Dried Red Chilli — Byadgi

Byadgi is the opposite trade to Teja: high colour, low heat. It is what gives a Mangalorean or Kolhapuri preparation its deep red without making it hot, and it is the main Indian feedstock for chilli oleoresin used as a natural colourant.

Graded on ASTA colour value, which is the number extraction buyers contract on.

What to fix on the specification

• ASTA colour: as a minimum, with the test method and the test date.
• Scoville: low by nature, but state the ceiling if it matters.
• Stem or stemless, and the pod length.
• Moisture: 10–12% maximum. Above that, mould risk rises sharply.
• Damaged and broken percentage.
• Aflatoxin: against the destination limit.

Extractable colour falls in transit, so “ASTA 70” means different things at loading and at discharge. Fix which one you are buying. What ASTA measures covers the test and the decay.