Black Pepper

Shelf Life

1 Year

Packaging type

Plastic Packet

Location

Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

(A) PHYSICAL PARAMETERS:
S.No.	Test/Parameter	Limit/Standard	Remark
	Parameter	Unit	Standard
	Size of Peppercorn	mm	4.5 - 5.5 mm
	Shape	-	Round, smooth
	Color	-	Dark brown to black
	Taste	-	Strong, pungent
	Odor	-	Characteristic peppery aroma
	Moisture Content	%	Max 12%
	Total Ash	%	Max 8%
	Acid Insoluble Ash	%	Max 1%
	Extraneous Matter	%	Max 0.5%
	Light Berries	%	Max 1%
	Moldy Berries	%	Max 1%
	Damaged Berries	%	Max 2%

(B) CHEMICAL PARAMETERS:
	Parameter	Unit	Standard
	Volatile Oil Content	%	Min 2%
	Piperine Content	%	4.5% - 7%
	Moisture Content	%	Max 12%
	Total Ash	%	Max 8%
	Acid Insoluble Ash	%	Max 1%
	Extraneous Matter	%	Max 0.5%
	Non-Volatile Ether Extract	%	Max 8%
	Crude Fiber	%	Max 6%
	Total Heavy Metals (Pb)	ppm	Max 10
	Arsenic (As)	ppm	Max 3
	Total Aflatoxin (B1+B2+G1+G2)	ppb	Max 30

(C) MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS:
	Parameter	Unit	Standard
	Total Plate Count (TPC)	CFU/g	Max 10^5
	Yeast and Mold Count	CFU/g	Max 10^4
	Salmonella	-	Absent in 25g
	E. coli	MPN/g	Absent in 0.1g
	Staphylococcus aureus	CFU/g	Absent in 0.1g