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Cinnamon

Introduction

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum Presl)

Family - Lauraceae

The true cinnamon, also called Ceylon cinnamon, is the dried bark of Cinnamomum verum Presl belongs to the family Lauraceae. It is indigenous to Sri Lanka.
However, the word cinnamon also denotes bark of other species of Cinnamomum such as C. Cassia, C. burmanni, C. loureirii etc. The bark of those trees is inferior in quality to the true cinnamon. Cinnamomum verum is an evergreen perenial with spirally arranged, broad laminated dark green leaves having palmate venation.
Under natural conditions, the plant grows to a height of 10 - 15m with a girth of 30-50cm. When coppiced from time to time it could be maintained as bush of 2-2.5m height with multiple stems arising from its base. The flowers are small, creamy and inconspicuous developing into dark purple ovoid one seeded berries, about 1.5 - 2.5cm long.

In Sri Lanka, cinnamon seems to have originated in the central hills where several species of cinnamon occur sporadically in places such as Kandy, Matale, Belihull Oya, Haputale and the Sinharaja forest range. Although cinnamon cultivation is presently concentrated along the coastal belt stretching along from Kaluthara to Mathara, it has also made inroads to the inland of Kalutara,
Ambalangoda, Matara and Ratnapura. The extent under cinnamon in Sri Lanka is 25,500ha. Although, the bulk of cinnamon plantations is about 70 - 80 years old, the size of holdings has been diminishing and only about 5-10% of the plantations are of sizeable extent ranging from 8 - 10ha.

Cultivation

Agronomic Requirements

Cinnamon is a hardy plant which can grow well in almost all types of soils under a wide verity of tropical conditions. In Sri Lanka it is cultivated under varying conditions ranging from semi-dry to wet zone conditions and soils varying from silver sand to loamy and lateritic to gravelly soils of Galle, Matara Kalutra, and Rathnapura Districts. The most suitable temperature is between 25⁰C and 30⁰C. Rainfall should be in the region of 1,875 - 3,750 mm. Generally, cinnamon does not thrive in the drier parts of the low-country. It is found as a forest tree at 300 – 350m above sea level.

The quality of bark greatly influenced by the soil and factors. The best quality cinnamon is produced on white silicatious sandy soils like the ‘silver sands’ of egombo District. Yield is higher in order soils but quality is coarser than in sandy soils.

Recommended Varities
There are eight cinnamon species in Sri Lanka. Among them only cinnamomum verum is grown commercially. Currently ten cinnamon selections have been
identified and those selections are under evaluation in different agro climatic zones.

Field Planting and Spacing

Easily cinnamon is propagated by seeds and also it can be propagated through stem cuttings and layering. Seeds may be sawn in polythene bags of 12.5 cm x
20.0 cm (5’’ x 8’’) and thickness of 250gauge filled with good potting mixture containing equal parts of top soil, well decomposed cow dung, coarse sand and
coir dust. Five vigorous seedlings should be retained in each bag after thinning out the weak ones. Plants will be ready for planting in 4 – 6 months.

Plant spacing of 120 cm x 120 cm (4’ x 4’) and 120 cm x 90 cm (4’ x 3’) was widely adopted. However, research revealed that closed spacing of 120 cm x 60 cm (4’ x 2’) with 3 plants per point and 90 cm x 60 cm (3’ x 2’) with 2 plants per point gave higher yield at early age of the plantation.

Minimum size of the planting hole is 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm (1’ x 1’ x1’). Planting, early in the rainy season is good for establishment. Well-decomposed
organic manure mixed with topsoil can be used to fill the planting hole.

Plant Training and Pruning
Plant training is important to get straight sticks. When plants are 1.5 – 2.0 years old, lower lateral branches, leaves of 30 – 45 cm from the ground
level should be removed. This facilitate upward growth of healthy shoots.

Manuring
The following fertilizer mixture and rates are currently recommended.

Components

Parts by weight

Nutrients in the Mixture

Urea (46% N) Rock
Phosphate (28% P₂O₅)
Muriate of Potash (60% K₂O)
2
1
1 23 % N
7 % P₂O₅
15 % K₂O

Plant density and the fertilizer recommendation

Plant Spacing

Number of Bushes/ha

Amount of fertilizer(g)/ Bush/Season

1.2 x 0.6 m (4’x2’)
1.2 x 0.9 m (4’x3’)
1.2 x 1.2 m (4’x4’) 13890
9260
6950 33
50
65

Above mixture may be applied leaving 30 cm band from the clump base, twice a year at the commencement of rains during Yala and Maha seasons. In addition
application of Dolomite at the rate of 500kg/ha/year is recommended, in areas where leaf chlorosis symptoms are observed.

Harvesting

When the bark colour, turn into brown the stems are mature enough for harvesting. New cinnamon seedling will attain maturity in about 2 to 2 ½ years
of age and the other shoots emerged after harvesting will attain the maturity in 1 ½ years time. In a well managed plantation, harvesting could be done twice in
a year. After been removed tops and branches, Harvested sticks are carried to the peeling shed. First outer corky tissues were scraped, and then peelers rub a
brass rod for bark to be loosened from hard wood. Then Peeling is done with a special small round knife. Cinnamon barks are joined together by overlaps and
hollow of which has been filled with smaller pieces, to form 106.7cm (42in) long cinnamon quills. Quills are air drying indoors for about 4 – 7 days.

