CINNAMON OR TRUE CINNAMON - Intercom Exports

oleoresin extraction. Ground cassias are sold for domestic culinary use, usually without
distinction as to type, under the label of ‘cassia- cinnamon’.
PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURE
PREPARATION OF SPICE
The quality of cinnamon and the various cassias is primarily assessed on the basis
of their appearance and on the content and aroma/ flavour character of their volatile oil.
The relative importance of these quality attributes is dependent, however, on their
intended end use, the appearance of the spice is rather more important when it is to be
used for grinding or for the preparation of the essential oil or the oleoresin.
The spices are prepared and supplied to the market in various forms, the most
elaborate type of product being the compound cinnamon quills from Sri Lanka.
CEYLON CINNAMON
The harvesting and preparation of cinnamon in Sri Lanka is generally undertaken
for a farmer by contract peelers, usuak]lly a group of 2 families.sufficient material is cut
for a day’s peeling, the working day being from about 6 am to 7 pm. Stems, measuring
1.2-5 cm in diameter, are cut early in the morning and the twigs and leaves are detached;
the last may be retained for distillation purposes. The cut stems are then bundled and are
transported by bullock cart to the peeling shed.
The peeling operation consists of stripping the bark and preparing quills of 42 ins.
Length[ just over 1m] from the inner bark. The procedure used for peeling is dependebt
upon whether the whole operation is to be undertaken in one day or over2 days. If the
peeling is to be accomplished within one day, the outer bark is first removed using a
crude curved knife and this is usually done by the young boys in the family group. The
stripped stem is next rubbed briskly with a heavy brass rod to loosen the inner bark. The
remoal of the inner bark is undertaken by the men using a small rounded knife with a
point on one side to facilitate ripping.