Plant Part : Berries
State : Whole dried, sterilized
Grades : ASTA and FAQ Grinding Grade

Product Characteristics

Physical Parameters	Specifications	Chemical Parameters	Specifications
Appearance	Dried, Whole, wrinkled grains	Moisture Content	12% (max)
Color	Black – brown, max 5% skinless(light-colored) berries	Volatile Oil	2% (min)
Aroma	Aromatic, strong,  spicy	Ash Content	7% (Max)
Flavor	Strong hot, pungent
Microbial Tolerance	Specifications	Mycotoxin Tolerance	Specifications
For Sterilized Black Pepper		Product destined for European Market
Total Plate Count	<100.000 cfu/gr	Aflatoxin	Max 5 ppb
E. Coli	<10 mpn/ gr	Ochratoxin	Max 3 ppb
Salmonella	Absent cfu/gr	Product destined for US Market:
Yeast and Mold	<1000 cfu/ gr	Aflatoxin	Max 20 ppb
Coliforms	<100 mpn/ gr

Others
Foreign Matter:
All items foreign to the plant from which the herbs of spice is sourced
Tolerance : < 1%

Extraneous Matter:
Item derived from the plant  from which  the herbs or spice has been sourced (for example, in case of black pepper berries : stalk, leaves, twigs,etc)
Tolerance : 1 maximum

ASTA Grade:
Max. 2% light berries
Bulk Density minimum 560g/l

Grinding Grade:
Max. 6% light berries
Bulk density minimum 450g/l