Dehydrated onion powder 80-100 mesh means the powder passes through a sieve with 80 openings per inch and is mostly held by one with 100. White onion granules 40-80 mesh means the granules pass a 40-mesh sieve but are retained on an 80-mesh sieve. The numbers describe particle size, and that size decides how the product behaves in your recipe.
Mesh is a count of openings per linear inch. A higher number means finer particles. The reading depends on which sieve standard is used, so always name it.
What are these mesh sizes in millimetres?
On the US sieve series, 40 mesh has an opening of about 0.425 mm, 80 mesh about 0.18 mm and 100 mesh about 0.15 mm. So 40-80 mesh granules sit between roughly 0.18 and 0.42 mm, and 80-100 mesh powder is below about 0.18 mm, with most of it around 0.15 to 0.18 mm.
These are stable sieve dimensions, but other series, such as Tyler or British, differ slightly. Write the series into the specification.
Which size suits which use?
Particle size changes how fast the onion hydrates and how it looks in the finished food.
- Fine powder at 80-100 mesh dissolves quickly and disperses evenly, so it suits seasoning blends, soups, sauces and dry rubs.
- Granules at 40-80 mesh flow better, are less prone to clumping, and suit dry mixes where powder would cake.
- Coarser pieces such as flakes and kibbled onion stay visible in the finished food. Standard particle sizes of each onion form lists them.
How is mesh tested?
The plant uses a sieve shaker with a stack of calibrated sieves. A weighed sample is shaken for a fixed time and the retained weight on each sieve is recorded. A good specification gives a percentage range, not just the two mesh numbers.
For example, you might state how much may be retained on the coarser sieve and how much may pass the finer one. A tolerance for oversize and fines is what makes a spec enforceable. How to write a specification for dehydrated onion powder gives a template.
What else belongs in the spec besides mesh?
Mesh alone does not describe quality. Add moisture, which for onion is normally kept low to prevent caking, plus colour, pungency, ash, total plate count and the foreign-matter limit. Also decide on a metal-detection requirement.
Cost depends on onion crop, yield from raw bulb to dried product, energy for drying, grade and pack size, so we do not quote figures. A firm offer needs your specification. For wider background on the product see dehydrated onion and garlic from India.
What goes wrong with mesh claims in practice?
The commonest problem is a lot that matches the label on one day and not on another. Powder settles and fines collect at the bottom of a bag, so a sample taken from the top can look coarser than one from the bottom. Agree a sampling method that takes material from several points in the lot.
The second problem is moisture. Fine onion powder absorbs water from the air quickly and cakes, which makes a correct mesh behave as if it were coarser. Ask how the plant packs, what liner it uses, and whether the container is protected against condensation on the voyage.
Next step
If you want a mesh and particle specification written and a Mahuva plant matched to it, book a free sourcing review. We check samples and have lots tested before you commit.