Spice blending is the controlled mixing of individual herbs and spices into defined recipes for retail or industrial use, where homogeneity, particle-size matching and allergen segregation determine product safety and consistency.
In trade practice
Blending facilities weigh minor ingredients such as oleoresins or flow agents on calibrated scales and verify batch homogeneity by sampling multiple points in the blend. Allergen control requires dedicated equipment or validated cleaning procedures between runs, documented in cleaning records. A certificate of analysis covering moisture, microbial counts and, where relevant, volatile oil content accompanies each batch. Common errors include inadequate mixing time for dense-particle blends and failure to declare carry-over allergens on the finished-product specification.
In a specification
A purchase specification for a spice blend states the recipe reference, permitted ingredient sources, target particle size range and the analytical parameters required on the certificate of analysis for each production lot.