Caraway Identity, Volatile Oil and Trade Evidence

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-13Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$2.2B

Producing countries tracked

11

Grading systems

2

Active supply risks

5

Trade corridors

5

Latest reviewed evidence

India's FSSAI compendium sets for Carum carvi whole or powder a 13 percent moisture ceiling, 8 percent total-ash ceiling, 1.5 percent acid-insoluble-ash ceiling, 2.5 millilitres-per-100-grams volatile-oil floor and 1 percent insect-damaged-matter ceiling. These are source-standard thresholds, not actual lot results, current supply, or prices. FSSAI separately lists black caraway under its own source terminology and different limits; Atlas does not transfer either product's specification to the other.

FSSAI common-caraway moisture ceiling

13

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI compendium dated 2022-03-03

FSSAI common-caraway total-ash ceiling

8

percent by mass on dry basis, maximum · FSSAI compendium dated 2022-03-03

FSSAI common-caraway acid-insoluble-ash ceiling

1.5

percent by mass on dry basis, maximum · FSSAI compendium dated 2022-03-03

FSSAI common-caraway volatile-oil floor

2.5

millilitres per 100 grams, minimum · FSSAI compendium dated 2022-03-03

FSSAI common-caraway insect-damaged-matter ceiling

1

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI compendium dated 2022-03-03

Common caraway, black caraway, black cumin and cumin stay separate

Kew accepts Carum carvi L. as common caraway. Codex likewise lists Carum carvi under the caraway-seed commodity entry, while its classification distinguishes cumin and black caraway or black cumin. FSSAI separately labels a black-caraway product using the source name Carum bulbocastanum. Atlas preserves each source's wording, requires a current botanical certificate for the traded lot and does not collapse similar common names into one specification or value.

Seed in trade is the dried fruit

Codex lists the commodity as caraway seed, Carum carvi L., under code HS 0774, while the traded spice is botanically the dried fruit. Atlas retains both the commercial description and the scientific name so a seed-labelled contract remains searchable without obscuring plant identity. The whole commodity as marketed is the Codex residue-classification portion unless a specific entry says otherwise.

Whole and powdered caraway need different authentication evidence

Grinding removes much of the morphology available for confirming whole fruits and can make substitution harder to detect. Atlas records form, particle profile, sampling, laboratory, method and test date with moisture, ash, volatile-oil, residue, microbiological and authenticity results. An official floor or ceiling is a reference requirement, not a certificate that an untested shipment complies.

Quality limits do not establish a delivered caraway price

The official identity and composition thresholds do not establish current production, availability or value. A delivered estimate still needs current permitted observations for the exact botanical identity and form, origin, crop and packing dates, quality 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.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are caraway and cumin the same spice?

No. Common caraway is Carum carvi, while cumin is Cuminum cyminum. Similar appearance or common-name usage does not make their botanical identity, specification or value interchangeable.

Why is caraway called a seed if it is botanically a fruit?

Seed is the established trade and Codex commodity description. Atlas retains that language for contract and search compatibility while also recording the scientific name and botanical form.

What does the FSSAI 2.5-percent volatile-oil floor prove?

It is a minimum reference requirement for Carum carvi under that source standard. It does not prove a particular lot's result; the shipment still needs representative sampling, a stated method, laboratory result and test date.

Which fields make caraway offers comparable?

Scientific name, growing and processing origins, whole or ground form, crop and packing dates, aroma and colour, extraneous matter, moisture, total and acid-insoluble ash, volatile oil, insect damage, pesticide, microbiological, mycotoxin and authenticity evidence, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.