Dehydrated chopped onion from India, tested before it ships
Even, visible pieces for sauces, stuffings and processed meat. We find the plant that cuts and sieves it, set the size and fines limits and test every lot.
Chopped onion is dried onion cut and sieved into smaller, more even pieces than kibbled, often around 3 to 5 mm, with large chopped around 5 to 10 mm. Makers of pasta sauces, stuffings, dressings and processed meat buy it when the onion should still show without dominating. The main risk is size drift: worn sieves let oversize through, handling adds fines, and a plant short of one cut may blend from its neighbours. We work for you, not the factory: we fix the range in writing, have each lot checked at an NABL-accredited lab and sieve test the cut again at loading.
Specification
What goes into a dehydrated chopped onion spec
| What to set | What buyers usually write, for illustration |
|---|---|
| Particle size | A main range such as about 3 to 5 mm, or 5 to 10 mm for large chopped, with at least a stated percentage retained between two sieves |
| Oversize | A maximum percentage on the top sieve, so pieces from a larger cut are not blended in |
| Fines | A maximum percentage through the bottom sieve, since fines look poor in a visible cut and pick up moisture |
| Moisture | A maximum of around 5 to 6 percent, sometimes set tighter than for flakes, with the test method named |
| Colour | The supplier's grade with a sealed reference sample and a limit on dark pieces, which still show at this size |
| Microbiology | Limits for total plate count, coliforms, E. coli, yeast and mould by named ISO methods |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g, tested before loading, with no release until results are in |
| Treatment | Untreated or steam sterilised, and no ethylene oxide (ETO), tested for ETO and 2-chloroethanol |
| Pesticide residues | A multi-residue screen against your market's limits, for example EU MRLs |
These are typical trade figures for illustration only, so set your own limits for your recipe, market and grade.
Uses
Where buyers use it
Pasta and cooking sauces
Visible but modest pieces that soften as the sauce cooks and give it texture without large chunks.
Stuffings and savoury fillings
Even pieces that spread through a stuffing, pie or pasty filling and rehydrate in the cooking moisture.
Processed meat
Small pieces in meatballs, burgers and sausages where some onion texture is wanted. Minced onion suits a finer mix.
Ready meals and meal kits
Large chopped sits between kibbled and chopped and suits ready meals and kits where pieces should show clearly but cook through evenly.
Dry sauce and seasoning mixes
Chopped onion in sachets and seasoning mixes where the customer expects to see pieces rather than a powder.
Ordering
What to write into the order
- Chopped or large chopped, with a millimetre range
- Oversize and fines limits, the sieve sizes and the sieve standard
- Where size is checked: at the plant, at loading or on arrival
- No blending from neighbouring cuts without written agreement
- The colour grade, a sealed reference sample and a dark piece limit
- Maximum moisture with the test method
- Untreated or steam sterilised, and no ETO treatment
- Separate lot numbers and lab reports for each cut you buy
Shipping
HS code, packing and loads
HS code
Chopped onion is dried onion that has been cut, so it falls under HS 0712.20, with 0712 20 00 as the Indian 8-digit line. Your customs broker confirms the national code at import.
Packing
Cartons with sealed polyethylene liners suit chopped onion, as they limit crushing and fines. Lined multiwall bags are an option where container space matters more than breakage.
Container load
Chopped onion packs somewhat denser than flakes, so a container takes more weight, but it can still fill by volume first. Ask for the plant's last actual loading of the same cut and pack.
Shelf life
Suppliers commonly state 12 to 24 months sealed, cool and dry. Smaller cuts pick up moisture faster than flakes, so keep liners closed once a carton is opened.
Questions
Dehydrated chopped onion: common questions
What size is dehydrated chopped onion?
There is no official standard. Chopped is often around 3 to 5 mm and large chopped around 5 to 10 mm, but each plant sets its own bands. Order by a millimetre range with oversize and fines limits.
What is the difference between chopped and minced onion?
Both come from the same dried onion. Chopped pieces are larger and stay visible in a sauce or filling. Minced pieces, often around 1 to 3 mm, rehydrate faster and spread more evenly through a product.
Why does chopped onion vary between shipments?
Worn or damaged sieves let oversize through, pieces break in handling and add fines, and a plant short of one cut may blend from neighbouring sizes. A sieve test at loading and a retained sample catch most of this.
Can I buy chopped onion with other forms in one container?
Yes. Many buyers take two or three cuts, or onion and garlic, from the same plant in one container. Each product needs its own spec, lot number, lab report and line on the documents.
Do you sell dehydrated chopped onion?
No. Creston & Co is a sourcing agent. You buy directly from the plant we help you choose, and we work for you: audits, lab tests, inspection and loading supervision, for a fee agreed in writing.
Buyer guides
Read more on dehydrated chopped onion
- Kibbled vs chopped vs minced onion: which cut to buy4 min
- What are the standard particle sizes for each onion form?3 min
- What forms of dehydrated onion are available: flakes, kibbled, chopped, minced, granules, powder?3 min
- Onion flakes vs minced vs granules vs powder: forms compared4 min
- What is Grade A versus Grade B dehydrated onion?3 min
- Can I mix onion and garlic forms in one container?3 min
- Steam-sterilised vs untreated dehydrated onion4 min
Start with a free 20-minute sourcing call.
Tell us the product, the spec and the volume. We'll tell you what it should cost from India, what to test for and where the risks are. No fee, no obligation, and you keep the notes.