Difference between revisions of "Mace"

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==Description==
 
==Description==
Mace is the dried, crimson-colored, lacy seed covering (aril) removed from the nutmeg, which is enclosed in a peach-like [[fruit]]. It comes from the Moluccas. Odor and taste are highly aromatic and spicy. Postharvest air-drying renders mace hornlike, brittle and waxy. In its commercial forms, mace is pressed flat and dried or ground. The term spice is used to refer to plant parts which serve to improve the odor and flavor of foods. They contain [[Essential Oils]] and other ingredients which have a strong seasoning action.
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The nutmeg tree is important for two spices derived from the [[fruit]]: nutmeg and mace.<br><br>
<br><br>
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Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20 to 30 mm long and 15 to 18 mm wide, and weighing between 5 and 10 g dried, while mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering or aril of the seed. The first harvest of nutmeg trees takes place 7–9 years after planting, and the trees reach full production after 20 years. Nutmeg is usually used in powdered form. This is the only tropical fruit that is the source of two different spices. Several other commercial products are also produced from the trees, including [[essential oils]], extracted oleoresins, and nutmeg [[butter]].<br><br>
Spices are processed, cleaned, graded and carefully packaged for overseas dispatch in the countries where they are cultivated. They are dried to preserve them for transport and storage. In consumer countries, they are delivered to spice mills, where they are cleaned and graded again, ready for sale in unground or ground form.
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The common or fragrant nutmeg, Myristica fragrans, native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia, is also grown in Penang Island in Malaysia and the Caribbean, especially in Grenada. It also grows in Kerala, a state in southern India. Other species of nutmeg include Papuan nutmeg M. argentea from New Guinea, and Bombay nutmeg M. malabarica from India, called jaiphal in Hindi; both are used as adulterants of M. fragrans products.<br><br>
<br><br>
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Postharvest air-drying renders mace hornlike, brittle and waxy. In its commercial forms, mace is pressed flat and dried or ground. <br><br>
Spices are classified by the plant parts used:<br><br>
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* [[Fruit]] and seed spices (e.g. [[pepper]], cardamom, [[fennel]] seed)
 
* Bud and flower spices (e.g. cloves)
 
* Bark spices (e.g. cinnamon)
 
* Root spices (ginger, turmeric)
 
* Leaf spices (bay leaf)<br><br>
 
  
 
==Applications==
 
==Applications==
Its more delicate aroma makes mace superior in seasoning action to nutmeg. It also has a spicier or more fiery taste. It is used as a baking and sausage spice and in the production of oil of mace.<br><br>
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Nutmeg and mace have similar sensory qualities, with nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is used for flavouring many dishes, usually in ground or grated form, and is best grated fresh in a nutmeg grater.<br><br>
 
==Shipment/storage==
 
==Shipment/storage==
Provided that the recommended storage conditions are complied with, mace may be kept for up to 12 months. Transport in standard containers may be used, subject to compliance with lower limits for water content of goods, packaging and container flooring.
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Mace is shipped in cases or bags. The favourable travel temperature range is 5 25°C. At temperatures >25°C, essential oils may be lost. The stowage space should be cool, dry and, most particularly, easy to ventilate.<br><br>
<br><br>
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Mace is hygroscopic and thus interacts with the moisture in the air. Mace having excessive moisture damage will become mouldy and odorous; this leads to considerable depreciation. If not subjected to excessive moisture, moulds and discolouration may be reduced or removed by exposure in thin layers to the air and sun. After drying the mace may become brittle with loss of value. If mace has been wetted and can be dried and handled within a reasonable time, there should be no loss in quality, but handling tends to break the mace and may alter its grade value. <br><br>
In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected from moisture, since this may lead to mold, spoilage, a foul smell and black coloration. Hooks must not be used in handling bagged goods as they subject the bags to point loads, so damaging them. Due to their shape, plate or bag hooks apply an area load and are thus more suitable for handling bags.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Stowage space requirements</b><br>
 
Cool, dry, good ventilation.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Segregation</b><br>
 
Fiber rope, thin fiber nets, wooden dunnage.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Cargo securing</b><br>
 
In order to ensure safe transport, the cargo must be stowed and secured in the means of transport in such a manner that it cannot slip or shift during transport. If loss of volume and degradation of quality are to be avoided, the packages must not be damaged by other articles or items of cargo.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Temperature</b><br>
 
