spice
Let an agent handle spices by plant source, part used, flavour, allergens, adulteration and safe use.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle spices by plant source, part used, flavour, allergens, adulteration and safe use.
A seed, fruit, root, bark or other plant substance used mainly to flavour, colour or preserve food, such as pepper, cinnamon, fennel, cumin or celery powder.
What it is for: Flavouring, colouring and preserving food, and in traditional medicine and trade.
It can be cook with it; store it to keep flavour; label allergens such as celery and mustard; check for adulteration.
Distinguishing features
Plant substance used for flavour
Usually dried non-leaf parts
Adulteration is a known problem
Some are major allergens (celery, mustard, sesame)
What it looks like
Dried seeds, powders, barks, roots and pods with strong aromas and colours.
Physical character
typical use rate: 0.1-2 percent of dish weight - varies widely
How it is recognised
Aroma and colour
Labels with botanical name and origin
Herbs (leaves) are sometimes distinguished from spices
Related models
is a kind of - food ingredient
comes from - source
is used in - cooking
is traded in - spice trade
In practice
Families and kinds
seeds such as cumin and fennel
barks such as cinnamon
roots and rhizomes such as ginger
fruits and pods such as pepper and chilli
blends such as fish spices
Identifiers
botanical name binomial source plant
ISO spice standard ISO 676 nomenclature names
Standards and regulation
ISO 676 spices and condiments nomenclature
EU allergen labelling (celery, mustard, sesame)
Rules on contaminants such as aflatoxins
Failure modes and hazards
Adulteration with dyes or fillers
Undeclared allergens
Mycotoxin contamination
Overuse of some spices such as nutmeg
Also called
+27
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.spice-food
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identity Which spice.
Botanical source matters.
Source
Plant and part.
Source
Plant source.
- Which plant and part does it come from? definition
- What is its botanical name? provenance
Origin
Where grown.
Origin
Origin.
- Where was it grown? provenance
- Is origin labelled? boundary
Use Cooking.
Use shapes flavour.
Flavour
Taste profile.
Flavour
Flavour profile.
- What flavour does it give? definition
- How much should be used? measurement
Storage
Freshness.
Storage
Storage.
- How should it be stored to keep flavour? action
- How long does it keep? measurement
Safety Allergens and contaminants.
Safety information protects consumers.
Allergens
Declared allergens.
Allergens
Allergens.
- Is it or does it contain a declared allergen? boundary
- Is there cross-contact risk? boundary
Contaminants
Mycotoxins and adulterants.
Contaminants
Contamination.
- Has it been tested for mycotoxins and adulterants? provenance
- Are there recalls? boundary
Trade Quality and fairness.
Spice trade has quality and ethics issues.
Quality
Standards.
Quality
Quality grade.
- Which quality standard applies? provenance
- How is purity verified? action
Ethics
Fair trade.
Ethics
Trade ethics.
- Are producers paid fairly? boundary
- Which certification applies? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should individual spices be separate entries?
- How should adulteration alerts be linked?
- How should herbs and spices be distinguished?