Cumin Seeds specification for export: what your spec sheet must state
Short answerA buyer's QA team expects a cumin sheet to state the form (seeds or powder), purity as extraneous and foreign matter, volatile oil, moisture, total and acid-insoluble ash, broken and damaged seeds, uric acid and animal excreta, the microbiology panel, packing and the HS code, with your lab values and test methods.
What a buyer's QA team checks on a cumin sheet
Each row says why the buyer asks, the reference value where a public standard states one, and how to put your own value on the sheet. A reference value is not your specification: state your own lab result, and buyers compare it with their own requirements.
Physical
| Parameter | Why buyers ask | Reference value | State it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| MoistureSeeds (whole), Powder | Moisture decides mould risk and shelf life. | max 10.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Extraneous vegetable matter (seeds)Seeds (whole) | Stalks and chaff are what separates a machine-cleaned lot from a farm lot. | max 3 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Foreign matter (seeds)Seeds (whole) | Stones, metal and sack fibre are a food-safety issue, not just quality. | max 0.5 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Mouldy seedsSeeds (whole) | Mould is a visible defect and an aflatoxin flag. | max 1.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Damaged or defective seedsSeeds (whole) | Shrivelled and immature seed lowers oil and looks poor. | max 5.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Broken seedsSeeds (whole) | Breakage shows rough handling and lowers the grade. | max 3.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Insect-damaged matterSeeds (whole) | Bored seeds suggest infestation in storage. | max 1.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Extraneous matter (export testing)Seeds (whole) | Spices Board tests export lots of cumin seed for it before stuffing. | max 3.00 %Spices Board 05/2022-23 | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Other seeds (export testing)Seeds (whole) | Admixture with lookalike seeds is the classic cumin complaint. | max 0.25 %Spices Board 05/2022-23 | max __ % (state your lab value) |
Chemical
| Parameter | Why buyers ask | Reference value | State it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volatile oil (seeds, dry basis)Seeds (whole) | Volatile oil is the aroma buyers pay for; old or poorly stored seed loses it. | min 1.5 ml/100 gFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | min __ ml/100 g (state your lab value) |
| Volatile oil (powder, dry basis)Powder | Grinding drives off aroma, so powder buyers check it lot by lot. | min 1.3 ml/100 gFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | min __ ml/100 g (state your lab value) |
| Total ash (seeds, dry basis)Seeds (whole) | High ash means dust and soil. | max 12.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Total ash (powder, dry basis)Powder | In powder, ash is also an adulteration check. | max 9.5 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Acid-insoluble ash (seeds, dry basis)Seeds (whole) | The sand share; cleaning shows here. | max 4.0 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Acid-insoluble ash (powder, dry basis)Powder | The sand share in ground product. | max 1.5 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
Microbiological
| Parameter | Why buyers ask | Reference value | State it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerobic colony countSeeds (whole), Powder | Shows overall hygiene of drying, grinding and packing. A high count is the first thing a QA lab flags. | m 1×10⁶, M 1×10⁷ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2) | max __ cfu/g (state your lab value) |
| Yeast and mouldSeeds (whole), Powder | Signals moisture pick-up in storage and transit, which shortens shelf life. | m 1×10⁴, M 1×10⁵ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2) | max __ cfu/g (state your lab value) |
| EnterobacteriaceaeSeeds (whole), Powder | An indicator of post-process contamination; buyers selling into ready-to-eat use check it closely. | m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2) | max __ cfu/g (state your lab value) |
| Staphylococcus aureusSeeds (whole), Powder | Points to handling hygiene during manual sorting and packing. | m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2) | max __ cfu/g (state your lab value) |
| SalmonellaSeeds (whole), Powder | A food-safety criterion, not a hygiene one: one positive lot means rejection and often a border alert. | Absent/25 gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2) | absent in __ g (state your lab result) |
| Sulphite-reducing clostridiaSeeds (whole), Powder | Spore-formers survive drying; buyers using the product in soups and sauces ask for it. | m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2) | max __ cfu/g (state your lab value) |
| Bacillus cereusSeeds (whole), Powder | Another spore-former that matters when the buyer's product is held warm. | m 1×10³, M 1×10⁴ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2) | max __ cfu/g (state your lab value) |
Contaminants
| Parameter | Why buyers ask | Reference value | State it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dead insects, fragments, rodent contaminationSeeds (whole) | A hard reject for most food buyers. | max 0.5 % by massFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ % (state your lab value) |
| Animal excretaSeeds (whole) | A hygiene test that sun-dried, yard-cleaned seed often fails. | max 1.0 mg/kgFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ mg/kg (state your lab value) |
| Uric acid (dry basis)Seeds (whole), Powder | Uric acid is the lab marker for bird and rodent contamination. | max 100 mg/kgFSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) | max __ mg/kg (state your lab value) |
Forms and HS codes
- Seeds (whole): HS 0909 31 21, of seed quality (cumin, other than black); other cumin seeds under 0909 31 29
- Powder: HS code not verified on an official source; confirm with your CHA
Codes are quoted from the official documents linked. Confirm the current line with your customs broker before you file.
