The colour of commercial turmeric is not the colour of the plant. Someone adjusted it. Here is what open sun-drying preserves, and why it shows up in your cooking.
Fresh turmeric rhizomes, after harvest, are boiled briefly and then dried. The method of drying -- and what happens to the turmeric during it -- determines what the powder actually is.
Industrial drying vs open sun-drying
In industrial processing, turmeric is dried in mechanical dryers at controlled temperatures for 5-7 days. This is fast and scalable. What it does not do is let the rhizome breathe and cure naturally. The slow, open process -- spread under direct sun over 10-15 days -- allows the curcumin to develop and stabilise differently.
The colour question
Commercial turmeric powder is often a brighter, more uniform yellow than what you would get from just drying and grinding the rhizome. This sometimes involves synthetic colours. FSSAI tests for colour adulteration -- our batches are certified clean.
- —High colour does not mean high curcumin -- they are different compounds
- —Natural sun-dried colour is darker, more amber-tinged, less uniform -- this is correct
- —A richer yellow is not a mark of quality -- it may be the opposite
What you taste
Open sun-dried turmeric has a slightly more complex flavour -- earthy, faintly bitter, with the warmth you expect. Industrial-dried turmeric can be sharper, more one-dimensional. The difference is clearest when turmeric is the primary seasoning.
FSSAI certified. Traceable to source. No additives.
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