When you buy fennel seeds from India, check four things first: origin, green colour, oil content and admixture. Coriander seeds and ajwain have their own checks, but the method is the same: write a specification, test a lot sample, and compare it with what you are offered.
All three are grown and traded around Gujarat and Rajasthan, with the largest seed market at Unjha. They are cheap enough per kilo that buyers often skip testing. That is how problems get through.
Fennel: origin, colour and oil
Fennel is graded mainly by origin, seed size, colour and cleanliness. Gujarat fennel and Lucknow fennel are different products: Gujarat seed is generally larger and the trade values Lucknow fennel for its small, sweet seed. See the difference between Lucknow and Gujarat fennel and the grades of Indian fennel seed.
Green colour matters because buyers read it as freshness. That also makes it a target for added colour, so ask your laboratory about colour additives, and read why green colour is important in fennel seed.
If the seed is for extraction or flavouring, add a volatile oil requirement to the specification. Ask the supplier to state how the oil content was measured, because different methods give different numbers.
Coriander seeds: type, splits and admixture
Coriander seed is sold as whole round seed or as splits, and by type: some are bold and green-yellow, others small and darker. Colour, aroma and the share of split or broken seed all shape the grade. The grades of Indian coriander seed and the difference between the common trade types explain the terms, which vary between traders.
Ask for a limit on admixture, which means other seeds and plant parts mixed in. Coriander is harvested in spring and stored through the year, so also ask for the crop year. Old stock loses colour and aroma.
Ajwain: thymol and cleanliness
Ajwain, also called carom seed, is small, so dust and stalk fragments are hard to remove. Buyers usually specify thymol content, since thymol gives ajwain its sharp flavour. Ask for a laboratory figure on the lot, not a typical value, and agree the export grade in writing.
For ajwain export from India the usual route is cleaned seed in 25 kg or 50 kg bags, packed in a container with other seeds if the volume is small. Check with the supplier whether mixing in one container is possible for your order size.
Tests every buyer of these three seeds should order
Limits for residues and treatments change, so confirm the current ones with your customs broker or the authority in your country before setting the specification. The tests below are the usual set.
- Purity and foreign matter, measured on a sample drawn from the lot.
- Moisture, because seed that is too wet will clump, mould or lose colour in transit.
- Microbiology, in particular salmonella, which is a recurring concern for dried seeds and spices in the EU.
- Pesticide residues against the maximum residue limits of your destination.
- Ethylene oxide, if the seed is steam- or gas-treated. Confirm what treatment your market allows.
Next step
If you buy all three seeds, ask one supplier for a combined offer only if that supplier cleans each seed on its own line. Otherwise you will be paying a trader's margin on top of a processor's work. We help buyers sort this out through audits and lot testing. To discuss your range, book a free sourcing review.