Buyer's Guide to Bulk Tamarind: Grades, Specifications and Packing

Tamarind is the pulp of the pod of Tamarindus indica, a leguminous tree, and it is traded in bulk as whole pods, pressed blocks, concentrate, paste and powder. For a buyer, the commercial questions are the same as for any dried fruit: how much of the shipped weight is usable pulp, how acidic and how wet it is, and how it is packed to survive a sea voyage without fermenting or leaking. This guide covers the grade language, the specification points to write into a contract, and the packing formats that move in FCL and LCL trade.

What forms of bulk tamarind are traded?

Bulk tamarind is sold in five main forms: whole pods, seeded block, seedless block, concentrate or paste, and powder. Each has a different yield, shelf life and end use.

• Whole pods are the dried fruit with shell intact. They are the lowest-cost form by weight but carry 40 to 55 percent non-pulp weight (shell, seed, fibre). Retail and some processors buy them; most industrial users do not.
• Seeded block (with seed) is shelled pulp pressed into slabs or bricks with seeds and some fibre left in. Seed content is typically 20 to 35 percent by weight.
• Seedless block is pulp with seeds and most fibre removed, pressed into bricks. This is the standard grade for sauce, chutney and ready-meal manufacturers who want to control their own dilution.
• Concentrate and paste are pulp that has been soaked, screened and evaporated. Concentrate is usually specified at 65 to 70 degrees Brix; paste is a diluted product, commonly 35 to 50 Brix, often with salt or preservative.
• Powder is dried, milled pulp, sometimes with a flow agent. It is used in dry seasoning blends and instant mixes.

Degrees Brix is a measure of dissolved solids, mainly sugars, in a liquid; a refractometer reading of 68 Brix means 68 grams of solids per 100 grams of product.

How is tamarind graded for bulk sale?

There is no single international grading standard for tamarind, so grade names are trade conventions and must be tied to measurable limits in the contract. The points that define grade in practice are:

1. Seed content. Seedless block is normally offered at 1 to 3 percent seed by weight; an experienced buyer writes a maximum of 2 percent and tests it by hand-separating a 1 kg sample. Seeded block ranges from 20 to 35 percent.
2. Fibre and shell fragments. Fibre (the strands running through the pulp) is specified as a maximum, typically 3 to 8 percent. Shell fragments should be near zero in seedless grades.
3. Moisture. Block tamarind is naturally 15 to 25 percent moisture. Below about 15 percent the block is hard and difficult to soak; above 25 percent it ferments and weeps in transit.
4. Acidity. Expressed as total titratable acidity as tartaric acid. Block pulp typically shows 8 to 18 percent on a wet basis. Concentrate is specified at 12 to 18 percent. Acidity is the property most end users actually pay for, and it varies by crop year.
5. Colour. Fresh pulp is reddish brown; it darkens to near black with age and heat. Colour is not a quality defect in itself, but a very dark block usually indicates carry-over stock or hot storage.
6. Added salt. Some grades contain 2 to 5 percent salt to suppress fermentation. This must be declared because it affects the buyer's formulation and label.

Ask whether the offered lot is new crop or carry-over. Carry-over tamarind is not unsafe, but it is darker, drier and often lower in acidity, and it should be priced and specified as such.

What specification should go on a bulk tamarind contract?

A workable contract specification lists form, seed and fibre limits, moisture, acidity, additives and contaminant limits, each with a test method. The table below gives typical ranges; actual values vary by grade, season and destination market, and the ODOD quotation states the figures for the specific lot.

