Lot selection
Origin, aroma, color, moisture and physical purity screening.
Quality system
Every lot is selected, cleaned, tested and documented.
Feronex builds quality around physical grade, food safety, documentation and buyer-specific compliance.
Process
From procurement to dispatch.
Cleaning
Machine cleaning, grading, destoning and sortex processing as required.
Testing
Micro, pesticide, aflatoxin, volatile oil and moisture testing on request.
Packing
Food-grade packaging, batch coding and export-ready staging.
Lab parameters
Buyer-ready analysis options.
| Parameter | Typical check | Report source |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | Max 9% for seeds | In-house / third party |
| Purity | 99% to 99.5% | Physical analysis |
| Aflatoxin | As per destination norms | Third-party lab |
| Pesticide residue | MRL as per buyer market | Third-party lab |
| Volatile oil | Buyer specification | Third-party lab |
Certificate
FSSAI shown as the primary compliance document.
FSSAI Licensed
Food safety licensing for Indian spice handling and packing, shown clearly for whole cumin seed buyers.
Lab parameters
What we test, and why a buyer should care.
A spec sheet full of numbers is only useful if you know which of them will stop your container at customs. These are the ones that actually do.
| Parameter | Typical limit | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | Max 7% | Above 8% the lot starts sweating in the container and arrives with mould. This is the single most common reason a cumin shipment is rejected on arrival. |
| Purity | 98% – 99.5% | The share of the bag that is actually cumin. The rest is stalk, dust and other seed — which you would otherwise be paying cumin prices for. |
| Admixture | 0.5% – 2% | Foreign matter by weight. European buyers usually need 0.5%; Gulf and Asian markets clear comfortably at 1%. |
| Volatile oil | 2.5% – 4.5% | The aroma and flavour strength. Grinders and oleoresin buyers price on this; a low figure means weak cumin regardless of how clean it looks. |
| Aflatoxin B1 / total | Destination limit | A mycotoxin from storage mould. The EU limit is far tighter than most markets, so the panel is set by where the container is going. |
| Pesticide residue | Destination MRL | Maximum residue levels differ by market and change periodically. We test against the list in force for your destination, not a generic one. |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25g | Required for most food-service and retail buyers, and for any lot destined for ready-to-eat production. |
| Total plate count | Buyer specification | General microbial load. Steam-sterilised or ETO-treated lots can be arranged where a buyer's spec demands a lower count. |
| Total ash / acid insoluble ash | Max 9% / 1.5% | Mineral content, effectively a second read on how much soil and dust survived cleaning. Mostly relevant for ground cumin. |
| Foreign matter & insect damage | Visual, per grade | Physical inspection at intake and again after Sortex. Damaged and discoloured seed is what the colour sorter is there to remove. |
If your market sets a limit we have not listed, send the spec across before ordering. Where our belt cannot hold a figure in a given season we will say so upfront rather than ship against a number we cannot meet.
How lots are checked
Sampling, and what gets a lot rejected.
Testing one convenient handful proves nothing. This is how a sample that actually represents the container is drawn.
- 01
Intake screening at the mandi
Before money changes hands: aroma, colour, moisture by meter, and a visual check for stalk, stone and immature seed. Lots that fail here are simply not bought.
- 02
Composite sampling after cleaning
Sub-samples are drawn from across the cleaned lot and combined, then quartered down to the laboratory portion. A single scoop from the top of one bag is not a sample.
- 03
Third-party laboratory panel
Moisture, purity, aflatoxin, pesticide residue and any buyer-specific parameter are run by an accredited external lab, not in-house.
- 04
Pre-shipment sample to the buyer
You receive a sample drawn from the actual lot, with that lot's own analysis attached, so you are comparing the report to the seed in your hand.
Moisture above 8%, musty or flat aroma, visible mould, heavy immature seed, or a lot whose origin cannot be traced to a known belt.
Purity that will not reach the contracted grade even after Sortex, or admixture that stays above the destination limit.
Any single lab parameter over the destination limit. The lot is quarantined and retested rather than blended into a passing lot.
Blend a failing lot into a passing one to average the numbers down. If a lot fails, you are told and offered a different one.
Paperwork
Documents that travel with the container.
Customs clearance fails on paperwork far more often than on quality. This is the standard set, issued before the vessel sails.
| Document | Issued by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Feronex | Value, terms and parties for customs valuation |
| Packing list | Feronex | Bag count, net and gross weight, batch numbers |
| Bill of lading | Shipping line | Title to the goods and proof of shipment |
| Certificate of origin | Chamber of Commerce | Establishes Indian origin for duty purposes |
| Phytosanitary certificate | Plant Quarantine, India | Confirms the consignment is pest free |
| Laboratory analysis report | Accredited third-party lab | The tested values for that specific lot |
| FSSAI licence copy | FSSAI | Proof the handler is licensed for food export |
| Fumigation certificate | Approved agency | On request, or where the destination requires it |
| Insurance certificate | Insurer | On CIF shipments |
After dispatch
Storage and shelf life at your end.
Cumin that left Mundra in spec can still go off in a warehouse. What we control ends at the port; this is what protects the lot after that.
Whole seed holds 18 to 24 months in sealed bags kept cool and dry. Ground cumin loses aroma much faster — plan on 9 to 12 months.
Below 25°C with stable humidity. Warm, damp storage restarts the moisture problem the drying was meant to end.
On pallets, clear of walls and floor, so air moves around the bags. Bags stacked against a cold outer wall collect condensation.
Every bag carries a lot and batch code. Rotating oldest first keeps your own customers from receiving the weakest aroma.
Quality questions
What buyers ask about our testing.
Do I get the report before I pay?
Yes. The laboratory analysis for your lot is shared before the container is sealed, not after payment. If the numbers do not suit you at that point, the lot does not ship.
Is the testing in-house or third party?
Moisture and physical purity are checked in-house at intake and again before dispatch. Aflatoxin, pesticide residue, volatile oil and microbiology are run by an accredited external laboratory, because our own word on those is not worth much to a customs officer.
Can you test against my country's specific limits?
Tell us the destination and we will set the panel against the limits in force there. EU pesticide MRLs, for example, are considerably tighter than most markets and change periodically, so we check the current list rather than a stored copy.
What happens if a lot fails a parameter?
It is quarantined and retested. It is never blended into a passing lot to bring the average down. If it still fails, you are told and offered an alternative lot.
Can you supply steam-sterilised or treated cumin?
Steam sterilisation can be arranged where a buyer's microbial specification requires it. It adds cost and lead time, so tell us early rather than after the lot is booked.
Is the sample representative of the whole container?
It is drawn as a composite — sub-samples taken from across the cleaned lot, combined and quartered down. A scoop from one bag would tell you about that bag and nothing else.
Verification
Need a report before confirming?
Send us the destination market and quality requirement. We will confirm the right test panel and share available lot details.
Request verification