The total bacterial counts of commercially available the five spices powder and chilli were respectively found to be 10

3

/g and 10

7

/g

whereas the total fungal counts of both the five spices powder and chilli were about 10

4

/g.

The sterilization efficacy of spices irradiated by electron beam was studied in this paper. The effects of irradiation on the colours of spices were assessed by spectrophotometric analyzing aqueous extracts of spices. The content of water-insoluble volatile oils was determined in control and irradiated samples of spices by measuring the u. v. absorption. The effect of different packaging materials was discussed on total viable bacterial and fungal population in unirradiated and irradiated the five spices powder during storage at ambient temperature.