NUTMEG & MACE MONOGRAPH

Myristica fragrans

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 DEFINITION
I. OVERVIEW

Nutmeg and Mace are products of an evergreen tree, Myristica fragrans. The tree
thrives in the tropics of both hemispheres and can grow to heights of 40-60 feet. The
leaves resemble those of a rhododendron. The flowers are pale yellow and bell shaped.
The fruit, which resembles an apricot, when ripe will split. A bright red membrane, aril,
covers a dark brown woody shell. The aril is mace which when dried changes to a
yellowish-brown color. The nutmeg is contained within the shell. These items are used
heavily in baking and flavorings.

II. HISTORY

Nutmeg & Mace first appear in references in the first century AD. Constantinople saw
the arrival of the spices during the sixth century being brought in from the Spice Islands
by Arab traders. By the fourteenth century, both were widely known and used through
out Europe.

In 1512, the Portuguese discovered the source of the nutmegs, the island of Banda in
Molucca, part of modern Indonesia. They held a virtual monopoly until 1602, when the
Dutch drove them out. The Dutch maintained control until about 1770 when the tress
began to be cultivated through out the reason through natural transfers or smuggling. In
the early 1800s, the nutmeg tree was introduced to in the West Indies.

III. CLASSIFICATION

Nutmeg
The two main types of nutmeg are identified as East and West Indian. East Indian is
also known as Siauw or Banda type. Granada type would refer to the West Indian
source. East Indian has a higher volatile oil content as well as a more pungent and
spicy flavor. Whole nutmegs are sold based on the number per pound and visual
quality. The larger ones have fewer per pound and command a higher price. Typical
counts traded are 80, 110 or 130 per pound.

Lower quality nutmegs are identified as

ABCD – Mixed sizes
Shrivels – Wrinkled
B.W.P – Broken, wormy, and punks

Mace
East Indian Mace has a more intense orange color. Grading of Mace is typically:

Best Quality No. 1 Whole Whole mace containing less than 5% broken

No 1. Broken At least 75% of the pieces are greater than

quarter size
No 2 Broken Pieces smaller than quarter size
Lowest Quality Sifting Small broken pieces
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IV. MEDICINAL USES

Early Hindu physicians proscribed nutmeg for headaches, fevers, bad breath and
intestinal disorders. The oils have been used to relieve colic, griping, or flatulence.
Today it is principally used as flavoring. Hallucinogenic reactions have been reported
from the consumption of large quantities of nutmeg.

AGRONOMIC FACTORS

1) Current Production
The main areas of cultivation are Indonesia and Grenada.

2) Breeding and Selection

♦ The trees are grown from selected seeds, which are typically started in a nursery.
Germination occurs in about six weeks. At six months the plants are moved to their
final field positions. They are spaced approximately 30 feet apart and shaded.
♦ The trees are male and female, dioecious. It is the female trees, which bear the
majority of the fruit.
♦ To assure adequate pollination the ratio of male to female is 1:10 and males are
planted to windward.

3) Growing Conditions
♦ The trees thrive in hot, moist tropical islands.
♦ The preferred rainfall is 80 -100 inches through out the year.
♦ The tree grows best between in elevations from sea level to 1,500 feet.

4) Harvest
♦ The Fruit ripens about 6 months after flowering. Harvest occurs through out the
year.
♦ Fruit are typically collected when the fall to the ground. The nuts and mace are
removed from the fruit and dried separately.
♦ Mace is flattened and dries in 10 -14 days
♦ Once the shell is dry, about 4 - 8 weeks, and the nutmeg “rattles”, the shell it is
removed.
♦ The first harvest is usually obtained until the seventh year. Yield improves with age.
Maximum yield occurs when the tree is 15 to 30 years old. The yield of a mature
tree is 10 pounds of dried nutmeg and 1.5 pounds of dried mace.

