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sanacel

Fibres in powder mixtures & spices

anticaking & antidusting
by Tamina Steinhauer and Yasin Ben Achour

Abstract
More or less all branches in the food industry are using powdered food components in their production. Powders have a lot of advantages, like increased
shelf life and reduced transportation weight. At the same time, powders and
spices can cause some difficulties e.g. during storage and handling. CFF
GmbH & Co. KG is a producer of natural and functional dietary fibres for the
food industry. Beside the use as nutritional ingredient, the SANACEL fibres
can be used in powder mixes and spices to improve their stability and workability. In this paper CFF is introducing their studies about the effect of fibres
as anti caking agent and about the new product line of SANACEL HOC for
dust reduction. A significant reduction of caking can be reached with a dosage of 2.5 % of SANACEL oat 90 or SANACEL oat 30G. The new product
SANACEL bamboo 90HOC is able to reduce the dustiness of a powder by
more than 50 %.

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SANACEL fibre range Introduction

The SANACEL fibre range provides natural and renewable,
insoluble and partly soluble dietary fibre concentrates which
offer various health benefits.
Dietary fibres are well known to enhance satiety, stimulate the
bowl movement and improve the wellbeing of the gut. With a
dietary fibre content up to 97 % SANACEL fibres are considered to be fibre concentrates with various health benefits.
According to the European legislation it is recommended to
claim fibre enriched products (3 g dietary fibres/ 100g food)
and products rich in fibre (6 g dietary fibres/ 100g food) on
the product packaging.
Further to their nutritional value SANACEL fibres are incredibly
functional. Besides a high water and oil binding capacity their
functionality enables additional positive technological effects.

Fibres as anti-caking agent

SANACEL fibres are used all over the world in various applications. One big and innovative application field for this functional dietary fibres are dry powder mixes like:
spices and spice blends
vegetable or fruit powders
premixes for bakery and meat industry
mixes for instant products like soups or drinks
The stability of powder mixes is mainly linked to the physical
properties like particle size and size distribution, hygroscopicity and interactions between particles. By adding SANACEL
fibres to a dry powder the physical properties can be affected,
depending on the type of fibre that is used. Together with the
high affinity of binding water SANACEL fibres can be used to
improve the stability of powders and powdered mixtures.

not tempered and the temperature in the truck is following the

outdoor temperature with a short delay.
For example in areas with temperate climate the truck can
reach up to 40 C in hot summer days and cool down to 5 C
at night. In a worst case scenario a temperature sweep of 35
C and more can occur. This means a very strong temperature
treatment of the powder.
Powders and powder mixes are usually packed in a packaging
with a barrier for humidity, to protect the powders against
moisture from the outside. Most of the powders are still containing some residual moisture and this is one big trigger for
caking of powders, too. Under high temperature conditions the
residual moisture from the powders evaporates in-between
particles in the air because of the partial pressure gradient.
When the temperature is falling, the water holding capacity of
the air is decreasing and the water is condensating at the packaging wall. This condensed water can partially moisture the
powder and therefore lumps can occur.
If the bags with the powders are stored on top of each other,
the pressure on the powder in the bottom layer is increased.
The pressure on the bags and the vibration of the truck both
influence the intensity and the strength of the lumps.
Other factors that influence the tendency of building lumps are
size and size distribution of powders and powder mixes. Powders with a unique size are not that sensitive in building lumps.
Powders with areas of coarse and fine particles show higher
tendency for caking. The reason are the points of contact between the particles. In a mixture of one size particles, there are
few contact points. In a polydisperse mixture several contact
points occur (figure 1).

CFF is able to offer SANACEL solutions for the following purposes as:
anti-caking agent
free flowing agent
bulking agent
carrier for flavours
stabilizer for colours and flavours
Lumping is one reaction powders and powder mixtures are
showing based on suboptimal storage conditions.
The intensity of the occurrence of lumping is mainly depending
on temperature, moisture and pressure during the storage.
High and variating transportation and storage temperatures
speed up the occurrence of lumping.
The critical factor is the transportation, because the warehouse
is more or less stable in regards of temperature, even if it is not
tempered. The trucks for powders and dry mixes are usually

Figure 1: Particle packing of monodisperse and polydisperse mixtures

Each contact point can cause caking. That means an inhomogeneous size distribution of a powder leads to a higher tendency of caking.
One reason for the caking is the interaction between particles.
Because of residual moisture or friction between the particles
bridges can be built and cause the formation of lumps.
Beside the physical properties of particles, the chemical pro-

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SANACEL oat 90 and SANACEL oat 30G as

anticaking agent temperature sweep test

10

measurement days

15

20

Figure 3: Temperature treatment onion powder mixes

cumulative distribution

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

The aim of the temperature sweep test is to show the possibilities of SANACEL fibres to reduce the tendency of lumping and
caking in powder mixes. In this case onion powder is used, because it is a product with a high hygroscopicity. It is therefore
showing a high affinity of caking and building lumps.
In the beginning physical studies about the onion powder are
performed. The particle size distribution is determined with a
sieving analysis. The result is shown in figure 2.

