| Fennel seed | [German version] |
Table of contents |
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| General: | ||
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Product information | |
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Packaging | |
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Transport | |
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Container transport | |
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Cargo securing | |
Product information
Product name
| German | Fenchel |
| English | Fennel seed |
| French | Fenouil |
| Spanish | Hinojo |
| Scientific | Foeniculum vulgare |
| CN/HS number * | 0909 50 ff. |
(* EU Combined Nomenclature/Harmonized System)
Product description
Fennel seeds are the ripe, dried, gray-green striped to yellowish brown schizocarpic fruits (4 – 10.5 mm long, 2 – 4 mm wide) of the fennel bush, which is of Mediterranean origin and belongs to the Umbelliferae family. Obtained from this aromatic and medicinal plant, the seeds emit a pleasant odor, are highly aromatic and have a pungent flavor.
The term spice is used to refer to plant parts which serve to improve the odor and flavor of foods. They contain essential oils and other ingredients which have a strong seasoning action.
Spices are processed, cleaned, graded and carefully packaged for overseas dispatch in the countries where they are cultivated. They are dried to preserve them for transport and storage. In consumer countries, they are delivered to spice mills, where they are cleaned and graded again, ready for sale in unground or ground form.
Spices are classified by the plant parts used:
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Fruit and seed spices (e.g. pepper, cardamom, fennel seed) |
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Bud and flower spices (e.g. cloves) |
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Bark spices (e.g. cinnamon) |
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Root spices (ginger, turmeric) |
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Leaf spices (bay leaf) |
Oil content: 5.0 – 6.5% essential oils [1], in particular fenchone and anethole.
Quality / Duration of storage
„Combed“ fennel seed is harvested by hand or using a comb. „Straw“ fennel seed is harvested after the first frost and is therefore of lower grade.
Fennel seed may be kept for approx. 12 months if the recommended storage conditions are complied with.
Intended use
Fennel seed is used as a seasoning in bread and pastries and in candies and also for medicinal purposes (fennel oil and fennel tea for infants).
Figure
(Click on the Figure to enlarge it.)
 Figure 1 |
Countries of origin
This Table shows only a selection of the most important countries of origin and should not be thought of as exhaustive.
| Europe | Southern Italy, Southern France, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain |
| Africa | North Africa |
| Asia | India, Far East, Asia Minor, China |
| America | Argentina, USA |
| Australia |
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Packaging
Fennel seed is packaged in jute fabric bags (50 kg), among other things.
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Transport
Symbols
 General cargo |
Means of transport
Ship, truck, railroad
Container transport
Standard containers may be used, subject to compliance with lower limits for water content of goods, packaging and container flooring.
Cargo handling
In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected from moisture, since this may lead to mold, spoilage and self-heating.
Hooks must not be used in handling bagged goods as they subject the bags to point loads, so damaging them. Due to their shape, plate or bag hooks apply an area load and are thus more suitable for handling bags.
Stowage factor
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3.00 m3/t (jute fabric bags, 50 kg) [1] |
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2.72 m3/t (bags, 70 kg) [14] |
Stowage space requirements
Cool, dry, good ventilation
Segregation
Fiber rope, thin fiber nets, wooden dunnage
Cargo securing
In order to ensure safe transport, the cargo must be stowed and secured in the means of transport in such a manner that it cannot slip or shift during transport. If loss of volume and degradation of quality are to be avoided, the packages must not be damaged by other articles or items of cargo.
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Risk factors and loss prevention
RF Temperature
Fennel seed requires particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions (SC VI) (storage climate conditions).
Favorable travel temperature range: 5 – 25°C [1]
Fennel seed should be transported in areas which exhibit the lowest temperatures during the voyage and are dry. In any event, storage beneath the weather deck or, in the case of shipping in containers, in the uppermost layer on deck, must be avoided as the deck or container is strongly heated by the intense solar radiation and, at temperatures of > 25°C, essential oils may be lost.
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RF Humidity/Moisture
Fennel seed requires particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions (SC VI) (storage climate conditions).
| Designation | Humidity/water content | Source |
| Relative humidity | 50 – 65% | [1] |
| Water content | approx. 10% | [1] |
| Maximum equilibrium moisture content | 65% | [1] |
Spices are hygroscopic goods (hygroscopicity), which interact with the moisture in the air. The risk of mold growth is naturally at its greatest in warm, damp air. The cargo may become musty, and the risk of self-heating increases with an elevated air moisture content.
Fennel seed should be stowed away from goods which are sensitive to moisture/humidity or release moisture (e.g. copra).
In order to prevent condensation on the ship’s side or container walls from affecting the cargo, care should be taken to leave a clear gap between the cargo stack and the ship’s side or container wall.
Relative humidities of the ambient air of > 75% result in mold growth.
Fennel seed must always be protected from seawater, rain and condensation water.
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RF Ventilation
Fennel seed requires particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions (SC VI) (storage climate conditions).
If the product is at „shipping dryness“, it does not have to be ventilated during transport. However, if the water content does not meet these guidelines, the following ventilation measures should be implemented to eliminate the potential for dampness:
Recommended ventilation conditions: air exchange rate: 6 changes/hour (airing)
In order to avoid formation of mold, the stowage space should be cool, dry and, most particularly, easy to ventilate.
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RF Biotic activity
Fennel seed displays 3rd order biotic activity.
Fennel seed belongs to the class of products in which respiration processes are suspended, but in which biochemical, microbial and other decomposition processes still proceed.
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RF Gases
No risk.
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RF Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion
An elevated moisture content and excessively high temperatures create a risk of self-heating.
Oil content: 5.0 – 6.5% essential oils [1], in particular fenchone and anethole.
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RF Odor
| Active behavior | Fennel seed has a strong, pleasant aniseed-like odor and flavor. When transporting spices, it is important to retain the content of essential oils to the greatest possible extent, since these substances, together with other constituents, such as fatty oils, tannins and bitter principles, determine the odor and flavor and thus quality of the spices. The essential oils are readily volatilized and the seasoning action of the spices is consequently reduced. Volatilization of the essential oils is primarily determined by temperature. The higher is the ambient temperature, the more the essential oils are volatilized, as may be recognized by the intense odor in the hold. Due to the readily volatilized essential oils, spices should always be stowed separately from each other and away from foodstuffs which readily absorb foreign odors (e.g. coffee or tea). |
| Passive behavior | Fennel seed is sensitive to goods with an unpleasant and/or pungent odor and should therefore not be stowed together with odor-emitting products (e.g. chemicals or cheese). |
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RF Contamination
| Active behavior | Fennel seed does not cause contamination. |
| Passive behavior | Fennel seed is sensitive to dust, dirt, fats and oils. |
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RF Mechanical influences
With bagged cargo, point loads applied for example by hooks may result in damage (tears) to the bags and thus in loss of volume. Plate or bag hooks, which, due to their shape, distribute the load and reduce the risk of damage, should thus be used.
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RF Toxicity / Hazards to health
No risk.
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RF Shrinkage/Shortage
Where goods have been loaded in too moist a condition, their drying-out may result in weight loss of up to 1%. Loss of volume may be caused by damaged packages.
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RF Insect infestation / Diseases
Fennel consignments may be infested by rats, mice, beetles (in particular drugstore beetles, hump spider beetles, Australian spider beetles and golden spider beetles) and moths (dried fruit and cacao moths) and mites.
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