Whole spice · Piper nigrum L.
Specification and grades
Indian pepper commands a premium over Vietnamese and Indonesian origin because of piperine content and aroma, and Tellicherry Garbled Special Extra Bold sits at the top of that market. We buy garbled pepper from Idukki, Wayanad and Coorg, verify bulk density by litre weight, and ship against a declared piperine and volatile oil. Light berries and pinheads are the honest tell of a poorly garbled lot — we cap both explicitly.
- Botanical name
- Piper nigrum L.
- HS code (whole)
- 09041110
- Piperine
- 3.5% – 5.5% (declared per grade)
- Bulk density
- 500 – 600 g/l
Grades offered
- TGSEB
- TGEB
- MG1
- MUG1
| Grade | Character & typical use | Key value |
|---|---|---|
| TGSEB — Tellicherry Garbled Special Extra Bold | The premium grade. Largest, heaviest berries, most intense aroma. 4.75 mm+ screen. | ≥ 600 g/l |
| TGEB — Tellicherry Garbled Extra Bold | Bold berry, high aroma, one screen below TGSEB. 4.25 mm+. | ≥ 580 g/l |
| MG1 — Malabar Garbled Grade 1 | The commercial export standard. Clean, garbled, consistent. | ≥ 550 g/l |
| MUG1 — Malabar Ungarbled Grade 1 | Ungarbled; economical feedstock for grinding and extraction. | ≥ 500 g/l |
Technical
Typical export specification
These are the parameters we contract against. Every consignment ships with a pre-shipment certificate of analysis from an NABL-accredited laboratory, and we will work to a tighter buyer specification where your process demands it.
Read this as indicative. Figures reflect standard Indian export practice and
common buyer specifications for this line. The binding specification is the one written into
your contract and confirmed on the pre-shipment COA.
| Parameter | Specification | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | ≤ 12.0% | IS 1798 / ASTA 2.0 |
| Bulk density | 500 – 600 g/l (per grade) | ASTA 16.0 |
| Piperine | ≥ 3.5% (TGSEB ≥ 4.5%) | HPLC |
| Volatile oil | ≥ 2.0 ml/100 g | ASTA 5.0 |
| Total ash (dry basis) | ≤ 6.0% | AOAC 941.12 |
| Acid insoluble ash | ≤ 1.0% | AOAC 941.12 |
| Light berries | ≤ 2.0% | ASTA 14.0 |
| Pinheads | ≤ 2.0% | ASTA 14.0 |
| Extraneous / foreign matter | ≤ 0.5% | ASTA 14.0 |
| Whole insects, dead | ≤ 1 per 300 g | ASTA 12.0 |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g | ISO 6579 |
| Pesticide residues | Within EU MRLs (Reg. 396/2005) | LC-MS/MS & GC-MS/MS |