The aim is to simulate the worst case conditions in a truck on

a summer day in Germany. After five temperature amplitudes
the samples are analysed regarding the appearance of lumps
and caking.

Trial evaluation anti caking

0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

This mixes are treated with a temperature sweep, between

40 C and 0 C, shown in figure 3.

temperature in C

perties can influence the tendency of developing lumps, too.

One determining factor here is the hygroscopicity of a product.
A high hygroscopicity means a high affinity to attract water
from the air. Therefore hygroscopic powders are more susceptible for caking.
SANACEL fibres are able to reduce the affinity of caking and
building lumps because they are affecting several particle properties and they are reducing the availability of water for the
powders and powder mixes.
In the technical laboratory of CFF GmbH & Co. KG temperature
sweep tests were performed.

100

200

300

400

particle size in m

500

600

Figure 2: Particle size distribution onion powder

It is obvious, that the particle size of this powder is not unique

and following a distribution. The average particle size is about
230 m.
The moisture of the onion powder is determined according to
DIN EN 20638. The onion powder used for the tests has a residual moisture of 7.3 %.
The tests is performed without any pressure from above and
without vibration.
The onion powder is mixed with different concentrations of
SANACEL oat 30G or SANACEL oat 90. The following concentrations are used:
0% - 1% - 2.5% - 5% - 10 %
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The sample preparation shows, that the SANACEL fibres are

easily mixable with the onion powder.
The SANACEL oat 30G is a special fibre type. Instead of long
fibrous particles this fibre is granuled and shows excellent
flowing properties. Therefore especially this type is able to improve the followability of powders and powdered mixes. The
SANACEL oat 90 is a fibrous product, but it is also easy to
mix. It shows an improvement in flowability of the onion powder but not as much as SANACEL oat 30G does.
Both fibres do not change the appearance of the onion powder.
With a particle size in a magnitude about 50 to 85 m (table 1)
the fibres are significantly smaller than the particles of the onion powder and therefore not visible as additional material.
Table 1: Fibre characteristic SANACEL oat 90 and SANACEL oat 30G

SANACEL oat 30G

onion powder

fibre length

particle size

particle size

85 m

50 m

230 m

SANACEL oat 90

At low dosages the fibres do not have an influence on the colour of the onion powder. At higher dosages, a light brightening
can be observed, because of the white colour of the fibres. In
this study only the sample with 10 % fibres was slightly brighter than the pure onion powder.
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In figure 4 and figure 5 are pictures of the onion powder mixed

with fibres after the temperature treatment.

Figure 4: Result temperature sweep test - onion powder with

SANACEL oat 30G

SANACEL HOC fibres as anti-dusting agent

SANACEL fibres are used for many different applications.
Mostly they are used as ingredients, but also as advanced
technical aid. The rapid growing market of food industry, with a
high pressure of competition and raising standards, is looking
for new and high functional ingredients that combine as many
as possible positive features.
The further development and new technological know-how
with new products implicates new challenges.
The dust development is for many reasons a frequent and annoying issue in food industry. Dust is not only a high risk for
health and work safety, it also limits the profit and causes a
huge effort of cleaning the production facilities. There is also
an environmental aspect that includes the waste of protecting
masks, clothes and other safety arrangements. Finally it is a
cost-intensive issue.

Anti-dusting effect of SANACEL bamboo 40HOC

or SANACEL bamboo 90HOC
Figure 5: Result temperature sweep test - onion powder with
SANACEL oat 90

A reduction of lumps with an increase of the fibre content can

be observed. At a dosage of 5% fibres and more, no lumping
occurred during the treatment. In addition the firmness of the
lumps is reduced by an increase of fibres in the mixture. At a
dosage of 2,5 % fibres the lumps disintegrate very easily, the
lumps in the pure onion powder are very stable. Comparing
the mixes with the different fibre types, the size and amount
of lumps are a little bit less with SANACEL oat 90 than with
SANACEL oat 30G.

Conclusion anti caking

This test is performed as a worst case scenario. Usually the
transportation time is shorter and the temperature changes are
not that high. Based on the results of our test both fibre types
are suitable as anti caking agent. Our recommended dosage
as anti caking agent in powders is between 2.5 % and 5 %
depending on the affinity of the product to build lumps.
To achieve an improvement of the flow ability in the same time
the special type SANACEL oat 30G is the better choice.
For both products CFF GmbH & Co. KG can offer alternatives
from other raw materials, like bamboo, wheat and powdered
celluloses.

SANACEL HOC fibres were developed for the special use as

anti-dusting agent. They connect various properties like:
improved handling of powders
dust reduction
stabilization of mixes
maximizing profit
healthier and safer working conditions
clean label
SANACEL HOC fibres connect the technical support of an
anti-dusting agent and the function of a dietary fibre with all
their advantages.
An example for a very dusty spice in the food industry is cinnamon. Spice-producers are facing a lot of trouble with cinnamon because of the fine particular-size. During the filling process it is difficult to avoid that the dust of product is spread all
around the production hall. This means a high loss of material,
a high burden for the workers, a high risk for dust explosion
and an enormous effort to clean the facilities after processing.

