spices are renowned for their high phytochemical content, antiinflammatory properties and probiotic effect on intestinal micro-organisms.

The European herb and spice market is predicted to grow at 6% per year over the next five years (2020-2025). As most European countries do not have suitable agro-climatic conditions to cultivate many herbs and spices, they depend heavily on imports. This provides a great export opportunity for tropical and semi-tropical countries, most of which tend to be developing countries.

Only a small proportion of global herb and spice crops are compliant with EU legislation. Imported products must meet several strict standards, creating a highly competitive market with equally competitive prices. The Centre for the Promotion of Imports (CBU) outlines the requirements for exporting spices and herbs to Europe, which include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Food safety certification, ensuring traceability, hygiene and control

• Maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides

• Limits for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

• Maximum permissible levels of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A

• Irradiation guidelines

• Labelling guidelines, with specific focus on allergen control

• Microbial specifications.

The competitiveness of the EU herb and spice market has created an increased risk of food fraud and adulteration, through attempts to make products more price competitive. Spices and herbs, especially those that are ground and crushed, may undergo substitution with cheaper varieties or products with a similar appearance.

Additionally, bulking ingredients such as salt, sugar, wheat and starches may be incorporated into a product. Spices and spice blends may also be dyed to improve the perceived quality of the product. EU legislation prohibits the use of these dyes, with special mention of the azodyes Sudan, tartrazine and butter yellow.

Routine testing should form an important part of the supply chain for herbs and spices to ensure compliance with EU requirements and quality standards. Products should be tested for illegal dyes, mycotoxins, and PAH and pesticide levels, ensuring that all parameters fall within the specified limits.

These tests all use liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based methods, in which compounds in the product are separated on a column and quantified against a standard. Such testing methods are sensitive, accurate and rapid; however, they require highly trained personnel and make use of extremely expensive equipment.

Product labelling should be clear and in line with the relevant regulations, addressing product composition, manufacturer, storage methods and preparation. Labelling should also declare whether the product contains allergens or any potential cross-contamination with an allergen. Allergen testing can be a useful tool in establishing the relevant risk.

Spice and herb products should also be assessed to verify their authenticity and detect the presence of adulterants, based on morphological differences, foreign biomolecules or divergence from standards. Bespoke tests can be performed for specific herbs and spices when a new or unique adulteration risk may be present.

For example, the substitution of Ceylon cinnamon or true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) with another Cinnamomum species such as C. cassia may present a toxicity risk because of significantly higher levels of coumarin in the product, which can be assessed by quantifying the compound using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Chromatography-based techniques also have the potential to become a holistic screening tool for adulterants in herbs and spices, through the development of a library of unique reference fingerprints. This would allow for adulterants to be detected more rapidly, even without previous knowledge initiating food fraud testing, and ultimately give consumers greater peace of mind.