Freeze-Dried Lotus Seed Powder

Freeze-dried lotus seed powder is whole lotus seed kernels (Nelumbo nucifera), shelled, cored, steam-blanched, freeze-dried and milled to 80–100 mesh, with nothing added. It carries the whole kernel into your mix: about 20 g of protein and 11 g of fibre per 100 g, a natural ivory colour and a mild, nutty, lightly sweet flavour. FruitBuys mills it from the same Dong Thap kernels as its freeze-dried lotus seeds, and it sits in the freeze-dried powder range.

The commercial point is the steps it removes. A paste line that starts from heat-dried seeds soaks them for 4–8 hours or overnight, cooks them and runs them through a wet mill before the paste is cooked down. This powder goes straight into the kettle with water, sugar and fat. No soak tanks, no wet mill to run and clean, and no paste left on the mill. For drink, cereal and porridge powders it doses by weight like any dry ingredient, with one word on the label: lotus seeds.

Product specification

A bitter powder starts with one missed core. The green plumule inside a lotus seed is bitter, and once a kernel is milled nobody can pick the core back out. The powder is milled only from kernels cored to ≥99%, so the bitterness never reaches the mill. Taste a pinch of the sample dry: clean, nutty and lightly sweet is what you should find.

Pure means hygroscopic, so the bag does the work. With no anti-caking agent, the powder pulls moisture from humid air like any pure seed powder, and an open bag in a wet room forms soft lumps. It is packed in batch-sized foil bags with desiccant: your line opens one bag, empties it into the mix, and every other bag stays sealed and free of hard caking until its turn. Keep the dosing room dry and the powder runs the way it left the packing room.

It is the whole seed, not a starch. The powder thickens and turns creamy-opaque as it cooks, because it brings the kernel’s protein and fibre with it. That is what a lotus seed paste, a porridge or a plant-based drink needs for body and a nutty taste. If your product needs a clear, gel-like set, a starch is the right ingredient instead.

Nutrition (per 100 g)

Typical values for 100% freeze-dried lotus seed powder; natural variation by origin, season and maturity applies. Lot nutrition panel available for label artwork.

Protein supplies roughly 23% of the energy, so the powder on its own reaches the EU levels for “high protein”, “high fibre” and “high in potassium” (70% NRV). On an EU panel it reads 1,470 kJ / 350 kcal, carbohydrate 59 g, fibre 11 g, protein 20 g and salt 0.01 g. In a blend, the lotus seed share brings protein and fibre onto your panel in proportion to the dose. The powder is vegan and naturally gluten-free; a lot gluten test is available when your pack carries a gluten-free claim. What the figures mean on a US or EU pack is in what 100 g of freeze-dried lotus seeds puts on your label.

Applications

Validate dispersion, viscosity and colour in your final recipe with a sample before the bulk order. For pieces your customer can see and bite, such as dessert cups, visible-kernel fillings or snack packs, buy whole kernels, halves or pieces instead; how each format fits a product line is in which lotus seed format fits your snack, dessert or paste line. The mooncake paste process, from kernels or powder, and the order calendar for Mid-Autumn are in freeze-dried lotus seeds for mooncake paste.

Packaging

Size the bags to your batch: open one bag, use it through, and reseal a part-used bag tightly with the desiccant inside. A filling machine running fast in a humid room is where pure powder lumps; batch-sized bags keep that from reaching the rest of your stock.

Commercial terms and container planning

Powder is the densest way to ship lotus seed. At 10 kg per carton, a 20ft container carries about 5.5 t, the top of the range for any lotus seed format, so freight per kilo is the lowest. If your product only ever uses lotus seed milled, buying powder rather than kernels to mill yourself saves the milling step and ships the most lotus seed per container.