Trials dust reduction of cinnamon

To show the properties of SANACEL HOC to reduce the dustiness of a product, cinnamon was mixed with different dosages
of SANACEL bamboo 90HOC or SANACEL bamboo 90HOC,
followed by a measurement of the dustiness.
First of all the particle size distribution of cinnamon was characterized with a sieving analyse. The result is shown in figure 6.

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1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

The samples were measured 3 times by a fully automatic

DustView II measurement device (figure 7).
sample
1
flap
downpipe
laser beam
0

50

100

150

200

2
dust-room

reciever

particle size in m
Figure 6: Chart of a particle distribution cinnamon powder

There is no specific size of particles, but rather a distribution.

The average of the particle size is about 32 m.
The SANACEL bamboo 90HOC dietary fibre is obtained from
fibre-rich parts of the bamboo plant highly enriched with vegetable oil. The final product appears as a white powder and
is neutral in taste and odor. The SANACEL bamboo 40HOC
differs by a shorter fibre length. Both fibres are usually used in
spices or food powders.
Table 2 shows the average size of the fibres and the cinnamon
in comparison.
Table 2: Fibre characteristic SANACEL bamboo 90HOC and
SANACEL bamboo 40HOC

SANACEL
bamboo 90HOC

SANACEL
bamboo 40HOC

cinnamon

fibre length

fibre length

particle size

80 m

50 m

32 m

Both SANACEL HOC fibres are fibrous particles, that means

they are thin, not digestible carbohydrate chains, with a specific length. After mixing them with cinnamon they are invisible.
For the analyses cinnamon was mixed with SANACEL HOC in
different concentrations.
The standard is 100% cinnamon and correlates 100 % of the
dust development. The other samples have a percentage of
1,5 %, 3,5 %, 5 % of SANACEL bamboo 90HOC or SANACEL
bamboo 40HOC.

3
Figure 7: Schematically setup DustView II measurement device

30 g of each product were dropped off in a sample funnel automatically. The measurement begins immediately after the valve
opens. An attenuation of a laser beam is measured after the
sample dispersed in the funnel (extinction measurement). This
attenuation is observed during measurement and is classified
as a dust value between 0 and 100. 0 means no attenuation
of the laser beam due to dust development, i.e. there are only
minor dust fractions in the reservoir. 100 means complete attenuation of the laser beam due to dust development.
The dust values change over time and indicate the attenuation
of the laser beam in relation to the 0 value. The 0 value is automatically determined without dust prior to each measurement
(calibration).
The determination of the dust number is a reference value for
dust behaviour and is estimated after following formula:
Dust number (STZ) = Max. value + 30-s value

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Conclusion dust reduction

In figure 8 a summary of all dust numbers and samples is

shown.

With the SANACEL HOC series CFF GmbH & Co. KG developed a solution for strong dusty and unhandy or difficult powder
food ingredients. The main benefit of SANACEL HOC in powders is of course the reduction of dust. This effect leads to an
improvement of processing conditions, increase in quality and
last but not least save money and maximize the profit.

dust number

Results-dust number

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

86.0

79.0
62.0

56.0

47.7
36.7

cinnamon

1.5

3.5

33.9

5.0

concentration of SANACEL HOC in %

SANACEL bamboo 90HOC
SANACEL bamboo 40HOC

Figure 8: Dust number of the analyzed samples

Pure cinnamon has the biggest dust number and the samples with SANACEL HOC have lower ones. In comparison of
the samples with the same fibre content, the samples with
SANACEL bamboo 40HOC have lower dust numbers, than
that one with SANACEL bamboo 90HOC. With an increase in
fibre content in the cinnamon, the reduction of the dustiness
is reduced.

Located in Germany and founded in 1977 CFF GmbH & Co. KG

CFF distributes dietary fibres from Gehren into more than 70
countries around the world. As producer of food ingredients it
is very important for CFF to offer high quality technical support,
customized fibre solutions and an innovative growing portfolio.
Our experts can give the appropriate recommendation for each
of your specific applications, please feel free to contact us.
www.cff.de

Authors:
Tamina Steinhauer
Food Technologist
Product manager food international
Yasin Ben Achour
Biotechnologist
Product manager food international
cff@cff.de

Trial evaluation dust reduction

The dust behaviour of cinnamon is, because of the fine particle size, extremely high, even higher than that one of cement
or wheat flour. By adding some SANACEL HOC fibre you can
reduce the dust behaviour radically.
The reduction of the dust number depends on the concentration of the SANACEL HOC fibre. If you increase the concentration of fibre up to 5% you can reduce the dust number more
than 50%. The oil coated fibres bind the fine particles physically and hence hinder the turbulences. This binding has some
significant effects. One is a reduction of the max. value, that
correlates with the dust behaviour. The other one is, that the
sedimentation of the particles runs much faster. The reason for
that is the higher weight of the bonded particles. By the bigger
surface of the shorter fibre you can support this effect.

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