What moisture should a dehydrated onion spec sheet state?

State your own lab value. For reference, FSSAI's standard caps moisture at 5.0 percent for powder and 8.0 percent for other forms.

Does dehydrated onion need a microbiology section?

Yes. FSSAI applies its spices and herbs microbiology table to dehydrated onion, including Salmonella absent in 25 g. Buyers expect your latest lab results against it.

What does a negative peroxidase test mean?

It shows the enzymes that cause browning were inactivated during drying. FSSAI's standard requires the result to be negative.

Which HS code covers dehydrated onion?

DGFT's export policy lists dried onions in cut, sliced or broken in powder form under 0712 20 00. Confirm the current line with your CHA before you quote it.

Should flakes and powder have separate spec sheets?

Yes. The forms have different moisture limits and buyers compare them against different specifications, so one sheet per form avoids confusion.

Dehydrated Onion Specification for Export

What a buyer's QA team checks on a dehydrated onion sheet

Each row says why the buyer asks, the reference value where a public standard states one, and how to put your own value on the sheet. A reference value is not your specification: state your own lab result, and buyers compare it with their own requirements.

Physical

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
Cut size or meshFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	The buyer's line is set up for one cut. A mixed size range is the most common reason a sample fails.	No public limit; state your lab value	__ to __ mm, or __ mesh (state your range and sieve)
Moisture (powder)Powder	Powder picks up moisture fast and cakes; moisture decides free flow and shelf life.	max 5.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Moisture (other than powder)Flakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules	Moisture drives browning, mould and shelf life in flakes and granules.	max 8.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Extraneous matterFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Skins, stalks and stones are what a buyer's sorting line finds first.	max 0.5 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)

Chemical

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
Total ash (dry basis)Flakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	High ash points to soil carried in from the field.	max 5.0 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
Ash insoluble in dilute HClFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	This is the sand and grit share of the ash; buyers read it as a cleaning check.	max 0.5 % by weightFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	max __ % (state your lab value)
PeroxidaseFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	A negative test shows the product was dried enough to stop enzyme activity, so colour and flavour stay stable.	NegativeFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	negative (state your result)

Microbiological

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
Aerobic colony countFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Shows overall hygiene of drying, grinding and packing. A high count is the first thing a QA lab flags.	m 1×10⁶, M 1×10⁷ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
Yeast and mouldFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Signals moisture pick-up in storage and transit, which shortens shelf life.	m 1×10⁴, M 1×10⁵ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
EnterobacteriaceaeFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	An indicator of post-process contamination; buyers selling into ready-to-eat use check it closely.	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
Staphylococcus aureusFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Points to handling hygiene during manual sorting and packing.	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3A (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
SalmonellaFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	A food-safety criterion, not a hygiene one: one positive lot means rejection and often a border alert.	Absent/25 gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2)	absent in __ g (state your lab result)
Sulphite-reducing clostridiaFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Spore-formers survive drying; buyers using the product in soups and sauces ask for it.	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)
Bacillus cereusFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Another spore-former that matters when the buyer's product is held warm.	m 1×10³, M 1×10⁴ cfu/gFSSAI App. B Table 3B (v2)	max __ cfu/g (state your lab value)

Sensory

Parameter	Why buyers ask	Reference value	State it as
ColourFlakes, Kibbled, Minced, Chopped, Granules, Powder	Buyers buy by colour grade: white, cream, pink and red onion are different products with different prices.	white/cream/pink or redFSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)	white / cream / pink / red (state yours)

Forms and HS codes

Flakes: HS 0712 20 00, onions (of all varieties) in cut, sliced or broken in powder form
Kibbled: HS 0712 20 00, onions (of all varieties) in cut, sliced or broken in powder form
Minced: HS 0712 20 00, onions (of all varieties) in cut, sliced or broken in powder form
Chopped: HS 0712 20 00, onions (of all varieties) in cut, sliced or broken in powder form
Granules: HS 0712 20 00, onions (of all varieties) in cut, sliced or broken in powder form
Powder: HS 0712 20 00, onions (of all varieties) in cut, sliced or broken in powder form

Codes are quoted from the official documents linked. Confirm the current line with your customs broker before you file.

