Turmeric Powder from Fresh Turmeric Rhizome

Turmeric is an important tropical spice primarily valued for its color, aroma, antioxidant property and powder that could be used in food, perfumery, and pharmaceutical industries.  This ground spice is used as a  condiment. It is an essential ingredient of curry powders and is extensively used in traditional medicines. Traditional Indian medicine claims the use of its powder against biliary disorders, anorexia, cough etc. The process developed by CSIR-CFTRI reduces processing time and losses. 

Many processing steps are involved in the processing of turmeric powder by traditional methods. The heat treatment influences the color and the aroma of the final product. Excess thermal treatment (cooking) spoils the color of the final product while under-cooking renders the sun-dried product brittle. Generally, the processing time per batch can be as long as 2-3 weeks.

Turmeric is an important tropical spice primarily valued for its color, aroma, antioxidant property and powder that could be used in food, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries.  This ground spice is used as a  condiment. It is an essential ingredient of curry powders and is extensively used in traditional medicines.

The heat treatment of rhizomes enhances the extractability of high colour and flavor of constituents. Essentially, the process involves cleaning and washing of rhizomes, slicing, drying (in a mechanical dryer) and pulverizing. The processing time reduced to about 24 h.