Mace requires particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions. Favorable travel temperature range: 5 - 25°C. <br><br>
 
Mace should be transported in areas which exhibit the lowest temperatures during the voyage and are dry. In any event, storage beneath the weather deck or, in the case of shipping in containers, in the uppermost layer on deck, must be avoided as the deck or container is strongly heated by the intense tropical sun and, at temperatures of > 25°C, essential oils may be lost.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Humidity/Moisture</b><br>
 
{|
 
|-
 
|style="width:250px;"|<b>Designation</b>
 
|style="width:150px;"| <b>Humidity/water content</b>
 
|-
 
| Relative Humidity
 
| 60 - 70%
 
|-
 
| Water content
 
| up to 10%
 
|-
 
| Maximum equilibrium moisture content
 
| 65%
 
|-
 
|}<br>
 
Spices are hygroscopic goods (hygroscopicity), which interact with the moisture in the air. Elevated moisture levels cause mace to go moldy, exude a foul odor and turn black and unattractive. The effects of less drastic moisture damage may be remedied, but it has to be accepted that the quality of the product will be reduced due to brittleness. Mace should be stowed away from goods which are sensitive to moisture/humidity or release moisture (e.g. [[copra]]). In order to prevent condensation on the ship's side or container walls from affecting the cargo, care should be taken to leave a clear gap between the cargo stack and the ship's side or container wall.
 
<br><br>
 
Mace having excessive moisture damage will become mouldy and odorous, this leads to considerable depreciation. If not subjected to excessive moisture, moulds and discolouration may be reduced or removed by exposure in thin layers to the air and sun. After drying the mace may become brittle with loss of value. If mace has been wetted and can be dried and handled within a reasonable time, there should be no loss in quality, but handling tends to break the mace and may alter its grade value.  
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Ventilation</b><br>
 
If the product is at "shipping dryness", it does not have to be ventilated during transport. However, if the water content does not meet these guidelines, the following ventilation measures should be implemented to eliminate the potential for dampness. Recommended ventilation conditions: air exchange rate: 6 changes/hour (airing). In order to avoid formation of mold, the stowage space should be cool, dry and, most particularly, easy to ventilate.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Biotic activity</b><br>
 
Mace displays 3rd order biotic activity. <br>Mace belongs to the class of products in which respiration processes are suspended, but in which biochemical, microbial and other decomposition processes still proceed.
 
<br><br>
 
  
 
==Risk factors==
 
==Risk factors==
<b>Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion</b><br>
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- Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion<br>
An elevated moisture content and excessively high temperatures create a risk of self-heating.
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- Moisture
<br><br>
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- Odor<br>
<b>Odor</b><br>
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- Contamination<br>
<i>Active behavior:</i> Mace has a strong, pleasant odor. When transporting spices, it is important to retain the content of essential oils to the greatest possible extent, since these substances, together with other constituents, such as fatty oils, tannins and bitter principles, determine the odor and flavor and thus quality of the spices. The essential oils are readily volatilized and the seasoning action of the spices is consequently reduced. Volatilization of the essential oils is primarily determined by temperature. The higher is the ambient temperature, the more the essential oils are volatilized, as may be recognized by the intense odor in the hold. Due to the readily volatilized essential oils, spices should always be stowed separately from each other and away from foodstuffs which readily absorb foreign odors (e.g. coffee or tea).<br>
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- Mechanical influences<br>
<i>Passive behavior:</i> Mace is highly odor-sensitive.
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- Toxicity / Hazards to health (mould growth / aflatoxin)<br>
<br><br>
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- Shrinkage/Shortage<br>
<b>Contamination</b><br>
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- Insect infestation / Diseases<br>
<i>Active behavior:</i> Mace does not cause contamination.<br>
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<i>Passive behavior:</i> Mace is sensitive to dust, dirt, fats and oils.
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<br><br>
 
<b>Mechanical influences</b><br>
 
Mace is fragile and must therefore be treated with appropriate care, particularly during cargo handling. With bagged cargo, point loads applied for example by hooks may result in damage (tears) to the bags and thus in loss of volume. Plate or bag hooks, which, due to their shape, distribute the load and reduce the risk of damage, should thus be used.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Toxicity / Hazards to health</b><br>
 
Mace which has been subject to mold growth may, even after reconditioning, be contaminated with aflatoxin from the mold Aspergillus flavus.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Shrinkage/Shortage</b><br>
 
The natural drying process of the product may cause loss of weight.
 
