What a blueberry powder specification sheet actually proves
Where we start when a fruit powder enquiry arrives. The first question we ask is not about assay, it is about the lot: which batch would actually ship, and is it carrier-free or on maltodextrin. Then we ask for that lot’s loss on drying and total ash, because a fruit powder that has picked up moisture in storage reads fine on the specification and cakes in the customer’s blender. If the answer comes back vague, we would rather take a day and get the batch data than send a price against a grade name.
Most fruit-powder specification sheets are short — eight or ten lines — and that is exactly why they get misread. On a blueberry powder sheet the line buyers look at first is the assay, and on our standard grade that line carries no number at all. Read in the wrong order, the sheet looks thin. Read in the right order, it answers the questions that actually decide whether the material works on your line.
The assay line, read exactly
Our standard grade is published as pure concentration powder — no synthetic colors. That is a statement about composition and process: the material is low-temperature spray-dried blueberry juice and pulp solids, with nothing added for colour. It is deliberately not standardised on an anthocyanin percentage.
That choice has consequences, and they are worth stating plainly:
- If your label claims a specific anthocyanin level, this grade as published will not support it. Ask for an assay against your target and expect the feasibility answer before the price — the two are decided together.
- If your claim is colour and fruit content, the published grade is the right material, and an anthocyanin number would add cost without adding a claim you can use.
- Either way, “pure concentration powder” is not a synonym for “standardised extract”. Do not let a quotation blur the two, because the price difference between them is real.
The four lines that decide how it runs
On a spray-dried fruit powder, the physics lines carry more day-to-day weight than the assay. These four belong together, and a sheet that gives you only one of them is telling you less than it appears to:
| Line | Standard grade | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Vivid magenta-purple fine powder | Colour, and a first check that drying was gentle |
| Loss on drying | ≤ 5.0% | Free moisture that will migrate into your blend |
| Total ash | ≤ 5.0% | Mineral load and process cleanliness |
| Particle size | 80 mesh standard, 100 mesh on request | Flow, dispersion and grittiness in a drink |
Loss on drying is the one to watch in a gummy or a soft chew. At or below 5.0% the powder is not carrying enough water to move your finished moisture, but it is also not so dry that it dusts badly in a blender. Total ash at or below 5.0% is less exciting and more useful: it is where a poorly washed or over-diluted lot shows up first.
Carrier-free, or on a carrier
The sheet offers both: carrier-free, or maltodextrin carrier on request. This is a commercial decision disguised as a technical one. Carrier-free puts more colour into every kilo and lets the ingredient list read as blueberry with nothing after it. Maltodextrin improves flow, cuts caking in a humid plant and lowers cost per kilo — and it must be declared. Settle it before you ask for price, because the two versions are not interchangeable in either your label or your cost sheet.
What the sheet cannot tell you
- Colour stability in your matrix. Anthocyanins respond to pH and heat. The sheet describes the powder, not your process.
- The microbiology of your lot. That belongs on the COA, and the COA belongs to the batch, not to the grade.
- Dispersion behaviour. 80 mesh is a proxy, not a test. Run a spoon test in the liquid you actually use before you scale.
Turning it into a purchase specification
Our sheet is the starting point; the purchase specification is the document your QA team signs off, and it only needs six lines to be enforceable: botanical source and part (blueberry, fruit), process (low-temperature spray drying of fresh juice and pulp), carrier status stated either way, loss on drying and total ash limits, particle size, and packing. Everything else can stay in the correspondence.
“Send me your specification sheet” usually means “send me the document I can put in a supplier file”. Those are not the same request, and the reply should serve both.
Where to start
If you are comparing suppliers, ask each one for the same six lines and for the COA of the lot they would ship. Same lines, same format, same lot — then the comparison means something. If a supplier sends a price and a grade name with no lot behind it, you are comparing letterheads. For the commercial side of the same decision — grades, carriers and packing quantities — see our blueberry powder buyer’s guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does blueberry powder have a standardised anthocyanin assay?
Our standard grade is published as a pure concentration powder with no synthetic colors, spray-dried from blueberry fruit and juice solids, and it is not standardised on an anthocyanin percentage. If your label needs a quantified anthocyanin figure, send the target and we will confirm feasibility with our manufacturing partner before quoting.
What moisture and ash limits apply?
Loss on drying at or below 5.0% and total ash at or below 5.0% on the standard grade, both stated on the product page. Those two lines are the quickest read on whether the drying and washing steps were controlled.
Can it be supplied without a carrier?
Yes. The standard grade is carrier-free, and a maltodextrin carrier system can be produced on request. Carrier-free keeps the label to blueberry alone and puts more colour in every kilo; maltodextrin improves flow and lowers cost per kilo but must be declared.
Related reading
Related: Blueberry Powder — full specification, grades and documentation.