Each of these four spec sheets turns on one figure: nutrient or moisture limits for a moringa powder specification, viscosity for guar gum 5000 cps, acid value for castor oil first special grade, and soluble solids for mango pulp Brix 28. Read that figure and its test method first.
The rest of a sheet is a set of supporting limits. A good sheet gives the number, the unit, the method and a tolerance for every line.
How do you read a moringa powder specification?
Moringa powder is dried, milled leaf. The sheet should give moisture, particle size, colour, ash, and a microbiological limit. For a food or supplement ingredient add heavy metals and pesticide residues against your market's rules.
Protein and nutrient claims vary by crop and drying, so ask for a measured value on your lot rather than a typical value. Colour is a quality signal: bright green means careful drying. The moringa and ashwagandha buyer guide explains the product.
What does guar gum 5000 cps mean?
CPS is centipoise, a unit of viscosity. Guar gum 5000 cps means a solution of the gum, prepared at a stated concentration and time, reaches about 5000 centipoise on a viscometer. The concentration, the temperature, the spindle and the time all change the reading.
That is why the sheet must state the method. Two suppliers can both quote 5000 cps and mean different things. How guar viscosity is measured and at what concentration is the key reference. Also check mesh, protein, ash and acid-insoluble residue.
What is castor oil first special grade?
First special grade, or FSG, is a trade grade for refined castor oil with limits on free fatty acid or acid value, colour, moisture and impurities. It is a commercial grade, and the exact limits are written in the contract rather than fixed by law.
So ask for the actual figures: acid value, iodine value, hydroxyl value, saponification value and colour. What FSG means in castor oil sets out the usual ones.
What does mango pulp Brix 28 mean?
Brix measures soluble solids, mainly sugar, as a percentage by weight, read on a refractometer. Brix of 28 means the pulp has about 28% soluble solids, which suits sweet varieties. Other varieties sit at a lower Brix, so the target depends on the fruit.
Also state acidity, pH, colour, and the pack size, which is usually a tin or an aseptic drum. What Brix level mango pulp should have goes through it.
What do all four sheets have in common?
Every sheet should carry the same minimum set, whatever the product:
- The test method for each figure, so your lab and the supplier's measure the same thing.
- A tolerance, so you know what counts as a pass.
- The date, batch and sampling method of the lot tested.
- A statement of what is not covered, such as residues and microbiology, which you can add as separate lines.
Next step
Cost depends on crop, grade, testing and pack, so a real quote needs a specification. If you want yours written and the first lot tested, book a free sourcing review. More on how we test is in reading a lab certificate.