Packing formats buyers expect to see named

Multi-wall paper bags with an inner poly liner
Cartons with a poly liner
Bulk bags for industrial buyers

State the bag or carton, its liner, the net weight and how many fit a pallet or container. Those numbers are yours to state; no standard sets them.

What buyers in your main markets ask for

Export policy. DGFT lists onions in cut, sliced or broken in powder form as free to export, under a separate line from fresh onions. Source

An example dehydrated onion sheet

This is how the parameters above sit on one page, for a fictional company. Reference values are shown where a standard states one; on a real sheet each value is the exporter's own lab result.

Dehydrated onion, flakes — Example: fictional company (Example Agro Exports). Not for download.

Physical
Parameter	Specification	Test method	Reference
Cut size or mesh	per buyer specification	Not stated
Moisture (other than powder)	max 8.0 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)
Extraneous matter	max 0.5 % by weight	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)

Chemical · reference: FSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)
Parameter	Specification	Test method
Total ash (dry basis)	max 5.0 % by weight	Not stated
Ash insoluble in dilute HCl	max 0.5 % by weight	Not stated
Peroxidase	Negative	Not stated

Microbiological · reference: FSSAI App. B Table 3 (v2)
Parameter	Specification	Test method
Aerobic colony count	m 1×10⁶, M 1×10⁷ cfu/g	IS 5402 / ISO 4833
Yeast and mould	m 1×10⁴, M 1×10⁵ cfu/g	IS 5403 / ISO 21527 Part 1 and Part 2
Enterobacteriaceae	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g	IS/ISO 7402 / ISO 21528 Part 2
Staphylococcus aureus	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g	IS 5887 Part 2 and Part 8 / ISO 6888-1 or ISO 6888-2
Salmonella	Absent/25 g	IS 5887 Part 3 / ISO 6579
Sulphite-reducing clostridia	m 1×10², M 1×10³ cfu/g	ISO 15213
Bacillus cereus	m 1×10³, M 1×10⁴ cfu/g	IS 5887 Part 6 / ISO 7932

Sensory
Parameter	Specification	Test method	Reference
Colour	white/cream/pink or red	Not stated	FSSAI 2.9.28 (v4)

Form	HS code
Flakes this sheet	0712 20 00
Kibbled	0712 20 00
Minced	0712 20 00
Chopped	0712 20 00
Granules	0712 20 00
Powder	0712 20 00

Mistakes on dehydrated onion sheets that make buyers go quiet

Writing 'Grade A' instead of the actual cut size, moisture and colour.
One sheet for flakes and powder, when the moisture limits differ by form.
No microbiology at all, which makes a food-service buyer stop reading.
Mixing up dehydrated and fresh onion lines when quoting the HS code.
No test method next to a value, so the buyer can't compare it with their own lab.

Questions a buyer will send you

Is this white, red or pink onion, and from which crop?
What cut and size range do you supply, and which sieve did you use?
Is the product sterilised, and by what method?
Can you send a recent lab report for the microbiology panel?

Your sheet should look like this. The Buyer-Ready Pack builds it for up to 3 products, along with your Google listing and export page: ₹45,000, 10 working days.

Get my free Buyer Check See what the Pack includes

Sources

Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.9: Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products, FSSAI, Version 4 (01.08.2025)
Appendix B: Microbiological Requirements, Table 3 (Spices and Herbs), Tables 3A and 3B, FSSAI, Version 2 (04.11.2024)
ITC (HS) Schedule 2: Chapter-wise Export Policy, DGFT, ITC (HS), 2018 edition, as hosted on content.dgft.gov.in

Checked 2 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal, tax or compliance advice.

Dehydrated Onion specification for export: what your spec sheet must state