Wednesday, May 19, 2010

We have decided to choose Bak Kut Teh as the food product for Package One.

Here are some several related information

Task: Amount Limit per ingredient as permitted by FDA
Spices and Condiments under Food Regulations

213. Spices and condiments shall be sound aromatic vegetable substances used for flavouring of food, from which no portion of any oil or other flavouring substance, naturally contained in them, has been removed. The standard specified for the various spices shall apply to spices whether whole, partly ground or in powder form.

1. Chinese Angelica

2. Barbary Wolfberry Fruit

3. Szechwan Lovage Rhizome

4. Liquorice Root

5. Cinnamon
219. Cinnamon shall be the dried bark of cultivated varieties of cinnamomum zeylanicum, Nees, or C. cassia L., from which the outer layers may not have been removed.
It shall contain -
(a) not more than 5% total ash;
(b) not more than 2% ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid; and
(c) not less than 0.5% volatile essential oil.

6. Star Anise
234. Star anise shall be the dried, ripe fruit of Illicium verum Hooker filius. It shall be free from admixture by Illicium anisatum Linn.

7. Pepper

232. Black pepper or pepper corn shall be the sound fruit of Piper nigrum and shall contain -
(a) not more than 3% deteriorated fruits or any extraneous matter;
(b) not more than 5% light berries;
(c) not more than 8% total ash;
(d) not more than 1.5% ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid;
(e) not less than 6.75% non-volatile ether extract; and
(f) not less than 30% starch.

233. White pepper shall be dried, mature berry of Piper nigrum L. From which the outer coating or the outer and inner coatings are removed and shall contain -
(a) not more than 5% of crude fibre;
(b) not more than 3.5% total ash;
(c) not more than 0.3% of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid;
(d) not less than 7% of non-volatile ether extract; and
(e) not less than 52% of pepper starch.

8. Fennel
225. Fennel fruit or seeds shall be the dried, ripe fruit of cultivated plants of Foeniculum vulgare. It shall be free from sand, earth or other dirt and shall contain -(a) not more than 4% foreign organic matter, seeds or stalks;(b) not more than 9% total ash;(c) not more than 2% ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid; and(d) not less than 4% volatile oil.

9. Coriander
221. Coriander shall be the dried fruit of the coriander plant an shall contain not more than -(a) 7% total ash; and(b) 1.5% ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid
The above herbs and spices are regarded as natural ingredients. In Singapore, natural ingredients have no limitations in the product. Any excessive increase in certain ingredients would have change the taste of the bak kut teh.

10. Salt
211. Salt other than crude rock salt, shall be crystalline sodium chloride and shall contain on a dry basis not more than
(a) 1.4% calcium sulphate;(b) 0.5% calcium and magnesium chlorides; and(c) 0.1% other matters insoluble in hot deci-normal solution of hydrochloric acid

11. Sugar
143. Sugar shall be the food chemically known as sucrose, and if sold as granulated, loaf cut, cube, milled or powdered shall contain not less than 99.5% (w/w) sucrose.

12. MSG
246. Monosodium glutamate or the mono-sodium salt of L-glutamic acid shall contain not less than 98% of the mono-sodium salt of glutamic acid on a dry basis and shall have a specific rotation in 0.5% normality hydrochloric acid at a temperature of 25 degree Celsius of not less than +24.2 degrees and not more than +25.5 degrees.

13. Disodium Inosinate

14. Disodium Guanylate
First Schedule
Permitted use of general terms in the declaration of ingredientsHerbs when forming an ingredient of some other food at a level not exceeding 2% by weight of such food.Spices, when forming an ingredient of some other food at a level not exceeding 2% by weight of such food.
Singapore has no limitations for these ingredients. Disodium Inosinate and guanylate is used in minimal amounts as they are quite expensive. MSG, sugar, salt are used more in Bak Kut Teh as they are cheaper, do not have as strong an intensity compared to the other two additives and Singapore has no usage limits for them.

Gobbled BAK KUT TEH at 11:43 PM