Anti-caking agents are sometimes added to spice powders and blends, most often silicon dioxide or a phosphate such as tricalcium phosphate. Whether they are allowed depends on the product category and your market. Many buyers do not accept them in a single, pure spice at all.
Whatever the rules allow, nothing should be added without your written agreement. Write that into the specification, using wording such as "no anti-caking agent, carrier or free-flow aid unless agreed in writing".
Most caking problems are better solved by moisture control and packing than by an additive.
Why powders cake
Powders cake when they pick up moisture and the particles stick together. Fine mesh, humid storage, warm containers and heavy stacking all make it worse. Blends with salt, sugar, onion or garlic powder are more prone to it, because those ingredients attract water. The same problem in a single product is covered in why onion powder cakes.
Which agents are used
- Silicon dioxide, the most common free-flow agent in seasonings.
- Tricalcium phosphate.
- Calcium silicate and some other silicates.
- Rice flour or starch, sometimes used as a carrier or free-flow aid. These are ingredients and must be declared. Undeclared starch is also a known adulteration route, as covered in detecting starch and colour adulteration.
Are they allowed?
In the EU and UK, a food additive may only be used where the additive rules permit it for that food category, under the stated conditions. Rules for plain herbs and spices are stricter than for seasonings and blends. In the US, the FDA regulates food additives, and some anti-caking agents have set conditions of use.
India's FSSAI sets its own additive rules for food sold in India, but your market's law decides what you can import. Where an additive is used, it normally has to appear in the ingredient list. Categories and conditions are specific, so check the current position for your exact product with the competent authority or your adviser.
Better ways to keep powders free-flowing
- Set a moisture limit at dispatch, and test it on the shipped lot.
- Ask the plant to grind and pack in a dry area, and to cool the powder before packing.
- Use bags with a sealed inner liner, or multi-layer packs for retail.
- Avoid stacking bags so high that the bottom layers compress.
- Shorten the time between grinding and shipping.
- Use container liners or desiccants on humid routes. See desiccants and container liners.
How we help
We write the additive position and moisture limit into your specification, check the plant's packing area during the audit, and have shipped lots tested at an NABL-accredited lab. For help with a powder that keeps caking, ask for a free sourcing review.