Packing formats buyers expect to see named
- PP woven bags with an inner liner
- Jute bags (seeds)
- Multi-wall paper bags with an inner poly liner (powder)
State the bag or carton, its liner, the net weight and how many fit a pallet or container. Those numbers are yours to state; no standard sets them.
What buyers in your main markets ask for
- EU and China. Spices Board permits cumin seed exports to the EU and China only with its Cleared Analytical Report. Source
- USA and Japan. For the USA and Japan, cumin seed exports need Spices Board's Cleared Analytical Report or its No Objection Certificate. Source
- EU. Spices under HS 0904 to 0910, which include cumin, need Spices Board's mandatory ethylene oxide testing and an official certificate for EU entry. Source
An example cumin sheet
This is how the parameters above sit on one page, for a fictional company. Reference values are shown where a standard states one; on a real sheet each value is the exporter's own lab result.
Example Spice ExportsUnjha, Gujarat, India
- Document
- SPEC-EXSPICE-CUMIN-v1
- Revision
- A
- Issued
- 2 November 2026
- Status
- Example
Product specification
Cumin
Seeds (whole)
- Extraneous vegetable matter (seeds)
- max 3 % by mass
- Volatile oil (seeds, dry basis)
- min 1.5 ml/100 g
- Moisture
- max 10.0 % by mass
| Parameter | Specification | Test method | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture | max 10.0 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Extraneous vegetable matter (seeds) | max 3 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Foreign matter (seeds) | max 0.5 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Mouldy seeds | max 1.0 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Damaged or defective seeds | max 5.0 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Broken seeds | max 3.0 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Insect-damaged matter | max 1.0 % by mass | Not stated | FSSAI 2.9.8 (v4) |
| Extraneous matter (export testing) | max 3.00 % | Not stated | Spices Board 05/2022-23 |
| Other seeds (export testing) | max 0.25 % | Not stated | Spices Board 05/2022-23 |
| Parameter | Specification | Test method | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volatile oil (seeds, dry basis) | min 1.5 ml/100 g | Not stated | |
| Total ash (seeds, dry basis) | max 12.0 % by mass | Not stated | |
| Acid-insoluble ash (seeds, dry basis) | max 4.0 % by mass | Not stated |
| Parameter | Specification | Test method | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerobic colony count | m 1×10⁶, M 1×10⁷ cfu/g | IS 5402 / ISO 4833 | |
| Yeast and mould | m 1×10⁴, M 1×10⁵ cfu/g | IS 5403 / ISO 21527 Part 1 and Part 2 | |
| Enterobacteriaceae | m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g | IS/ISO 7402 / ISO 21528 Part 2 | |
| Staphylococcus aureus | m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g | IS 5887 Part 2 and Part 8 / ISO 6888-1 or ISO 6888-2 | |
| Salmonella | Absent/25 g | IS 5887 Part 3 / ISO 6579 | |
| Sulphite-reducing clostridia | m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g | ISO 15213 | |
| Bacillus cereus | m 1×10³, M 1×10⁴ cfu/g | IS 5887 Part 6 / ISO 7932 |
| Parameter | Specification | Test method | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dead insects, fragments, rodent contamination | max 0.5 % by mass | Not stated | |
| Animal excreta | max 1.0 mg/kg | Not stated | |
| Uric acid (dry basis) | max 100 mg/kg | Not stated |
Commercial
- Packing
- On request
- MOQ
- On request
- Shelf life
- On request
- Storage
- Cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight
- Origin
- Unjha, Gujarat, India
- Port of loading
- Mundra
- HS code
- 0909 31 21 (confirm with your CHA)
Forms we supply
| Form | HS code |
|---|---|
| Seeds (whole) this sheet | 0909 31 21 |
| Powder | Confirm with your CHA |
Mistakes on cumin sheets that make buyers go quiet
- Writing a purity percentage without saying how extraneous and foreign matter were tested.
- Leaving out volatile oil, the main quality figure for cumin.
- No uric acid or animal excreta results, which hygiene-focused buyers ask for first.
- Assuming any destination accepts a sample-drawn certificate; EU and China need the Cleared Analytical Report.
Questions a buyer will send you
- Is this machine-cleaned or Sortex-cleaned, and what is the purity?
- What is the volatile oil content?
- Is the seed Singapore quality or European quality cleaning?
- Do you have the Spices Board analytical report for this lot?
Your sheet should look like this. The Buyer-Ready Pack builds it for up to 3 products, along with your Google listing and export page: ₹45,000, 10 working days.
Sources
- Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.9: Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products, FSSAI, Version 4 (01.08.2025)
- Appendix B: Microbiological Requirements, Table 3 (Spices and Herbs), Tables 3A and 3B, FSSAI, Version 2 (04.11.2024)
- Circular No. 05/2022-23: Mandatory Sampling & Testing of export consignments of Spices & Spice products under the Quality Evaluation System of Spices Board, Spices Board, 27 May 2022
- Comprehensive Guidelines on Prevention of Ethylene Oxide (EtO) contamination in Spices Exports (Doc No. SB/EXP/SOP/02 Rev.01), Spices Board, Issued 06.05.2024 (Circular No. 3/24-25)
Checked 2 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal, tax or compliance advice.