Coriandrum sativum L. · Family: Apiaceae · Dried Seed, Whole & Ground
One plant, two ingredients that taste nothing alike. Coriander seed is warm, sweet and citrus-floral; coriander leaf — cilantro — is green and sharp. This is the seed, graded as Eagle, Scooter or FAQ, with purity certified and volatile oil reported per lot.
Seed and leaf are different ingredients from the same plant
India is among the world's largest producers of coriander seed, and it is one of the country's staple spice exports. The trade grades it by seed size, colour and purity, with Eagle and Scooter the recognised export grades and FAQ the general commercial grade.
Before grade, however, comes a distinction that causes real specification errors: seed versus leaf. They come from the same plant and share a name across most of the world, but they are not remotely interchangeable. Seed is warm, sweet and citrus-floral, dominated by linalool — the backbone of curry powders, sausage seasoning and gin botanicals. Leaf, called cilantro in North America, is green and pungent, driven by aliphatic aldehydes, and is the source of the well-known soapy perception in part of the population.
A specification reading simply "coriander" has therefore not identified the ingredient. We supply the seed and declare it explicitly.
Beyond that, coriander is a straightforward commodity: specify purity and grade, and volatile oil if you are buying as extraction feedstock rather than for culinary use. Split coriander is a distinct product used where a coarser texture is wanted. EU MRL is tested per lot.
What carries the aroma
The dominant constituent of coriander seed volatile oil and the source of its sweet, floral-citrus character.
Typically 0.3–1% in whole seed — lower than cumin or fennel, which is why coriander is used generously rather than sparingly.
Supporting monoterpenes giving fresh, resinous top notes.
Contributing sweetness and a cool facet to the overall profile.
The bulk of the seed, relevant to grinding behaviour — coriander grinds to a fluffy, low-density powder.
The aliphatic aldehydes defining cilantro leaf are absent from seed. Their presence would indicate leaf contamination.
Why buyers specify Indian coriander by grade
The two parts are entirely different flavours. The declaration removes an ambiguity a name alone cannot.
Certified on the lot you are buying, with extraneous matter limits by grade.
Recognised trade grades on seed size and colour, with split coriander available where texture matters.
Relevant where seed is bought as extraction feedstock rather than for culinary use.
One of India's staple spice exports, with depth of supply across the season.
Whole seed for buyers who grind on receipt, split for coarse texture, or ground to a specified mesh.
These are functional and physico-chemical properties of the actives; SV Botanica does not make medical or therapeutic claims for this ingredient.
Trade grades and forms
| Grade | Standardisation | Form | Best For | Solubility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle / Scooter Grade Premium export | Bold, uniform seed; purity 99%+ | Pale green-brown round seed | EU and premium export markets | Whole |
| FAQ Grade Standard commercial | Fair average quality; purity 98–99% | Mid brown seed | General trade, grinding, domestic | Whole |
| Split Coriander Split | Mechanically split seed | Split seed halves | Coarse texture applications, masala grinding | Split |
| Ground Coriander Powder Ground | Milled to buyer-specified mesh | Pale brown powder, low density | Seasoning blends, food manufacturing | Ground |
| Sortex Cleaned Optically sorted | Purity 99.5%+; machine sorted | Clean, uniform seed | Where purity is the binding requirement | Whole |
Eagle and Scooter are seed-size and appearance grades, describing bold, uniform, well-coloured seed rather than a different variety. FAQ is the general commercial grade. Because these are trade descriptions whose meaning drifts between suppliers, specify purity as a percentage alongside the grade name. Split coriander is a genuinely different product form — mechanically split seed used where a coarser texture is wanted in masala grinding — and is not simply broken seed. Note that ground coriander is low density and bulky, which matters for packing volume and for blending, and that it loses aroma faster than whole seed.
Export specification for Indian coriander seed. Values are specification limits and typical grade ranges; a batch-specific CoA is issued per shipment.
