© SANDESH PAUDEL

# Large cardamom

CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Cultivation, harvesting and
production
• Chemical composition
• Postharvest processing
• Quality issues and grading
• Uses
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 # Large cardamom

INTRODUCTION
 Cardamom is the dried seed capsule of a small group of species
or plants belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, which contain
seeds possessing a pleasant characteristic aroma and flavor.
These are broadly grouped into two categories:
a. Small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum):
It is also known as ‘green cardamom’ or
‘true cardamom’ and ‘queen of spices’.
Known as sukumel in Nepal.
b. Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum): It is also known as
‘Indian cardamom’, ‘Nepal cardamom’, ‘black cardamom’ and
‘false cardamom’. Known as alainchi in Nepal.
 Large cardamom pods are larger-sized, and when dried are dark
reddish brown, brownish or grayish black in color, and coarsely
ribbed with a very different flavor profile from true cardamom. 3
 # Large cardamom

INTRODUCTION . . .
 Large cardamom is native to the moist,
deciduous and evergreen forests of the sub-
Himalayan region.
 The plant is a perennial herb having sub-
terranean rhizomes which give rise to leafy
shoots and spikes.
 The plant matures during the third year of its
growth and its height ranges from 1.5-3 m.
 Leafy shoots are formed by long sheath-like
stalks encircling one another. The leaves are
green or dark green, smooth on both surfaces.
 Inflorescence is a dense spike on a short
peduncle bearing 40-50 flower buds, growing
upwards from the base (acropetal sequence). 4
 # Large cardamom

INTRODUCTION . . .
 Fruit is a trilocular many-seeded, reddish
brown to dark pink capsule.
 Seeds are held together by a viscous sugary
pulp with a sharp distinct taste.
 The seeds are darker and have a menthol-like taste. They give a
smoky, camphorous aroma and a harsher, more pungent flavor,
derived from the drying method.

CULTIVATION
 Large cardamom is a shade-loving plant, which grows from 800-
1900 m above sea level in a humid, subtropical natural habitat on
slopes under the canopy of lofty, evergreen forest trees.
 Moderate shade, high humidity and cool surroundings are
essential for its satisfactory growth and production. 5
 # Large cardamom

CULTIVATION . . .
 The temperature varies from 14-33°C. However, best production
is in the temperature range of 14-20°C.
 It requires an average annual rainfall of 200-250 cm, more than
90% humidity, and soil pH of 4.5-6.5.
 The crop grows best on well-drained, rich forest soils with plenty
of humus and leaf mould. Water-logged areas are not suitable.
 It can be propagated by seed or by vegetative methods. Seedling
plantation starts bearing fruits after 5 years, whereas plants
raised by rhizomes start bearing fruits after 3 years of planting.
 It requires continuous irrigation during the dry season and 4 to 6
months after harvest. During summer season, mulching is
required to reduce the ill-effects of drought conditions.
 2-3 weeding may be necessary in a year, as per weeding intensity.
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 # Large cardamom

HARVESTING
 The flowering season starts in May
and continues up to August. It takes
4-5 months for the fruits to mature.
 Harvesting is done by collecting
panicles containing ripe fruits with the
help of a special chisel-shaped narrow knife specially made for
this purpose, locally known as ‘alainchi chhuri’.
 For the production of high quality large cardamom pods, they
must be harvested at the appropriate maturity stage.
 The brown color in the seeds of the topmost capsule indicates the
complete maturity of the capsule.
 Harvesting is done once a year, and because of this there will be
some immature fruits in the harvested lot.
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 # Large cardamom

PRODUCTION
 Nepal is the largest producer of black cardamom, followed by
India and Bhutan.
 In Nepal, it is the chief cash crop of the Eastern mid-hilly region.

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 # Large cardamom

PRODUCTION . . .
 It was introduced in Ilam district of Nepal from Sikkim state of
India about 200 years ago.
 Cultivation started in Nepal in 2009 B. S. from Ilam.
 It is now cultivated in over 37 districts.
 Eastern development region (now Province 1) accounts for
~94% of the total national production.
 Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Ilam and Panchthar together account
for 76 percent area and 68 percent of the total production. Other
major contributing districts are Bhojpur, Dhankuta & Terhathum.
 Yield is higher in hilly regions compared to mountain and Terai.
 Apart from Nepal, India and Bhutan; large cardamom is also
cultivated to some extent in some of the Southeast Asian
countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and China.
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 # Large cardamom

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
 A single capsule of large cardamom comprises about 70% seeds
and 30% skin husk. The composition varies with variety, region
and age of the product.
Large cardamom seed
Composition of:
Parameter Content (%)
Fresh large cardamom
Moisture 8.49%
Parameter Content (%)
Protein 6.0%
Moisture
Starch 43.2%
 Whole capsule 78.5 % (wb)
Crude fiber 22.0%
 Seed 58.6% (wb)
Total ether extract 5.3%
Volatile oil
Alcohol extract 7.02%
 Whole capsule 2.55% (db)
 Seed 3.54% (db) Total ash 4.01%
Volatile oil 2.8%
Oleoresin 6.5-6.8% 10
 # Large cardamom

