Cumin trade begins with botanical identity, style and grade—not a generic spice label. Whole or intact, cracked and ground cumin from Cuminum cyminum are separate styles, while the Codex three-grade system applies physical defect tolerances to whole and cracked material and separate chemical limits to ground product. A usable offer identifies whole, cracked or ground style, declared class or grade, colour and aroma, extraneous vegetable and foreign matter, visible mould, damaged, defective and insect-damaged fruits, live and dead insects, rodent contamination, moisture, total ash, acid-insoluble ash and volatile oil, microbiological and pesticide-residue evidence, origin, harvest and processing dates, lot, treatment, package and net weight, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.
The figures below are current requirements from the FAO/WHO Codex Standard for Cumin CXS 327-2017, amended in 2021 and 2022. FAOSTAT separately records dated crop production, harvested area and yield through 2024. These standards and historical aggregates are not current lot availability, a physical offer or a live delivered cumin price.
Codex CXS 327-2017 defines cumin from the dried fruits, commonly called seeds, of Cuminum cyminum and recognizes whole or intact, cracked and ground styles. Whole and cracked material retain visible seed-form and defect evidence; grinding changes identity, adulteration, sampling and chemistry risks. Atlas keeps the named style and processing history before comparing quality, production, price or trade records.
Whole cumin may be classified as Grade I, II or III; ungraded material defaults to Grade III minimum requirements. Grade I whole or cracked cumin uses maximums of 8.5 percent total ash and 1.5 percent acid-insoluble ash on a dry basis and a 2.0 millilitre per 100 gram minimum volatile oil. Ground cumin instead uses a 9.5 percent total-ash maximum, 1.5 percent acid-insoluble-ash maximum and 1.3 millilitre volatile-oil minimum. All styles have a 10 percent moisture maximum.
The Codex physical table for whole and cracked cumin separates extraneous vegetable matter, foreign matter, visible mould, damaged or defective fruits, dead insects and fragments, rodent contamination, insect-damaged matter, live insects and mammalian excreta. Grade I limits include 1 percent extraneous vegetable matter, 0.1 percent foreign matter, 1 percent visible mould, 5 percent damaged or defective fruits, 0.5 percent insect-damaged matter and zero live insects. Atlas retains the sample, method, certificate context, microbiology, residues, treatment, packaging and custody with each result.
A Codex grade describes quality boundaries, not current supply or price. FAOSTAT production, harvested-area and yield records aggregate origins, grades, harvests and channels and preserve official, estimated or imputed flags. A delivered cumin price still requires a defined lot, current permitted physical observations, origin, harvest, style, grade, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas keeps the price unsupported when those fields are missing.
No. Whole and cracked cumin retain visible seed-form and defect evidence, while ground cumin has separate chemical limits and different identity and adulteration risks. The style must remain explicit.
CXS 327-2017 sets a 10 percent maximum moisture content for whole, cracked and ground cumin. The style, sample and method still travel with the result.
When whole cumin is ungraded, the Grade III requirements apply as the minimum. Atlas does not infer Grade I quality from an ungraded description.
Cuminum cyminum identity, whole, cracked or ground style, grade, colour and aroma, extraneous and foreign matter, mould and defect results, insect evidence, moisture, ash and volatile oil basis, microbiology and residues, origin, harvest and processing dates, lot, treatment, package, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.
Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.