| Parameter | Specification / Limit | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical Source | Coriandrum sativum L. | — |
| Plant Family | Apiaceae | — |
| Part Used | Dried seed (fruit) | — |
| Country of Origin | India | — |
| Form | Whole, split or ground | — |
| Colour | Pale green-brown to mid brown | Organoleptic |
| Odour & Taste | Characteristic, sweet and citrus-floral | Organoleptic |
| Purity (%) | 98–99.5 by grade — certified per lot | Manual / Sortex |
| Part Used | Seed only — leaf (cilantro) excluded | Declaration |
| Volatile Oil (% v/w) | Typically 0.3–1 — reported on request | Distillation |
| Moisture (% w/w) | NMT 9 | Gravimetric |
| Total Ash (% w/w) | NMT 7 | Gravimetric |
| Acid Insoluble Ash (% w/w) | NMT 1.5 | Gravimetric |
| Extraneous / Foreign Matter (%) | NMT 1.0 (NMT 0.5 on Eagle grade) | Manual |
| Damaged / Discoloured Seed (%) | To grade — specified at order | Manual |
| Mesh (ground) | Buyer-specified | Sieve |
| Pesticide Residues | EU Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 MRL compliant — tested per lot | GC-MS / LC-MS/MS |
| Aflatoxin | Total NMT 10 ppb; B1 NMT 5 ppb — EU compliant | HPLC-FLD |
| Ochratoxin A | NMT 10 ppb | HPLC-FLD |
| Heavy Metals | Lead NMT 3 ppm, Cadmium NMT 0.2 ppm | ICP-MS |
| Microbial | Salmonella absent/25g; TPC NMT 100,000 cfu/g | USP <2021> / <2022> |
| Ethylene Oxide (ETO) | Not treated — declaration provided | LC-MS/MS (on request) |
| Irradiation | Non-irradiated grade available on request | Declaration |
| Organic | USDA NOP / EU Organic available | Certification |
| Kosher / Halal | Certified (on request) | Certification |
| HS Code | 0909.21 (Whole); 0909.22 (Ground) | — |
| Documentation | Phytosanitary Certificate, CoA, MSDS, Allergen Declaration, Non-GMO | — |
| Packaging | Buyer-specified — jute, PP, multi-wall paper or vacuum | — |
| Storage | Cool, dry, well-ventilated; away from direct sunlight and strong odours | — |
The part declaration is the line to read first. Coriander seed and coriander leaf come from the same plant, share a name in most markets, and taste nothing alike — seed is warm, sweet and linalool-dominated; leaf is green, sharp and aldehyde-driven, and is called cilantro in North America. A specification saying only "coriander" has not identified which ingredient it means, and substituting one for the other does not weaken a flavour, it replaces it. We declare seed only. On grading, note that Eagle and Scooter describe seed size and appearance rather than variety, and that trade grade names drift between suppliers — so state a purity percentage alongside the name. Volatile oil is comparatively low on coriander at roughly 0.3 to 1%, which is why the spice is used generously rather than sparingly and why extraction buyers should specify the figure explicitly. Pesticide MRL is tested per lot.
From field to certified consignment — part-controlled, graded, documented
Sourcing & Grading: Sourced from Indian coriander growing regions and graded on seed size, colour and purity into Eagle, Scooter and FAQ grades, with Sortex optical sorting available where purity is binding. Split coriander is produced mechanically for buyers wanting a coarser texture.
Testing: Every lot is certified for purity with the seed-only part declaration stated, and volatile oil reported on request for extraction buyers. Pesticide residues are tested per lot against EU MRL limits, alongside aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, heavy metals by ICP-MS and a full microbiological panel. Non-irradiation and non-ETO declarations are standard.
Documentation: Every shipment is supplied against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis with Phytosanitary Certificate, MSDS, allergen and non-GMO declarations. Non-irradiation and non-ETO declarations are standard; organic, Halal and Kosher certification are available on request. See our guides on EU pesticide MRL compliance and EU import requirements.
What backs every batch of Coriander spice
Key information for global product registration and labelling
Worth stating on the certificate because the shared name causes genuine specification errors in international trade. Coriandrum sativum seed and leaf differ fundamentally: seed volatile oil is dominated by linalool and reads warm, sweet and citrus-floral, while leaf is dominated by aliphatic aldehydes, reads green and pungent, and is the source of the soapy perception experienced by a portion of the population. In much of the world the leaf is called coriander; in North America it is cilantro — which compounds the confusion when specifications cross borders. A purchase order naming only "coriander" is therefore ambiguous in a way that matters. We supply seed, declare it explicitly, and would recommend buyers carry the part through into their own specification and finished-product documentation.
Whole spices from India face closer residue scrutiny than most agricultural imports, and pesticide MRL is where consignments are most often stopped. We test per lot rather than per contract against EU Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 limits, because a certificate covering an earlier lot does not help when the current one is sampled at the border. Buyers should also confirm whether their commodity and origin currently sit on any increased-controls listing, since those are revised periodically and determine sampling frequency on arrival. Ethylene oxide remains one of the most common reasons Indian spice consignments are refused in the EU: we supply a non-treatment declaration as standard and can test by LC-MS/MS on request.
Supplied from India by SV Botanica — FSSAI Central Licence holder, Spices Board and APEDA registered exporter. Sourced from Indian coriander growing regions, with purity certified per lot. Shipped against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis with Phytosanitary Certificate and full export documentation. Packing is buyer-specified, and container stuffing photographs are provided on request.
Guides on coriander grades, standardisation and authenticity
Growing regions, grades and raw-material quality drivers.
QualitySubstitution routes on coriander and the controls that catch them.
TechnicalThe characterising marker, relevant where seed is bought for extraction.
Buyer's GuideGrades, part declaration and what to require on the certificate.
RegulatoryResidue limits, per-lot testing and what stops consignments at the border.
RegulatoryDocumentation, controls and border expectations for Indian spices.
Other seed spices from our range
Technical and commercial questions answered by our ingredients team
Eagle, Scooter, FAQ and split grades — whole or ground — with purity certified per lot, seed-only declaration and EU MRL tested per lot. Tell us your grade and purity requirement.
Supplied as a bulk ingredient for further manufacture. Buyers are responsible for compliance with the regulations of their destination market. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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