Machine-clean cumin has been through sieves, aspirators, de-stoners and gravity separators that remove dust, stones, stalks and light seeds. Sortex-clean cumin has also passed through an optical colour sorter, which removes discoloured, damaged and foreign particles that the machines miss.
Sortex-clean cumin usually has higher purity and a more even look. It costs more because the sorter rejects some good seed and adds a processing step.
What is left after machine cleaning
Cumin arrives at the processor from markets such as Unjha with field dirt, stalks, weed seeds and dust. Machine cleaning takes out most of it by size, weight and shape. What remains is material that matches cumin closely in those ways.
- Stalk pieces of similar length and thickness to the seed.
- Weed seeds and other seeds of similar size.
- Shrivelled, immature or dark seeds.
- Small mud balls or particles that slipped past the de-stoner.
What the colour sorter adds
The sorter looks at each seed with cameras and blows out anything the wrong colour. On cumin, that removes many dark seeds, stalk bits and look-alike seeds. Some processors run two passes for their top grades.
The sorter cannot remove what looks like cumin. Seeds of a similar colour and internal insect damage can pass. It also does nothing for pesticide residues, microbes or ethylene oxide. Sortex-clean is a physical quality, not a safety guarantee.
How the grades line up
Cumin is commonly traded in grades such as Singapore quality and Europe quality, with sortex-clean grades above them. Singapore quality is generally a machine-clean grade with lower purity, Europe quality is cleaner, and sortex grades are cleaner still. Exact purity figures for each grade vary by supplier and season, so do not rely on the name alone.
Our guides to Singapore, Europe and Bold quality cumin and what purity to ask for in cumin go into the grades in more detail.
Which one fits your use
- Retail whole cumin in the EU, UK or US: usually sortex-clean.
- Grinding or blending at your own plant: machine-clean may be enough if purity and foreign matter limits are met.
- Markets that accept market-grade cumin and price it closely: machine-clean grades.
- Not sure: get samples of both grades from the same lot and compare them on your own line.
Write numbers, not names
- Purity as a minimum percentage by weight.
- Limits for admixture, foreign matter and stones.
- Moisture maximum and test method.
- Residue, microbiological and ETO requirements for your market.
- Whether the sorting must be done in the supplier's own plant.
How we help
We visit the processor's cleaning and sorting line in operation, hand-sort lot samples against your purity spec at the factory, and send sealed samples to an NABL-accredited lab for residues. To choose the right cumin grade, ask for a free sourcing review.