Spices are a vital component of food and cuisines across the world. They are used not only in households, but also in hotels, restaurants, eateries and food processing industries. The fat content of spices poses problems due to temperature rise which traditional grinding brings. Due to a rise in temperature almost 15%-43% of essential oils are lost in the grinding process. Due to this temperature rise, spices lose a significant amount of their volatile oil and flavouring components. The loss of volatile oil can be significantly reduced by cooling the spices before feeding to the grinder and also maintaining the ultra-low temperature in the grinding zone. In cryogenic grinding, liquid nitrogen provides the refrigeration needed to pre-cool the spices and maintain the desired low temperature by absorbing the heat generated during the grinding operation. In addition to maintaining the low temperature, vaporization of the liquid nitrogen to the gaseous state, in fact, creates an inert and dry atmosphere for additional protection of spice quality. Pre-cooling of the raw spice and the continuous low temperature maintenance within the grinder reduces the loss of volatile oils, colour and moisture thereby retaining most of the flavour strength per unit mass of spice. The extremely low temperature in the grinder solidifies oils so that the spices become brittle. They crumble easily permitting grinding to a finer and more consistent size. Using liquid nitrogen or liquid air as the cryogen, all of thermo-sensitive spices can be ground below their brittle point temperature. The colour and other properties of the products of cryogenic grinding will be much better than the ambient grinding in terms of their flavour, aroma, and nutritional values. High quality cryogenically ground spice powder holds a domestic as well as an international market.
In the year 2013, Hathi Masala established India’s First and World’s Largest Cryogenic Grinding Facility. The company stands as a pioneer for the same. Following their advancement, the importance of a scientific approach to aid quality and consistency has been welcomed by the spices industry.
At Hathi Masala, spices are ground and packed following FSSAI’s guidelines. The ultra-modern food-grade processing plant takes special care of hygiene, weather, air particles, as well as microbes. Processing is done in a standard FSSAI approved stainless steel machinery which preserves the qualities and ingredients of the spices. Spices are packed in an automated facility, as well as by avoiding direct human contact. Also, thorough examination and testing by an experienced expert is undertaken at regular intervals which aids consistency, quality, and uniformity of taste. The company’s R&D department stays on a constant watch to make sure all vital advancements are met. The company, furthermore, has numerous advancements planned and lined-up for the near future.
