Coriander Seeds | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Coriander seeds are the dried ripe fruits of Coriandrum sativum L., an annual herb of the Apiaceae family, used worldwide as an aromatic spice and flavouring agent. They are rich in essential oils (primarily linalool, ~70%) and are valued for their warm, slightly citrus aroma in culinary, food-preservation, and traditional-medicine applications.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Coriander seeds are broadly considered safe at typical culinary intake levels and hold GRAS status with the FDA; no formal Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) has been established for the whole spice. Individuals allergic to other Apiaceae family members (celery, carrot, fennel, anise) may experience cross-reactive allergic responses. At very high doses, animal studies on the concentrated essential oil showed liver weight increases and fat infiltration, though no genotoxicity was observed.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Recognised as a traditional food spice in EU law; no E-number assigned as the whole spice is not classified as a food additive. Coriander seed oil assessed by EFSA FEEDAP Panel (2013). Subject to pesticide residue and aflatoxin maximum levels under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 and implementing regulations. CN code 0909 covers seeds of coriander in EU trade regulations.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Regulated under FSSAI Food Product Standards Chapter 2.9 (Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products) as Coriandrum sativum L.; must have characteristic aroma and flavour, be free from mould, living and dead insects, insect fragments, rodent contamination, and added colouring matter.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Listed as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) as a spice and natural seasoning under 21 CFR 182.10; permitted for use in food under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions with no established upper limit.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Other — Individuals with documented allergies to Apiaceae family plants (celery, carrot, fennel, anise) may experience cross-reactive allergic reactions to coriander seeds, as allergen cross-reactivity within the family is well recognised in food-safety literature.

Pregnancy — High-dose coriander seed supplements or concentrated extracts should be avoided during pregnancy; while normal culinary use is considered safe, traditional ethnobotanical records document emmenagogue use at supra-culinary doses, and animal developmental studies used doses up to 500 mg/kg/day essential oil.

Infants — Concentrated coriander seed preparations (oils, extracts, or supplements) are not recommended for infants due to absent paediatric safety data at higher doses; culinary quantities as part of family foods are generally considered low risk.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Part 182.10 – Spices and Other Natural Seasonings and Flavorings. accessdata.fda.gov
2FSSAI. FSSAI Food Product Standards Chapter 2.9: Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products (Version 3, 2024), 2024. fssai.gov.in
3FDA. Risk Profile: Pathogens and Filth in Spices (Updated January 2018), 2018. fda.gov
4EFSA. Safety of coriander oil (Coriandrum sativum L.) as a feed additive – EFSA FEEDAP Panel scientific opinion, 2013. efsa.europa.eu
5PubMed. Safety assessment of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) essential oil as a food ingredient, 2008. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched5 citations