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American Institute of Marine Underwriters |
Commodity Search Form
ROOTS (Medicinal, etc.)
- Description: GINGER (Dry) - Ginger is the washed, irregular-shaped rootstock (rhizome) of the reed-like ginger plant of the family Zingiberaceae, which is cultivated in the tropics and grows as tall as 1.5 m. The rootstock shape resembles a human hand (hands or claws). The way ginger is treated after harvesting and cleansing differs according to the country in which it is grown: for instance, in West Africa the rhizomes are dried without peeling, while in Bengal they are soaked in water overnight and superficially scraped; goods from Malabar or Bombay have the corky rind removed completely and in Jamaica ginger is washed in cold water, carefully peeled and re-soaked. The latter is particularly prized because of its fine aroma. If ginger has simply been washed and dried, but not peeled, it is known commercially as "black" or "green" ginger, while the peeled product is known as "white" ginger. With peeled ginger, the outer peel is removed with special knives prior to drying, while with "split" ginger the ginger tuber is split first to speed up the drying process. The rootstock treated in this way is then cut into slices or chunks and often immersed in or dusted with a lime solution to bleach it and protect it against pests However, this process has become less significant with the development of modern fumigation methods. Ginger has a characteristic, bitingly pungent, slightly sweetish and aromatic flavor. Oil content: Essential oils: - 0.8 - 5.0%, in particular zingiberene, zingiberol Subject to a natural loss in weight which may well be considerable. It is essential that ginger be properly dried to avoid premature appearance of mildew and breeding of weevils. Old stocks are particularly liable to deterioration, especially when stored in tropical climates. Easily damaged by contact with water. During the rainy season may become infested even without coming into contact with water. Complete immersion in fresh or salt water will not render this product a total loss. The ginger will require washing in clean fresh water, particularly if it has been subjected to immersion in salt water, the root being dried and scraped, if necessary, to remove mold. The consequent loss in weight in such circumstances can be considerable. The slackness of a bag does not necessarily imply that there has been a loss of contents; the ordinary cause of slackness is the pressure of the bags in stowage, which, in turn, results in loss of bulk due to the nature of the commodity.
- Index: 922
- Commodity Name: ROOTS (Medicinal, etc.)