The Use of Turmeric as a Spice - Research Paper Example

Ingredient: Turmeric Ingredient: Turmeric Introduction Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is one of the most widely ingredients and nutritional supplements, best known for its warm, peppery, bitter flavor and mild fragrance aroma. Throughout the centuries, the marigold-colored spice has been used to treat infections, wounds and other related health problems. According to Tayyem (2006), turmeric currently has a wide range of uses some of which include to color or flavor curry powders, cheeses, mustards and butters as well as to make a wide variety of human medicine such as for treating heartburn, arthritis, diarrhea, stomach problems jaundice and liver problems among others. Recent empirical evidence has confirmed the healing powers of turmeric’s primary ingredient, curcumin based on its antioxidant, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties (Ravindran, Nirmal Babu and Sivaraman, 2007). Curcuma longa plant belongs to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae and the perennial plant with tufted leaves is native to South Asia. With regard to its origin and dispersal, although Turmeric is generally considered to be a cultigen and has not been found in the wild, it is widely believed that the plat is indigenous to India, where it has been used for millennia as a spice. From India, Turmeric is likely to have spread to South East Asia and eventually to China and the Middle East through the migration of ancient tribal people, travelers and Buddhist monks. The ancients may have discovered the plant while searching for food due to its unique deep orange color before they soon discovered its medicinal value. The use of turmeric as a spice, medicine and dye can be traced in the early traditional Indian and Chinese medicine going up to the seventh Century A.D. India has remained one of the major producers of Turmeric in the world. However, with its increasing popularity, Turmeric is currently being extensively cultivated in India, China, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The other prominent producers of the ingredient currently include Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Haiti, Peru and Jamaica. The current food ingredient atlas seeks to critically illustrate the significance of Turmeric spice in human diet as well as its socio-cultural and economic importance on various scales. Origin and Dispersal of Turmeric While the specific details of its origin are not yet clear, Turmeric is widely believed to be a Native of South East Asia particularly the tropical lands of India and China where it is still being grown extensively. Through migrations and population movements, Turmeric has been dispersed to several other countries of South Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia, Philippines, Middle Eastern countries, Caribbean islands and other parts of the world. At the initial stages, it was propagated as a dye considering that its bright-yellow color serves as a coloring agent. As time went by, people became acquainted with the developed uses and begun using the same for cosmetic roles and later for medicinal roles. According to Nair, the spice reached China in 700AD, the East African region by 800AD, the West African region by 1200AD. After this period, turmeric became popular all through the world. Fig 1: Origin and Possible Dispersal Routes of Turmeric Major Producing Nations India has remained the world’s largest producer and consumer of Turmeric, contributing up to 80% of the total global production, with 92% being consumed domestically while the rest is exported. This translates to over 600,000 tons of turmeric each year. India also currently holds the top position among the world’s leading exporters of Turmeric. However, Turmeric is a popular crop in many tropical nations and is currently being cultivated in a number of other countries some of which include China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Haiti, Peru and Jamaican as shown in figure 2 below. Fig 2: Major Producing Nations Source: http://www.efreshglobal.com/eFresh/Content/Summary/en/Turmeric.html India’s National Patterns of Production of Turmeric India has remained one of the major producers of Turmeric in the world and Turmeric is currently being grown in several provinces as shown in the maps below. Fig 3: Turmeric Production Centers in India Major Importing Nations The major importers of Turmeric include United Arab Emirates, the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and Sri-Lanka. Currently the UAE accounts for the world’s largest share of Turmeric imports closely followed by the United States. Fig 3: The top Turmeric Importing countries Caloric Importance of Turmeric in diet In terms of its caloric importance, Turmeric is rich in a number of the much needed macro elements such as manganese, iron Vitamin B6, copper and Potassium. According to Thomas (2011), curcumin contained in turmeric has some anti-cancer impact. Turmeric is capable of preventing and impeding the growth of varied categories of cancer such as skin and breast cancers. Additionally, Crozier, Clifford & Ashihara (2006) also mention other medicinal roles of this spice when they state that turmeric safeguards the body against varied liver diseases, minimizes cholesterol levels and relieves females of painful menstruation. Fig 6: Caloric and Nutritional Profile for Turmeric Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78 Turmeric 2.0 tsp 4.4 gms Calories: 16 GI: very low Nutrient Amount DRI/DV (%) Density of Nutrients World Healthiest Food Rating manganese 0.34 milligrams 17.0 19.6 excellent iron 1.82 milligrams 10.1 11.7 excellent vitamin B6 0.08 milligrams 4.7 5.4 Good rating fiber 0.93 g 3.7 4.3 Good rating copper 0.03 milligrams 3.3 3.9 Good rating potassium 111.10 milligrams 3.2 3.7 Good rating References Chattopadhyay, I. (2004). Turmeric and curcumin: Biological actions and medicinal applications. Current Science 87, 1, 44-53. Crozier, A., Clifford, M. N., & Ashihara, H. (2006). Plant secondary metabolites: Occurrence, structure and role in the human diet. Oxford: Blackwell Pub. Henrotin Y, Clutterbuck A. (2010). Biological actions of curcumin on articular chondrocytes. Osteoarthr. Cartil. 18, 2, 141–149. Nair, K. P. P. (2013). The agronomy and economy of turmeric and ginger: The invaluable medicinal spice crops. Burlington: Elsevier Science. Ravindran, P.N., Nirmal Babu, K. and Sivaraman, K. (2007). Turmeric: The genus Curcuma. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Retrieved on October 25, 2014 from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=P2ykHQi6RvMC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=origin+and+dispersal+of+turmeric&source=bl&ots=OUN-gbXh_1&sig=JP5-1ekk-CBOTbghHxmfGOqbl5g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=K3ZLVJPuCcn3O8jRgLgM&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=origin%20and%20dispersal%20of%20turmeric&f=false Tayyem R. (2006). Curcumin content of turmeric and curry powders. Journal of Nutr Cancer 55, 2, 126-131. Thomas, R. J. (2011). Lifestyle and cancer: The facts. England: Health Education Publications. Read More