Parameter	Seedless block	Seeded block	Concentrate (65-70 Brix)	Powder
Seed content, max	1-3%	20-35%	Nil	Nil
Fibre, max	3-8%	8-15%	Nil (screened)	Nil
Moisture	15-25%	15-25%	30-35%	5-8%
Total acidity as tartaric acid	8-18%	8-16%	12-18%	10-16%
Brix	Not applicable	Not applicable	65-70	Not applicable
Added salt	0-5%, declared	0-5%, declared	0-3%, declared	Varies, declared
Foreign matter, max	0.5%	1%	Nil	0.5%
Typical shelf life	12-24 months	12-24 months	12-18 months	12-18 months

Beyond composition, three contaminant points matter for tamarind specifically:

• Sulphites. Sulphur dioxide is sometimes used to lighten colour and preserve pulp. In the United States any product containing 10 ppm or more of sulphites must declare them on the label. Specify a maximum, and specify whether any sulphite is permitted at all.
• Heavy metals, especially lead. Tamarind products have been subject to lead findings in several markets, usually traced to processing or packaging rather than the fruit. Request a heavy metals report per lot and set a lead limit consistent with your destination regulation.
• Insect infestation. Dried tamarind attracts stored-product pests. Specify live and dead insect limits and confirm the fumigation or heat treatment applied before packing.

Microbiological limits (total plate count, yeast and mould, Salmonella absent in 25 g) are standard for concentrate and paste, which are wetter and lower in sugar than block.

How is bulk tamarind packed for container shipment?

Block tamarind ships in lined cartons of 10 to 25 kg; concentrate ships in drums or bag-in-box; powder ships in multi-wall paper or PP bags with a poly liner.

• Block and slab. Pulp is pressed into slabs of 10, 20 or 25 kg, wrapped in food-grade LDPE film, then packed in 5-ply corrugated cartons. Retail-size bricks of 200 g, 400 g, 500 g and 1 kg are packed 10 to 40 pieces per master carton. A 20 ft container carries roughly 14 to 18 metric tons of block depending on carton size and palletisation; a 40 ft high cube carries 24 to 26 tons but is often weight-limited before it is volume-limited.
• Concentrate. Packed hot-filled in 20 kg or 25 kg HDPE pails, 200 kg or 230 kg HDPE drums, or aseptic bag-in-box of 20 to 220 kg. Drums are the default for manufacturers; pails suit distributors splitting to food service.
• Paste. Food-service jars and pouches of 1 to 5 kg, cartoned, or the same drum formats as concentrate.
• Powder. 20 or 25 kg multi-wall paper bags or woven PP bags with an inner poly liner, palletised and stretch-wrapped.

Two packing points that cause claims: block tamarind will slowly weep syrup if it is high in moisture or the container heats up, so a leak-proof inner liner and cartons rated for stacking are not optional; and cartons should not be loaded directly on the container floor without pallets or a floor sheet, because absorbed floor moisture softens the bottom tier.

How should tamarind be stored and how long does it keep?

Block tamarind keeps 12 to 24 months in a cool, dry store below about 25 degrees Celsius; concentrate keeps 12 to 18 months unopened. Neither requires refrigeration, but both darken and lose some acidity over time, and warm storage accelerates this. Concentrate should be kept out of direct sunlight and drums should not be opened until the day of use, since the surface is prone to yeast growth once exposed.

What documents accompany a bulk tamarind shipment?

A standard shipment carries a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate for dried pods and block, and a certificate of analysis for the specification points above. Dried tamarind pulp is generally classified under HS heading 0813 (dried fruit) and concentrate under heading 2008 (fruit otherwise prepared), but confirm classification with your broker before shipment. US importers also need FDA Prior Notice filed before arrival. ODOD provides copies of its US FDA registration, ISO, Halal, HACCP and GMP certificates with each quotation.

Which related products do tamarind buyers usually source together?

Tamarind buyers almost always source the other souring and sweetening agents used alongside it. Manufacturers making sambar and rasam bases pair tamarind with chana dal and jaggery powder, since the sweet-sour balance in those recipes is fixed at the formulation stage. Dry blend producers who need acidity without moisture often run amchoor powder in parallel with tamarind powder. Regional cuisine manufacturers also ask for tender tamarind leaf paste, which is a distinct product from the fruit pulp and is specified separately.

ODOD LLC supplies tamarind block, concentrate, paste and powder to importers, distributors and food manufacturers from certified partner facilities, in FCL, LCL and consolidated shipments on FOB, CIF, CFR or DDP terms. Prices depend on grade, quantity and destination. To receive a specification sheet, certificates and a quotation for your required form and volume, request a quotation.