Nutmeg Grades Explained
Nutmeg is sold in six common grades. ABCD calibrated, ABCD and SS are sound whole nutmegs; Cracked UV Selected, BWP Reconditioned and BWP are damaged nutmegs sold for grinding and extraction. On top of the grade, buyers choose an aflatoxin limit, usually below 10 ppb for the European Union or below 20 ppb for the United States. This guide explains what each grade name means, how a lot is sorted into grades, and how to pick one for your product.
What is being graded
Nutmeg is the seed of the nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, native to the Banda Islands in Maluku, Indonesia. Inside the fruit, the seed is wrapped in a red, lace-like aril that is dried and sold as a separate spice, mace. Once the seed has dried and come out of its shell, it is the nutmeg itself that is sorted and graded. Two things decide the grade: the condition of each nut, and for sound whole nuts, its size.
The six grades, one by one
| Grade | What the name means | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ABCD calibrated | Sound whole nutmegs, kept within a narrow size range | Retail packs of whole nutmeg |
| ABCD | Sound whole nutmegs of several sizes together | Repacking and grinding |
| SS (Sound Shrivels) | Whole nutmegs that are sound inside but shrivelled on the outside | Grinding |
| Cracked UV Selected | Cracked nutmegs, checked under UV light | Grinding and further processing |
| BWP Reconditioned | BWP with the black and mouldy pieces taken out | Industrial grinding and processing |
| BWP (Broken Wormed Punctured) | Broken, wormed and punctured nutmegs, the lowest commercial grade | Extraction and industrial processing |
The first three grades are whole nuts without damage, priced by how they look and how even they are. The last three are damaged nuts. Once nutmeg is ground into a seasoning blend or extracted for its oil, nobody sees the nut, so these grades do the same job for less money. The six names are used across the trade, and they are the grades we ship as an Indonesian nutmeg exporter.
How a lot is sorted into grades
Sorting starts with condition. Each nut is sound, shrivelled, cracked, broken or damaged by insects, and that puts it in a group. Sound whole nuts are then sorted by size. A calibrated grade goes one step further and keeps every nut within a narrow size range, which matters when the shopper sees the whole nutmeg through a glass jar.
In our factory in Surabaya the work is done partly by hand and partly by machine. Experienced operators pick out foreign material and defective nuts. UV selection then finds the nuts affected by aflatoxin so they can be taken out; this is where the "UV Selected" in a grade name comes from. Metal separators and sieves follow, and the factory laboratory checks the lot before it is released.
Aflatoxin limits: 10 ppb or 20 ppb
Nutmeg grows and dries in a tropical climate, where some moulds produce aflatoxins. Buyers therefore set a maximum, usually for the total of the four aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2. The two values you will meet most often follow the two largest import markets:
- In the European Union, the limit for nutmeg is 10 µg/kg for the sum of aflatoxins and 5 µg/kg for aflatoxin B1, set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915.
- In the United States, the FDA action level for total aflatoxins in human food is 20 ppb, set out in CPG Sec. 555.400.
One µg/kg is the same as one ppb. The aflatoxin limit is set separately from the grade, so a buyer in Germany and a buyer in Chicago can order the same grade, ABCD for example, at "below 10 ppb" and "below 20 ppb". The stricter specification takes more careful selection and usually costs more. Other countries have their own limits, so check the current rule for your destination before you order.
Choosing a grade
Start from what happens to the nutmeg after you buy it:
- Sold whole to consumers: ABCD calibrated, for an even size in the pack.
- Ground for food production: SS or Cracked UV Selected, the grades most grinders buy.
- Extraction or industrial processing: BWP or BWP Reconditioned.
- Going to the EU: any grade offered below 10 ppb total aflatoxins, steam sterilized, because ethylene oxide treatment is not authorised there.
If the use is in between, a grinder that also sells some whole nutmeg for instance, ask for samples of two grades and compare them on your own line.
The grades we export
We export all six grades from Surabaya. Most are available below 10 ppb or below 20 ppb total aflatoxins, untreated, steam sterilized or ETO sterilized where the destination allows it. The full specification is on the Nutmeg Whole / Broken page. If you would rather buy a powder, Nutmeg Ground comes with a minimum of 4%, 5% or 6% volatile oil.