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION . . .
 The volatile oil present in the seeds of large cardamom is the
principal constituent responsible for providing the typical odor.
 The essential oil is pale yellow in color and is obtained on steam
distillation of crushed seeds with a yield of 1.9-3%.
 The major constituents of oil are 1,8-cineole (74%), limonene
(10.3%), terpineol (8.4%), pinene (4.4%), sabeinene (1.1%) and
nerolidol (1.0%).
 The high cineole and low terpenyl acetate (1-5%) probably
accounts for the very harsh aroma of this spice in comparison
with that of true cardamom.
 To improve the flavor of the large cardamom oil, 1,8-cineole,
which produces an undesirable odor, can be removed by
fractionation, and the oil blended with α-terpinyl acetate, linalyl
acetate and geranyl acetate. 11
 # Large cardamom

POSTHARVEST PROCESSING
 Fruits are separated out of the harvested panicles for drying and
curing. Mainly two types of processing systems are used, viz.
traditional bhatti and improved method.
A. Traditional bhatti method
 The harvested panicles are heaped for 3-4
days to allow partial fermentation for easy
separation of capsules.
 Separation is done by hand, & the separated
capsules are also manually cleaned from
other plant materials before drying/curing.
 A load of 200-250 kg capsules are heaped
per m2 in a 25-70 cm thick bed on bamboo
mat and heated directly over a fire by firewood. 12
 # Large cardamom

Traditional bhatti method . . .

 The bhatti temperature during
drying is 100°C, drying operation
stretches from 24-48 hours.
 The capsules are then allowed to
cool & turned for second drying,
in which the temperature ranges up to 80°C.
Drying is continued till m.c. ~12%.
 The capsule tail (calyx) is removed
manually using scissors.
 For good curing, low temperature is required.
 Wet and freshly-cut wood which does not burn well and gives out
a lot of smoke is used for fuel in the kiln, so that temperature
does not rise too high.
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 # Large cardamom
Traditional bhatti method . . .
 The capsules dried in this system are dark and have smoky flavor
due to direct exposure to heat and smoke.
 Temperature is not controlled.
 Volatile losses are as high as 35%.
 Original color of capsules is also lost.
B. Improved method
 In this system, flue pipes are laid inside a
room or curing house and connected to a
furnace installed outside or below.
 Fresh cardamom is spread over wire
meshes fixed above the flue pipes.
 This indirect heating system uses heated air
to dry the capsules; smoke does not come
into contact with the produce at any stage. 14
 # Large cardamom

Improved method . . .
 Drying is carried out for 2-4 days.
 It gives excellent product with maroon color
and volatile oil content of 2-2.4%.
 Capsules are separated and tails removed
manually. The capsules are then sorted and
graded according to size.
 Graded capsules are loaded in tray in curing
chamber which consists of a blower and a
heating unit. Drying is carried out at 55-
60°C for ~18 hours.
 The moisture content of capsules has to be
brought down to 12-14% to achieve a
longer shelf-life.
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 # Large cardamom
Improved method . . .
 The normal conversion ratio of green to dry capsules is 4:1 to 5:1
which varies according to size and method of curing.
 The capsules are cooled, cleaned and stored.
 Large cardamom is usually stored in bulk on bamboo matting
spread on the ground or packed immediately into gunny bags
which may then be stored in plywood tea-chests.

QUALITY ISSUES AND GRADING

The quality of large cardamom depends mainly on:
a. External appearance: visual perception of quality influenced by
color, uniformity of size, shape, consistency and texture.
b. Flavor: influenced by composition of aromatic compounds. Cineole
contributes to pungency while terpinyl acetate contributes to
pleasant aroma. 16
 # Large cardamom

Nepalese grading of large cardamom

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 # Large cardamom

USES
 Due to its pleasant aromatic odor, large cardamom is used for
flavoring various vegetables and meat preparations.
 It is also used as a flavoring agent in confectionery, hot or sweet
pickles and in beverages. The spice adds very intense aroma
when used in black tea or green tea.
 Large cardamom seed and powder are used as essential
ingredients in mixed preparation and spice masala mixtures.
 Large cardamom is also credited with curative properties in
Ayurvedic medicine. Black cardamom is used for stomach disorders
and malaria. The seeds are a tonic for heart and liver. They are an
astringent to the bowels, are hypnotic, appetizing and aid digestion.
The outside covering is good for headaches and for the teeth and
heals stomatitis. The seeds are also used as antidotes to snake or
scorpion venom. 18
 # Large cardamom

QUESTION MODEL
1. Write a note on "Alainchi" of Nepal. [5] (2068)
2. What are the major spices? Give a process outline of large
cardamom processing. [1+4] (2070)
3. Discuss the traditional process of large cardamom drying in Nepal.
[5] (2063)
4. Discuss the process of large cardamom drying in Nepal. [5]
(2067/2072)
5. Compare between the traditional and improved methods of large
cardamom drying in Nepal. [5] (2069)
6. Give a self-explanatory flowchart for cardamom drying. [3] (2073)
7. What improvements can be done for obtaining a good quality
'Alaichi'? [5] (2074)
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For further study