There is no single international standard for the nutrient content of moringa powder. Leaf powder is often reported with protein in a range of roughly 20 to 30 percent, but published figures vary a great deal.
The levels in your product depend on the variety, growing conditions, leaf age, stem content and drying. Agree target levels with your supplier based on test results, not on brochure claims.
Why the numbers vary
- Stem content: stems and stalks carry less protein than leaflets, so a stalky powder tests lower.
- Leaf age: young leaves and old leaves differ in composition.
- Drying: heat and light reduce some vitamins, especially vitamin C and some carotenoids.
- Storage: vitamins continue to degrade over the shelf life.
- Lab method: protein is usually calculated from nitrogen, and the factor and method affect the result.
- Moisture: results on a dry basis read higher than results on an as-is basis.
Which nutrients buyers usually specify
Most food and supplement buyers ask for a short list of parameters. The rest is reported for information, often from a periodic full nutrient panel rather than every lot.
- Protein, with the method and basis stated.
- Moisture and total ash, plus acid insoluble ash as a sign of sand and soil.
- Crude fibre.
- Calcium and iron, which moringa is often marketed on.
- Vitamin A as beta carotene, if you make a claim about it.
Be careful with label claims
If your pack makes a nutrition or health claim, the numbers on your label must be supported by your own data. In the EU and UK, nutrition and health claims are controlled and only authorised claims may be made. In the US, the FDA regulates nutrient content claims. Check the current rules with your national food authority before you print.
Do not copy figures from a supplier's sales sheet onto your label. Those figures are often taken from published studies, not from the lot you bought.
How to set your limits
Test three or four samples from different lots or suppliers. Use the results, your recipe needs and your label to set a minimum protein level and any other targets. Write them into your spec with the test method, and keep an approved sample. Our guide to writing an agri product specification covers the rest of the document.
Safety limits matter as much as nutrients. Moringa has had problems with microbiology and, in some lots, heavy metals, so include those limits too. See how heavy metals are tested in herbs.
Ask for full results, not ranges
When you request data, ask for the full certificate of analysis on a named lot, with the lab name, method and date. A table of ranges on a brochure is not evidence. If a supplier cannot produce recent results for its own product, treat its nutrient claims with care. Repeat the key tests on pre-shipment samples, since leaf from a different harvest may differ.
How we help
We have moringa samples from several processors tested side by side at NABL-accredited labs, so you can set realistic limits from real data. Ask for a free sourcing review to begin.