<br><br>
 
<b>Insect infestation / Diseases</b><br>
 
Mace is susceptible to insect infestation, but this may be countered by fumigation prior to loading (especially in the case of mace from Papua New Guinea).<br><br>
 
 
<i>Note:</i> (Source including Transport Information Service of the GDV)<br><br>
 
<i>Note:</i> (Source including Transport Information Service of the GDV)<br><br>
  
 
[[Category: Products]][[Category: Food and beverages]]
 
[[Category: Products]][[Category: Food and beverages]]

Revision as of 08:55, 26 June 2012

Infobox on Mace
Example of Mace
Mace.jpg
Facts
Origin
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • Asia: Indonesia (Siauw/Ambon, Padang and Ternate), Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, India, Philippines
  • America: West Indies (Grenada, Trinidad, St. Vincent), South America
  • Australia
Stowage factor (in m3/t)
  • 3.26 m3/t (flat jute fabric bags, 60 kg)
  • 2.30 m3/t (boxes)
  • 1.95 - 2.09 m3/t (bags)
  • 2.37 - 2.65 m3/t (boxes)
  • 2.55 - 2.83 m3/t (boxes from Indonesia)
  • 2.41 - 3.26 m3/t (boxes)
Humidity / moisture
  • Relative humidity: 60 - 70%
  • Water content: up to 10%
  • Maximum equilibrium moisture content: 65%
Oil content
  • Essential oils: 5.0 - 6.5% 10.0 - 15.0% (in particular myristicin)
  • Fatty oils: approx. 20-30%
Ventilation If the product is at "shipping dryness", it does not have to be ventilated during transport. However, if the water content does not meet these guidelines, the following ventilation measures should be implemented to eliminate the potential for dampness.
Risk factors An elevated moisture content and excessively high temperatures create a risk of self-heating. Sensitive to wet damage.

Mace

Description

The nutmeg tree is important for two spices derived from the fruit: nutmeg and mace.

Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20 to 30 mm long and 15 to 18 mm wide, and weighing between 5 and 10 g dried, while mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering or aril of the seed. The first harvest of nutmeg trees takes place 7–9 years after planting, and the trees reach full production after 20 years. Nutmeg is usually used in powdered form. This is the only tropical fruit that is the source of two different spices. Several other commercial products are also produced from the trees, including essential oils, extracted oleoresins, and nutmeg butter.

The common or fragrant nutmeg, Myristica fragrans, native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia, is also grown in Penang Island in Malaysia and the Caribbean, especially in Grenada. It also grows in Kerala, a state in southern India. Other species of nutmeg include Papuan nutmeg M. argentea from New Guinea, and Bombay nutmeg M. malabarica from India, called jaiphal in Hindi; both are used as adulterants of M. fragrans products.

Postharvest air-drying renders mace hornlike, brittle and waxy. In its commercial forms, mace is pressed flat and dried or ground.


Applications

Nutmeg and mace have similar sensory qualities, with nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is used for flavouring many dishes, usually in ground or grated form, and is best grated fresh in a nutmeg grater.

Shipment/storage

Mace is shipped in cases or bags. The favourable travel temperature range is 5 – 25°C. At temperatures >25°C, essential oils may be lost. The stowage space should be cool, dry and, most particularly, easy to ventilate.

Mace is hygroscopic and thus interacts with the moisture in the air. Mace having excessive moisture damage will become mouldy and odorous; this leads to considerable depreciation. If not subjected to excessive moisture, moulds and discolouration may be reduced or removed by exposure in thin layers to the air and sun. After drying the mace may become brittle with loss of value. If mace has been wetted and can be dried and handled within a reasonable time, there should be no loss in quality, but handling tends to break the mace and may alter its grade value.

Risk factors

- Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion
- Moisture - Odor
- Contamination
- Mechanical influences
- Toxicity / Hazards to health (mould growth / aflatoxin)
- Shrinkage/Shortage
- Insect infestation / Diseases


Note: (Source including Transport Information Service of the GDV)