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It is a tall
herb with large root stocks and consists of rhizomes which
are ovate, oblong or phyriforam. It is grown in many parts
of India as commercial crop. It is household spice for divirse
cuisines in all parts of India.
Turmeric powder is considered
auspicious in many religious ceremonies in Hindu families.
Turmeric is often used in beauty creams for its antibiotic
properties. It is also very commonly used as household remedy
for minor cuts and wounds.
The yellow
pigmented fraction Curcumin is isolated from the rhizomes
of curcuma longa rhizomes are also used for diverse medicinal/food
purposes.
Turmeric is
closely related to ginger, and the methods by which ginger
oleoresin is obtained may be applied to turmeric, the curcumin
and the volatile-oil being both extracted by the same volatile-solvent.
Until the late 1970s, turmeric
oleoresin was prepared only in a few of the consuming countries,
mainly the United States and the United Kingdom, and manufacturers
refuse to disclose their methods of processing. India, however,
has now embarked upon commercial production of turmeric
oleoresin following the investigation of and the publication
of information on processing techniques by the Central Food
Technological Research Institute in Mysore.
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