Zingiber officinale Roscoe · Family: Zingiberaceae · Dried Rhizome
Dry ginger is graded largely on how it was processed rather than how it was grown. Cochin Garbled is limed and peeled; Calicut is left unpeeled. And where material has been bleached, the question worth asking — and rarely asked — is whether sulphur was involved, because sulphites above 10 mg/kg are a declarable allergen in the EU.
A spice graded on processing, not just origin
Dry ginger is the cured, dried rhizome of Zingiber officinale, and unlike most spices its trade grades describe what was done to it after harvest rather than where it grew. Cochin Garbled (CG) is limed and peeled — scraped clean and treated with a lime wash that gives it the characteristic pale buff exterior. Calicut is left unpeeled, darker and more fibrous. Both are legitimate; they serve different buyers.
The number that matters across all of them is volatile oil, which drives aroma and is where curing and drying quality shows up. Peeled Cochin material typically runs higher, at minimum 2.0 ml/100g against 1.5 for unpeeled Calicut, and ground ginger lower still at 1.2 — grinding and storage cost volatile oil, which is the practical argument for buying whole where you can.
One processing route deserves a direct question. Bleached ginger is produced to give a paler, more uniform appearance, and bleaching can involve sulphur treatment. In the EU, sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 mg/kg must be declared as an allergen. This is not a hypothetical: it is one of the ways a spice arrives carrying an undeclared allergen. We state sulphite status on the certificate and supply unbleached material as the default.
The other thing worth knowing is chemical. Fresh ginger's pungency comes from gingerols; drying converts a portion of them to shogaols, which are sharper and more penetrating. Dry ginger is not simply fresh ginger with the water removed — it is a different flavour, and substituting one for the other in a formulation does not work on a straight dry-weight basis.
What is in the dried rhizome
The pungent principles of fresh ginger, partially converted during drying. Dominant in fresh material, reduced in dry.
Formed from gingerols during drying and heating. Sharper and more penetrating — the reason dry ginger tastes different from fresh, not merely weaker.
The aroma fraction, typically 1.2–2.0 ml/100g by grade. Declared per lot; the number where curing and drying quality shows.
Formed on cooking; contributes the sweet-warm note in baked and heated applications.
The bulk of the dried rhizome, and the reason ginger powder behaves as it does in dry blends.
Bleaching can involve sulphur. Sulphites above 10 mg/kg are a declarable EU allergen. Status stated per lot.
Why buyers specify Indian dry ginger by process grade
The number that tracks curing and drying quality, declared rather than assumed from grade name.
Bleaching can involve sulphur, and sulphites above 10 mg/kg are a declarable EU allergen. We state it.
Limed and peeled, or natural unpeeled — the processing route stated, not implied by a grade name.
Limed, peeled, split, bleached or natural. Buyers with clean-label requirements need this before they order.
Sourced from established Indian growing regions with genuine Indian cultivation behind the origin claim.
Whole rhizome for buyers grinding on receipt, or powder to a buyer-specified mesh.
These are functional and physico-chemical properties of the actives; SV Botanica does not make medical or therapeutic claims for this ingredient.
Processing grades and forms
| Grade | Standardisation | Form | Best For | Solubility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochin Garbled (CG) Limed and peeled | Volatile oil min 2.0 ml/100g; moisture NMT 10% | Pale buff exterior | Premium export, retail, grinding | Whole |
| Calicut (Unpeeled) Natural, unpeeled | Volatile oil min 1.5 ml/100g; moisture NMT 12% | Dark, fibrous exterior | Grinding, extraction, clean-label | Whole |
| Split / Bleached Split or bleached | Volatile oil min 1.5 ml/100g; sulphite status stated | Pale, split rhizomes | Where a pale appearance is required | Whole / split |
| Ginger Powder Ground | 40–60 mesh; volatile oil min 1.2 ml/100g; total ash NMT 8% | Buff to pale brown powder | Seasonings, bakery, beverages | Ground |
| Extraction Grade Feedstock | Specified on volatile oil and gingerol rather than appearance | Whole or split | Oleoresin and oil production | Whole / split |
These grades describe processing, not quality tiers. Cochin Garbled is limed and peeled and commands a premium largely on appearance and higher volatile oil; Calicut is unpeeled, darker and often preferred by buyers who want the minimum of post-harvest intervention — including clean-label formulators. Neither is inherently better; they answer different requirements. Bleached material is the one to ask about: bleaching can involve sulphur treatment, and sulphites above 10 mg/kg are a declarable allergen in the EU. We state sulphite status per lot and default to unbleached. For extracted forms see ginger oleoresin.
