ABSTRACT
India is considered the “Land of Spices” and is one of the major spice-producing and -exporting countries of the world, contributing about 20–25% of the world trade in spices. It is a well-known fact that spices have played a significant role in food flavoring and medicine since ancient times. Important spices in India include pepper, cardamom, chili, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, celery, saffron, tamarind, and garlic. Other spices produced and exported in small quantities are aniseed, bishop’s weed (Ajawajn), dill seed, poppy seed, Bay leaves (Tejpat), curry leaves, cinnamon, Kokam, and a few other culinary herbs. The development of spice processing industries and the production of value-added products thereof has led to the generation of spice-based by-products and inedible waste. Although the waste generated from the spice industry does not cause much serious damage, its disposal poses concerns regarding environmental pollution. Hence, strategies are needed for the effective utilization of industrial wastes to prevent such issues, which are discussed in this chapter.
