Advances in Spices Research

During the past fifty years, much research work has been carried out in various spices. However no comprehensive exercise has been made to collect the achievements of the past. Documents is as important as research itself. Without proper documentation there is always the peril of some one trying to” reinvent the wheel.” I feel privileged to present this volume to the spices workers of India. Everyone who matters in spices research in India has found a place in this volume as an author or coauthor. Every major achievements on spices, on which research work is going on in India, has been incorporated in the text, making this into a very valuable database. This volume contains 31 chapters, out if which the first seven are of general topics pertaining to spices and spices research. The first one is an introductory chapter that gives a detailed treatment on definitions, classification of spices, condiments and herbs and then briefly traces the history of spices in India from ancient to the present. This chapter also gives a general treatment on the use of spices in cooking, medicine, and their use as bioceuticals, and their use as bioceuticals, and also the role of spices in the socio-cultural history of India. The subsequent chapters deal with production and export, genetic resources, varieties developed, biotechnological approaches ad medicinal applications. I hope that this voluminous compilation will be useful to all those who are interested in spices in one-way or other. This will remain as the only single volume database on the first 50 years of spices research in India. I hope that this volume will be read and referred by students and research workers for many decades to come or as l long as spices research workers will remain alive through the pages of this book. I salute all of them, all those who have gone ahead, and all those who walked along. With all humility I place this volume before the spices workers of India and the National at large.