Export specification for Indian dry ginger, whole and ground. Values are specification limits and typical grade ranges; a batch-specific CoA is issued per shipment.
| Parameter | Specification / Limit | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical Source | Zingiber officinale Roscoe | — |
| Plant Family | Zingiberaceae | — |
| Part Used | Dried rhizome | — |
| Country of Origin | India | — |
| Form | Whole, split or ground | — |
| Colour | Pale buff (peeled) to dark brown (unpeeled) | Organoleptic |
| Odour & Taste | Characteristic, warm and pungent | Organoleptic |
| Volatile Oil (ml/100g) | Min 1.2–2.0 by grade — declared per lot | Distillation |
| Processing Method | Limed / peeled / split / bleached / natural — declared | Declaration |
| Sulphites (SO2) | Status stated per lot — declarable EU allergen above 10 mg/kg | By titration |
| Moisture (% w/w) | NMT 10 (peeled); NMT 12 (unpeeled) | Gravimetric |
| Total Ash (% w/w) | NMT 8 | Gravimetric |
| Acid Insoluble Ash (% w/w) | NMT 1.5 | Gravimetric |
| Extraneous / Foreign Matter (%) | NMT 1.0 (NMT 0.5 on Cochin Garbled) | Manual |
| Gingerols / Shogaols | Reported on request (extraction route) | By HPLC |
| Mesh (ground) | 40–60 or 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 | 0910.11 (Whole); 0910.12 (Crushed/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 | — |
Two lines on this specification are there because dry ginger is a processed spice, not merely a dried one. The first is the processing method declaration. Cochin Garbled has been limed and peeled; Calicut has not; split and bleached material has undergone further treatment. Buyers with clean-label positions frequently want the least-processed route and cannot tell from a grade name alone, so we state it. The second is sulphite status, and it is the one we would flag hardest. Bleaching ginger to a paler, more uniform appearance can involve sulphur treatment, and in the EU sulphur dioxide and sulphites at more than 10 mg/kg must be declared as an allergen under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. A buyer who receives bleached ginger without asking has taken on an allergen question they may not know they hold. We default to unbleached material and state the status on every certificate. On the flavour side, note that drying converts gingerols to shogaols, so dry ginger is a different flavour from fresh rather than a concentrated version of it — substitution on a dry-weight basis will not give the result you expect. Pesticide MRL is tested per lot.
From Kerala rhizome to certified consignment — cured, graded, documented
Sourcing & Processing: Sourced from Kerala and the northeastern growing regions. Curing, drying and any peeling or liming is recorded and declared on the certificate, with unbleached material supplied as the default. Grading follows the trade convention — Cochin Garbled for limed and peeled, Calicut for natural unpeeled — with split and powder forms produced to order.
Testing: Every lot carries a volatile oil figure and a sulphite status statement, with gingerol and shogaol 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 Dry Ginger spice
Key information for global product registration and labelling
This is the compliance point most dry-ginger enquiries never raise, and it is a real one. Ginger is sometimes bleached to give a paler, more uniform appearance, and that process can involve sulphur treatment. Under EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg must be declared among the fourteen allergens. A buyer who orders bleached ginger on appearance alone, without asking what produced the appearance, may be taking a declarable allergen into a product with no declaration behind it. We supply unbleached material as the default and state sulphite status on every certificate. Where a buyer specifically requires bleached material, the status is stated so the labelling decision can be made properly rather than discovered later.
Worth stating because it causes genuine formulation errors. Fresh ginger's pungency comes from gingerols. During drying, a portion of those convert to shogaols, which are sharper, more penetrating and read differently on the palate. The consequence is that substituting dry for fresh on a dry-weight basis does not give the same flavour — it gives a different one, usually harsher than intended. Formulators moving between fresh, dried and extracted ginger should re-taste in the finished matrix rather than converting arithmetically. For applications where consistency across seasons matters more than the whole-spice label, ginger oleoresin standardised on gingerols is the more controllable route.
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 Kerala and the northeastern growing regions, with processing method and sulphite status declared 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 ginger grades, standardisation and sourcing
Growing regions, curing routes and what drives quality.
TechnicalHow gingerols and shogaols are assayed, and what the split tells you.
QualitySubstitution and dilution routes on ginger, and the controls that catch them.
Buyer's GuideForms, grades 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.
Related products from our range
Technical and commercial questions answered by our ingredients team
Cochin Garbled, Calicut, split and powder grades with volatile oil declared per lot, processing method stated and sulphite status on the certificate. Tell us your grade and whether you need unbleached.
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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