QUALITY CRITERIA

I. CLEANLINESS SPECIFICATIONS

The ASTA cleanliness specifications listed below are intended to insure that these
spices have been properly handled and stored. The nutmeg and mace must comply
with the below specifications before they can be introduced into commerce or further
processed.
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The level of contaminants permitted under these specifications must fall below those
shown on the following table, except for the column “Whole Insects, Dead” which cannot
exceed the limits shown:

Whole Insect Extraneous

Cleanliness Insects, Excreta, Excreta, Defiled/ Foreign
Specifications Dead Mammalian Other Mold Infested Matter
By By By % By % By % By
Spice/herb Count Mg./Lb. Mg./Lb. Weight Weight Weight
Mace 4 3 1.0 2.00 1.00 0.50
Nutmeg 4 5 1.0 Note 1 Note1 0.50
(Broken)
Nutmeg 4 0 0.0 Note 2 Note 2 0.0
(Whole)

Note 1 –More than 5% moldy pieces and/or insect defiled pieces by weight
Note 2 –More than 10% moldy pieces and/or insect defiled pieces, with a
maximum of 5% insect defiled pieces by count.

The FDA Food Defect Action Levels for Whole and Ground Nutmeg are:

Spice/Herb Whole Nutmeg* Ground Nutmeg

Insect filth and/or mold Average of 10% or more
pieces by count are insect-
infested and/or moldy
Rodent filth NA
Average of 100 or more
insect fragments per 10
grams
Average of 1 or more rodent
hairs per 10 grams

*Significance: Potential health hazard - may contain mycotoxin producing fungi

The FDA Food Defect Action Levels for Mace are:

Insect filth and/or mold Average of 3% or more pieces by weight

are insect-infested and/or moldy
Mammalian excreta Average of 3 mg or more of mammalian
excreta per pound
Foreign matter Average of 1.5% or more of foreign
matter trough a 20-mesh sieve
II. CHEMICAL

Composition
Nutmeg and Mace contain a high level of volatile oils as well as fatty oils. The fatty oils
from Nutmeg contain about 12% myristin. Starch is found in nutmeg and not in mace.
Thus a standard starch analysis can detect the adulteration of higher priced mace with
nutmeg.

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Minima
Since specifications for Nutmeg and Mace are dictated by its end-use, there is no one
specification that will serve all purposes. There are some general guidelines, which can
apply to most quality product sold in the US

The Canadian Government has set minimum criteria, in Division 7 of the Food and Drug
Regulations for key attributes in these items

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has set forth key attribute
minima. Caution needs to be exercised when comparing the values. ISO Standards
are set on a dry-weight basis and will therefore appear slightly higher than either
Canadian or US requirements.

Mace US Guideline Canada ISO

Acid-Insoluble Ash 2% max 0.5% Max. 0.5% Max
Total Ash 6 % Max. 3.5% Max. 4 % Max
Moisture 10 % Max. 8 % Max. 10 Max
Volatile Oil 3 % Min. 11% Min. 7.5%
Non-volatile ethyl- 20.0 % Min.
ether extractive

Nutmeg US Guideline Canada ISO

East Indian West Indian
Acid-Insoluble 2% max 2% max 0.5% Max. 0.5% Max
Ash
Total Ash 5 % Max. 5 % Max. 3 % Max. 3 % Max
Moisture 10 % Max. 11 % Max. 8 % Max. 10 Max
Volatile Oil 1 % Min. 1.25 % Min. 6.5 % Min. 6.5%
Non-volatile ethyl- 25 % Min.
ether extractive

III. MICROBIAL REDUCTION

Since customers usually have their own specifications for acceptable microbial loads, it
is for them to decide if they want to have their spices treated by a microbial reduction
process. Ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, steam, and irradiation may be used for
microbial reduction.

Pesticide Analysis:
Must be assured that product complies with regulations of each country.

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 EXTRACTIVES

I. OLEORESINS

Oleoresins contain the non-volatile and volatile flavor components that are produced by
grinding or crushing the spice, extracting with a solvent, and then removing the solvent.
Since the oleoresins have the high boiling volatiles and non-volatiles, they will contain
the full flavor, aroma, and pungency of the fresh or dried spice.

