Overview
ISO 6577:2002 - "Nutmeg, whole or broken, and mace, whole or in pieces (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) - Specification" defines quality and commercial requirements for nutmeg and mace intended for wholesale trade. The standard covers product definitions, types and commercial categories (Siauw/Banda and Grenada types), sampling, test methods and marking/packing rules. Annex A provides recommended storage and transport conditions.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Product scope: Nutmeg (kernel) and mace (aril) from Myristica fragrans; Papua-type (Myristica argentea) excluded.
- Classification: Regional types (South‑east Asia - Siauw/Banda, and West Indies - Grenada) and commercial categories for whole, broken and sifted material.
- Physical and sensory: Characteristic aromatic odour and bitter, acrid, hot flavour; freedom from living insects and moulds; practically free from dead insects, fragments and rodent contamination.
- Extraneous matter: Maximum 0.5% by mass (method: ISO 927). Nutmeg in mace or mace in nutmeg is allowed but ≤ 3% by mass.
- Chemical requirements:
- Moisture: max 10% (ISO 939).
- Total ash (dry basis): nutmeg max 3%, mace max 4% (ISO 928).
- Acid‑insoluble ash: max 0.5% (ISO 930).
- Volatile oil content (ml/100 g, dry basis): nutmeg min 6.5; mace categories 1 & 2 min 7.5, category 3 min 5 (ISO 6571).
- Calcium (as CaO) for nutmeg: max 0.35% (ISO 1003).
- Sampling and testing: Sampling per ISO 948; ground sample preparation per ISO 2825 (cryogenic grinding recommended because of high fat content). For total ash, incinerate at 600 °C to ensure complete combustion.
- Packing & marking: Clean, dry containers; labels to include botanical name, producer/packer, batch, net mass, category, producing country and reference to ISO 6577.
Applications - who uses this standard
- Spice exporters and importers for contract specifications and quality acceptance.
- Food ingredient traders and packagers to classify and label commercial lots.
- Quality control and analytical laboratories for test methods and conformance checks.
- Food safety regulators and procurement teams setting purchasing criteria or enforceable standards.
- Logistics providers following recommended storage and transport to preserve spice quality.
Related standards
Normative references cited in ISO 6577 include ISO 927, ISO 928, ISO 930, ISO 939, ISO 948, ISO 2825, ISO 6571 and ISO 1003 - all relevant for sampling, test methods and analytical determination of moisture, ash and volatile oil content.
Keywords: ISO 6577:2002, nutmeg specification, mace specification, Myristica fragrans, spice quality, moisture content, volatile oils, spice testing, storage and transport.
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