Yield varies widely according to the age of the plantation and adopted management practices. However the identified present average annual yield is about 470 kg of quills/ha.

Quality Requirement

The cinnamon is sold generally as quills. In addition to this, cinnamon is also exported as quislings, featherings and chips. The quills shall be of light brown
colour and shall be well formed and well dried. The occurrence of reddish brown patches on the quills which may become dark - brown with time is known as
foxing. These are defects and the value of quills gets depreciated depending on the amount of foxing:

Commercial Specifications of Cinnamon

Colour	Pale brown to slightly reddish colour Ground cinnamon – yellowish to reddish brown in colour
Odour	Characteristic fresh aroma
Flavour	Delicate and sweet flavor characteristic of cinnamon of the origin concerned. It shall be free from foreign flavor. Including mustiness.
Moisture	Not more than 14% for quills and 12% for other grades
Volatile Oil	Minimum 1% for quills and 0.7% for other grades on dry basis.
Shelf Life	Minimum of 1 year
Packing	Packed in sound, clean and dry containers of jute, cloth, paper or polyethylene bags.

General Quality Requirements of Cinnamon

Characteristics ESA requirements ISO-6539 : 1997 Requirements ISO Test Methods

Ash 7% w/w maximum 5% on dry basis max ISO 928

Acid insoluble ash 2% w/w maximum 1% (m/m) dry basis max ISO 930

H2O % 15 % w/w maximum 14% (m/m) max ISO 939

Volatile Oil 0.45 w/w minimum ml/100g on dry basis min.
Whole Cinnamon – 1%
Ground Cinnamon – 0.7% ISO 6571

Cleanliness Specifications and Permissible pesticide Residues
ASTA Cleanliness Specifications (Effective from 28th August 1990)

Whole insect dead by count Excreta mammalian by mg/lb Excreta other by mg/lb Mold % by weight Insect infested % by weight Extraneous matter % by weight

2 1 2.0 1.00 1.00 0.50

ASTA – American Spice Trade Association

Defect Action Level – USFDA from Cinnamon

Cinnamon Whole Mold
(MPM – V32) Average of 5% or more pieces by weight
is moldy

Insect filth
(MPM – V 32) Average of 5% or more
pieces by weight are insect infested

Mammalian excreta
(MPM – V32) Average of 1 mg or more mammalian excreta
per pond

Cinnamon
Ground Insect filth
(AOAC 968’38B) Average of 400 or more
insect fragments per 50 grams

Rodent filth
(AOAC 968.38 Average of 11 or more rodent hairs per 50
grams

USFDA – United States Food and Drug Administration
MPM – Mycroanalytical Procedures Manual
AOAC – Official Method of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists.

Maximum levels for heavy metals tolerated in spices and herbs under ESA mg/kg

Arsenic - 5.00
Copper - 20.0
Lead - 10.0
Zinc - 50.0
ESA – European Spice Association

Products of Cinnamon

Cinnamon Quills
(Full tubes) Scraped peel of the inner bark
of mature plantation cinnamon shoots joined together by overlaps, the
hollow of which has been filled with small spices of the same peel and
thereafter level for indoor drying.

Cinnamon Quillings
(broken tubes) Broken pieces and splits of varying sizes
of all grades of cinnamon quills

Cinnamon Featherings Pieces of inner bark, obtained by peeling
and/ or scraping the bark of small twigs and stalks of plantation
cinnamon shoots, which may include a quantity of chips as specified.

Cinnamon Chips Dried unpeel able bark of plantation
cinnamon, inclusive of the outer bark, which has been obtained by
grinding cinnamon of the types considered in this international
Standard, excluding all additives

Ground Cinnamon Powder obtained by grinding cinnamon of the
typed considered in this International Standard, excluding all
additives.

Whole Cinnamon All commercial forms of cinnamon except
cinnamon power.

Foxing The occurrence of reddish-brown patches on
the surface of the quills, which may become dark brown with time, is
known as foxing.

Bale A package of anyone particular grade of
quills wrapped in suitable material for export purposes.

Classification for quills (ISO 6535:1997) (SLS 81:2000)

Quills are graded on the basis of the diameter of the quill and the level of foxing.

Commercial
designation of grades and qualities Diameter
of quills
Max
mm Number
of whole quilla (1050mm) per kg
min Extent of
foxing¹
% max ²

Minimum
length of quills in a balemm Pieces of
tube and broken pieces of the same quality per bale max
% (m/m)

Alba 6 45 Nil 200 1

Continental
C 0000special
C 00000
C 0000
C 000
C 0
6
10
13
16
17
19
35
31
24
22
20
18
10
10
10
15
20
25

200

1

Mexican
M 00000special
M 00000
M 0000
16
16
16
22
22
18
50
60
60

200

2

Hamburg
H 1
H 2
H 3
23
25
38 |
11
9
7
25
40
60

150

3

1foxing can be
- Superficial (“malkorahedi”)
- Heavy (“korahedi”) This sub division is based on the depth of the patches
2 The extent is determined by visual examination


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