Bay leaves are not one interchangeable botanical product. Mediterranean laurel or bay leaf is Laurus nobilis, while Indian tejpat is Cinnamomum tamala; other regional leaves may also be sold under similar common names. A comparable lot needs the scientific name, growing and processing origins, whole, broken, crushed or powder form, leaf size and colour, moisture, extraneous and foreign matter, acid-insoluble ash, volatile oil, crude fibre where applicable, pesticide, microbiological, mycotoxin and authenticity results, crop and packing dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.
India's FSSAI compendium defines dried laurel or dried bay leaf as Laurus nobilis and sets separate requirements for whole leaves and powder. Whole leaves have an 8 percent moisture ceiling, 2 percent extraneous-vegetable-matter ceiling, 0.2 percent foreign-matter ceiling, 2 percent acid-insoluble-ash ceiling and 1.0 millilitre-per-100-gram volatile-oil floor. Powder retains the 8 percent moisture and 2 percent acid-insoluble-ash ceilings, with a 0.8 millilitre-per-100-gram volatile-oil floor and 30 percent crude-fibre ceiling. These are product-standard thresholds, not typical lot results, supply volumes or prices.
Kew accepts Laurus nobilis L., native to the Mediterranean, and Cinnamomum tamala (Buch.-Ham.) T.Nees & C.H.Eberm., native from the Himalaya to western Yunnan and Indo-China, as different species in the Lauraceae family. FSSAI likewise maintains separate product identities for dried laurel or bay leaf and tejpat. Atlas does not merge their specifications, origins or values merely because both may be called bay leaf in commerce.
FSSAI defines whole dried laurel leaf and powder separately and applies different volatile-oil and physical-quality requirements. Whole-lot inspection can retain leaf shape, colour, insect damage, extraneous vegetation and foreign matter, while powder removes many visual identity signals and increases the importance of botanical authentication, particle profile, ash, fibre and adulteration testing. Atlas preserves the commercial form and sampling method before comparing tests.
The FSSAI ceilings and floors establish reference requirements, not a result for an untested lot. Atlas attaches each moisture, ash, volatile-oil, fibre, pesticide, microbiological, mycotoxin or authenticity result to the sample, laboratory, method and test date. Codex identifies dried laurel leaves as Laurus nobilis under commodity code DH 0723 and treats the wholesale or retail commodity as the analysed portion for residue classification, but destination-specific legal limits still need current verification.
The official composition limits establish identity and minimum or maximum quality boundaries; they do not establish current production, availability or value. A delivered estimate still needs a defined botanical species and form, current permitted observations, origin, crop and packing dates, grade and test evidence, package and quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.
No. Bay laurel is Laurus nobilis, while tejpat is Cinnamomum tamala. They are different species with different official product identities, so botanical name and origin must be explicit.
No. A standard supplies reference thresholds. Compliance for a shipment requires representative sampling, an identified method, lot-linked test results and the applicable destination rules.
Powder removes visual identity and physical-defect signals available in whole leaves. FSSAI also applies a lower volatile-oil floor to powder and adds a crude-fibre ceiling, so form changes the evidence needed for comparison.
Scientific name, growing and processing origins, whole, broken, crushed or powder form, leaf size and colour, moisture, extraneous and foreign matter, acid-insoluble ash, volatile oil, crude fibre where applicable, pesticide, microbiological, mycotoxin and authenticity results, crop and packing dates, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.
Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.