How to Know If Your Powdered Turmeric Is Lakadong or Not?

Regular turneric is boiled to remove the skin easily. This boiling is done mostly at farn level and hence increases chances of water contamination and also results in loss of nutrients including curcumin. Lakadong is the unboiled, unpolished turmeric with highest curcumin content. As it is ground with skin, the skin portions float on top, when mixed in water.

We at Masala Mundi source Lakadong Turmeric, from small set of trusted farmers who are committed to purity and quality. There are other local varieties of turmeric which look like Lakadong but have lower curcumin content. Hence the role of trusted hand is all the more important to to prevent adulteration at the source. As Lakadong is the unboiled and unpolished turmeric, the skin of turmeric is attached to the slices, even after it is dried. At Masala Mundi, we have an elaborate process of brush cleaning of slices, using US FDA approved brushes. This cleaning ensures that the loose skin is removed, still major portion is attached to the slice. When the turmeric slices are ground, the skin portion also gets ground. We use 40 mesh fine stainless steel sievers to sift the turmeric, to remove bigger particles and un-ground skin. The resultant fine powder has some portion of the grounded skin, which is lighter in density. Hence we test the turmeric by mixing water, the turmeric portion with higher density settles down, but the grounded skin with lighter density floats in water.

Why Lakadong Turmeric Is So Expensive?

The Lakadong Turmeric variety cannot be cultivated elsewhere, as the soil of the West Jaintia Hills is the most suitable to cultivate Lakadong turmeric with a curcumin content of 7 per cent. It is for this very reason that Lakadong Turmeric has a Geographic Indication tag linked to West Jaintia Hills district. At present many farmers are not cultivating Lakadong Turmeric as they are unable to get the deserved price for this premium variant. Hence the Lachein variety, though having lower curcumin content, has the highest share in terms of area under cultivation in the West Jaintia Hills district. There are many hardships faced by farmers cultivating turmeric – right from procuring seeds or rhizomes for Lakadong Turmeric, slicing and drying the turmeric & finding a market to ensure fair returns. It takes 9 months to cultivate turmeric and farmers cultivating turmeric cannot grow any other crop and depend only on turmeric sales for their annual income. We at Masala Mundi work closely with the farmers in Meghalaya to ensure our customers get Pure and Fresh Lakadong Turmeric and our farmers get a fair price for cultivating this indigenous variety of turmeric.

What is curcumin and why the sudden popularity of the term curcumin?

Turmeric, a spice that has long been recognized for its medicinal properties and is rightly known as an “The Healing Spice” as per Ayurveda and other Eastern Medicines.
Curcumin, the key active ingredient in turmeric, is a miracle compound known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It renders a bright yellow colour to the spice and is responsible for the healing properties of turmeric. Higher the curcumin, the more prized is the turmeric. Inflammation has been identified in the development of many chronic diseases and conditions & oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind aging and many diseases. Thus, curcumin is being recognized and used worldwide in many different forms for multiple potential health benefits. Today, curcumin tablets is promoted as a dietary supplement for a variety of conditions,
including arthritis, digestive disorders, respiratory infections, allergies, liver disease, depression, and many others. However, since the curcumin content found in most turmeric is not more than 1-2% turmeric as compared to Lakadong Turmeric which has 7 – 12% curcumin, hence it is rightly known as the World’s Finest Turmeric.