Mace oleoresin is amber to dark red. One pound of oleoresin mace is equivalent to
about 14 pounds of ground spice. Nutmeg oleoresin is lighter than mace. The impact is
slightly less than mace. One pound of oleoresin Nutmeg is equivalent to 17 pounds of
ground product.

II. ESSENTIAL OIL

The East Indian Nutmegs have a higher volatile oil comment. Processors tend to prefer
the lower grade B.W.P. not longer due to cost but also because the much of the starchy
material have been eaten by the worms leaving the portions rich in oil. The essential oil
contains about 4 % myristicin

ALLERGEN STATEMENT

Neither Nutmeg nor Mace are listed as an allergen by the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, US - Food and Drug Administration or the European Union. However,
some spices may be considered allergens in certain countries. Please check all
relevant regulations.

STORAGE CONDITIONS

When storing mace and nutmeg, there are two main points to remember: 1). the storage
area should be cool because excessive heat causes the oil to volatilize, thus resulting in
a loss some flavor and aroma components; 2). the storage area should be dry to
prevent caking of ground materials and molding of whole or broken. Since extended
exposure to the air causes the flavor and aroma of spices to weaken, it is a good
practice to store this spices in tightly closed containers to prolong its shelf life. 3). the
storage area should be free of insects. All open doors and windows should be
screened and all drains should have covers. There should be no holes or cracks where
insects may enter storage area or find harborage. It is highly recommended to have a
strong Integrated Pest Management system in place.

Extractives:
Should be stored in cool, dry conditions. Containers should be as full as possible,
tightly sealed and away from light.

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 COOKING USES

Today nutmeg is used heavily in sweet baked goods such as cookies and cakes. It is
used topically on dairy drinks.

Mace is a popular component of fish and meat dishes as well as baked goods.

NUTRITION STATEMENT

Nutritional analysis of mace and nutmeg can be obtained from the USDA website:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/pubs_dbs.

SENSORY PROFILE

Nutmeg is characterized by soapy, floral and terpene-like flavors blended with high
menthol and pine aroma. These descriptors carry over to mace. They are however, are
slightly stronger.
Nutmeg

Woody Aroma
12
Bitter Soapy Aroma

10
Numbing Mouthfeel Musty Aroma
8

Total Flavor 6 Sassafras Aroma

Other Flavor 2 Floral Aroma

Pine/Terpene Flavor Pine/Terpene Aroma

Floral Flavor Other Aroma

Sassafras Flavor Total Aroma

Musty Flavor Woody Flavor

Soapy Flavor

West Indian East Indian

Courtesy of McCormick & Company

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 REFERENCES
American Spice Trade Association; Inc., ASTA Cleanliness Specifications for Spices,
Seeds, and Herbs, (Revised April 28, 1999), ASTA, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1999

National Academy of Science, Food Chemical Codex, 5th ed., National Academy Press,
Washington, DC, 2003

Parry, John W.; The Story of Spices, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1953

Rosengarten, Frederick Jr.; The Book of Spices, pp 306-321, Livingston Publishing

Company, PA, 1969

The International Organization of Standardization; Nutmeg & Mace Specification ISO

6577. First Edition. ISO, Switzerland, 1990

Uhl, Susheela Raghavan; Handbook of Spices, Seasonings, and Flavorings, pp. 126-
127, 137-139, Technomic Publishing Company, Inc., Pennsylvania, 2000

United States Food and Drug Administration; (1984) Bacteriological Analytical Manual;
6th Edition; Published by Association of Official Analytical Chemists

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=31994

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/nutmeg.html

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nutmeg07.html

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mace--01.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/myristica.html

FDA Food Defect Action Levels: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html

Nutritional Composition: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/ or

http://www.nal.usda.gov/pubs_dbs

Import Statistics: http://www.fas.usda.gov/ustrade

Canadian Spice Regulations – “Standards”

Chemical: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/f-27/c.r.c.-c.870/124272.html

European Regulations (Portal to EU Law-use search feature):

http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/

Monograph Cover: American Spice Association, Inc., Botanical Art, Sets 1-5.
COPYRIGHT@ 2005 AMERICAN SPICE TRADE ASSOCIATION, INC. (ASTA)

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