Dehydrated onion and garlic are in more savoury products than any other vegetable ingredient, and India — specifically the Mahuva–Bhavnagar belt in Gujarat — is the world's largest supplier. Most buyers treat them as commodities and specify on price and cut size. The buyers who avoid trouble specify four more things: moisture, pungency, sulphite and microbiology.
This guide covers those, the cuts and their uses, the labelling rules in the US, UK, Ireland and EU, and what moves the price. It reflects how ODOD Group supplies its own dehydrated onion and garlic.
The cuts, and what each is for
- Flakes (8–20 mm): toppings, foodservice shakers, visible pieces in bakery.
- Kibbled (3–5 mm): soups, stews, pickles — rehydrates to a recognisable piece.
- Chopped / minced (1–3 mm): sauces, meat products, dry mixes with texture.
- Granules (0.5–1 mm): seasoning blends where powder would cake or dust.
- Powder (80 mesh): base note in blends, salts, coatings and sauces.
- Toasted onion: darker, sweeter, for bagels and snack seasonings.
All cuts should come from the same graded raw material so a product range tastes consistent. Ask whether the powder is milled from the same lot as the flakes, or is a by-product of screenings.
Pungency: the number most COAs miss
Onion flavour strength is measured as pyruvic acid (µmol per gram, dry basis) — the compound released when the onion's sulphur chemistry is triggered. White dehydrated onion should run 40 µmol/g or higher; below that a seasoning tastes flat and needs more onion per batch. Garlic is measured as allicin potential or total thiosulphinates. Put both on the specification with a minimum; it is the only way to keep a formula tasting the same across seasons.
Sulphites
Sulphur dioxide is used in some drying plants to keep onion white during long storage. Above 10 mg/kg it must be declared as an allergen in the US, UK and EU — "contains sulphites" — which most manufacturers would rather avoid. Sulphite-free white onion (under 10 mg/kg) is standard from good processors and is slightly less white after a year; sulphited grades (up to 500 mg/kg) exist for customers who need maximum colour retention and are willing to declare. Specify which you want and test for it.
Microbial control without ethylene oxide
Dehydrated vegetables can carry Salmonella and high total counts. Ethylene oxide fumigation is still permitted in the US but banned for food in the EU and UK, and it has been a leading cause of Indian product rejections since 2020. Validated steam treatment after drying achieves total plate counts of 10⁴ cfu/g or lower with Salmonella and E. coli absent, and is compliant everywhere. Require ETO-free product for every market and the ETO test (ethylene oxide plus 2-chloroethanol, LOQ 0.02 mg/kg) per lot.
Specification checklist
- Raw material (white or red onion, garlic) and origin.
- Cut size with a sieve range; colour and off-colour limit.
- Moisture ≤ 6 % (powder ≤ 5 %).
- Pyruvic acid (onion) or allicin potential (garlic) minimum.
- Sulphite grade and test.
- ETO not detected; steam treatment documented.
- Pesticide multi-residue screen; heavy metals.
- Microbiology including Salmonella and E. coli.
- Packaging, shelf life at receipt, HS code and origin documents.
Compliance by market
United States. FSVP importer verification and Prior Notice; sulphites declared at 10 ppm and above; EPA pesticide tolerances. ETO is permitted but increasingly specified out by brands.
United Kingdom. Sulphites are one of the 14 allergens, declared at 10 mg/kg and above; assimilated MRL and contaminant law; ETO not permitted; check the high-risk list.
European Union and Ireland. Sulphites declared per Annex II; Regulation 396/2005 for residues, 2023/915 for contaminants; ETO not permitted; customs codes 0712 20 (onion) and 0712 90 (garlic); verify the 2019/1793 Annexes per shipment.
Packaging and containers
20 kg cartons with double liners, or 25 kg lined paper bags; retail through co-packers. Flakes are bulky (12–14 tonnes per 20-ft container), powder dense (about 18 tonnes); mixed loads are normal. Store below 25 °C and dry — dehydrated onion is strongly hygroscopic and will cake and darken if the liner is left open.
What drives the price
- The Indian onion crop — one of the most volatile agricultural markets anywhere; contracted growers and forward pricing matter.
- Yield — about 8 kg of onion per kilo of flakes, 6 kg of garlic per kilo of garlic flakes.
- Sulphite-free drying (more careful, slightly lower whiteness) versus sulphited.
- Steam treatment and per-lot testing.
- Cut size — fine powder and uniform kibbled cost more than mixed flakes; packaging and incoterm.
Before your first container
- Choose cuts by application and ask for the same-lot guarantee across cuts.
- Specify moisture, pyruvic acid or allicin, sulphite grade and microbiology.
- Require ETO-free, steam-treated product with per-lot tests.
- Sample and rehydrate; check colour and flavour after 20 minutes in water.
- Plan the container by density.
ODOD Group supplies dehydrated white and red onion and garlic in all cuts from FDA-registered, HACCP / ISO 22000-certified dehydration plants to blenders, manufacturers and packers in the US, UK, Ireland and the EU. Request a sample set and we reply within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
Which cut should I use?
Powder and granules for blends and dry mixes where you want even dispersion; minced and chopped for soups, sauces and meat where you want rehydrated pieces; kibbled and flakes where the piece should be seen — toppings, foodservice shakers. All cuts are made from the same graded onion, so the flavour matches across your range.
Is the onion sulphited?
Not unless you ask. Standard white onion is dried sulphite-free (under 10 mg/kg), which means no sulphite allergen declaration in the US, UK or EU. A sulphited grade (up to 500 mg/kg SO₂) is available for customers who need maximum whiteness over long storage; it must be declared on the label.
How is the microbial count controlled?
By validated steam treatment after drying, which brings total plate count to 10⁴ cfu/g or lower with Salmonella and E. coli absent. Ethylene oxide is not used for any market, and each lot is tested for it.
What is pyruvic acid and why is it on the COA?
Pyruvic acid is the standard measure of onion pungency — the flavour strength. Reporting it lets you keep a seasoning tasting the same when lots change; we hold it at 40 µmol per gram or higher on white onion.
Do you supply red onion and garlic in the same cuts?
Yes. Red onion in flakes, kibbled, minced and powder; garlic in flakes, chopped, minced, granules and powder. Toasted onion is available on request.
How much fits a container?
Dehydrated onion flakes are bulky — about 12–14 tonnes in a 20-ft container — while powder loads to about 18 tonnes. Mixed loads of cuts are common, and 40-ft high-cubes are used for flake-heavy orders.