Overview
ISO 5562:1983 specifies quality, testing, packing and marking requirements for turmeric, whole or ground (powdered). The standard covers sensory attributes (odour, flavour), freedom from contamination (insects, moulds, extraneous matter), grading by presentation and particle size, key chemical limits, sampling and test methods, plus an annex with practical recommendations for storage and transport.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope: Applies to cured rhizomes of Curcuma longa (whole bulbs/fingers) and ground turmeric powder.
- Organoleptic quality: Turmeric shall have the characteristic odour and flavour and be free from mustiness or foreign flavours.
- Freedom from infestation and filth:
- Whole turmeric: free from living insects and moulds; practically free from dead insects, fragments and rodent contamination (visible to naked eye or under magnification up to X10 - higher magnification must be reported).
- Ground turmeric: filth determined per ISO 1208.
- Extraneous matter:
- Whole turmeric: proportion of extraneous matter (chaff, leaves, stones, soil, other vegetable matter) shall not exceed 2% (m/m) as determined by ISO 927.
- Ground turmeric: must be free of morphologically extraneous matter (microscopic examination).
- Defective rhizomes: Shrivelled, internally damaged, hollow, scorched or porous rhizomes-defective proportion shall not exceed 5% (m/m).
- Grading:
- Whole: by presentation (rhizomes/fingers/bulbs), origin and extraneous matter content.
- Ground: by particle size - coarse powder: 98% through 500 µm sieve; fine powder: 98% through 300 µm sieve (ISO 3588).
- Chemical requirements (examples from table):
- Moisture content: maxima reported as 12% (whole) and 10% (ground) (ISO 939).
- Acid‑insoluble ash: maximum 1.5% on dry basis (ISO 930).
- Colouring power (curcuminoids): minimum 2% on dry basis (ISO 5566).
- (Total ash and future toxic substance limits to follow Codex/FAO-WHO recommendations.)
- Sampling & testing: Sampling per ISO 948; sample preparation ISO 2825; tests referenced throughout (ISO 927, 928, 930, 939, 1208, 3568/3588, 5566).
Applications and users
ISO 5562 is used for:
- Quality control and specification writing by turmeric producers, processors and packers
- Procurement and contract specifications for importers/exporters and traders
- Laboratory testing and quality assurance in food safety and analytical labs
- Regulatory agencies and standards bodies harmonizing spice standards
- Logistics and warehousing teams applying the annex guidance on storage and transport to protect colour, volatile oils and prevent infestation
Practical benefits include consistent product quality, clear acceptance criteria for trade, harmonised test methods for disputes, and guidance to minimise post‑harvest losses.
Related standards
Standards referenced in ISO 5562 (used for sampling and test methods):
Keywords: ISO 5562, turmeric specification, turmeric quality, spices standard, sampling, methods of test, packing, storage, transport, curcuminoids.