Quality and documents

• Every lot: COA from an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory for moisture, water activity, total plate count, yeasts & moulds, E. coli and Salmonella; particle size on request.
• Heavy metals, aflatoxin and residues: the standard lot COA covers release indicators: moisture ≤5%, Aw ≤0.30 and microbiology. Lotus seeds take up minerals from pond soil, so control starts at source in Dong Thap growing areas. For FCL orders or project requirements, FruitBuys arranges heavy-metal (Pb, Cd, As, Hg), aflatoxin and pesticide-residue testing before stuffing at an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory.
• On request: sulfite result below 10 mg/kg, Listeria and Enterobacteriaceae, gluten, and a nutrition panel in FDA or EU format for label artwork.
• Trial orders: ship with a free release QC log (moisture, water activity, sensory); third-party testing on trial lots is arranged on request.
• Retained sample: kept from every container lot for its full shelf life, up to 24 months.
• Facility control: one qualified processing facility is locked per contract. Any change needs prior written notice and re-approval of the pre-shipment sample. You have audit access.
• Facility compliance & certifications: HACCP, ISO 22000, US FDA Facility Registration and BRC (qualified processing facility). Halal certification available on request.
• Shipment documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, COA, Certificate of Origin Form EUR.1 for the EU and UK or Form CEPA for the UAE, and a phytosanitary certificate with every shipment as part of FruitBuys’ standard export dossier.

Import and labeling

Heading 12.12 covers lotus seeds “whether or not ground”, so plain lotus seed powder ships under 1212.99, the same subheading as the kernels, and not under the flour heading 11.06, which covers flours of dried pulses, of roots and tubers, and of fruit. One subheading for kernels and powder keeps your documents consistent across both SKUs. Your broker files the national line in the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule or the EU tariff at entry, and the final rate follows the line declared. Sweetened, seasoned or instant blends made with the powder are prepared foods and classify on their own.

For the EU and UK, a Form EUR.1 under the Vietnam trade agreements travels with the shipment and claims preferential treatment; the current rate for the declared CN line can be checked on the EU Access2Markets tariff and rules-of-origin tool. For the UAE, a Form CEPA goes with every shipment. Lotus seeds are not on the EU list of foods under increased border checks, so an EU-bound container goes through routine official controls. Every container carries the same dossier: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, COA, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate.

The label is one ingredient, “lotus seed powder” or “lotus seeds”. Keep the species Nelumbo nucifera in your spec; makhana and fox nut flours come from a different plant. Duty by market and the residue and metal panels are in what HS code freeze-dried lotus seeds ship under.

Verify the sample in five steps

1. Open and inspect. Check bag integrity, desiccant and net weight. The powder should be ivory to light cream with no dark specks; soft lumps that crumble between your fingers are normal for a pure powder, hard caking is not.
2. Taste a pinch dry. Nutty and lightly sweet, with no bitter finish: that confirms the kernels were cored before milling.
3. Check fineness. Pass a weighed portion through an 80-mesh sieve, or your own target sieve, and weigh what stays on top.
4. Read the water activity within a minute. Seal the sample in the meter chamber within 60 seconds of opening the bag; at or below 0.30 the lot was dried and sealed right. Keep the second sealed pouch for your own lab.
5. Run it in your recipe. Cook a batch of your paste, drink or porridge and check dispersion, viscosity, colour and flavour against your current ingredient. Approve the pre-shipment sample in writing; it becomes the reference for your container.

FAQ

Is lotus seed powder the same as lotus root powder?

No. Lotus seed powder is milled from the seed kernels, which are higher in protein; lotus root powder is milled from the root and is higher in fibre. Both come from Dong Thap, and the root powder is on the freeze-dried lotus root powder page.

Is it the same as makhana or fox nut flour?

No. Lotus seeds come from Nelumbo nucifera; makhana comes from Euryale ferox, a different water plant.

Can I make lotus seed paste directly from the powder?

Yes. Blend it with water, sugar and fat in the kettle and cook to set, skipping the soak and the wet mill. Run a trial batch to match the texture of your current paste before you switch.

Does it dissolve in water?

It disperses and thickens rather than dissolving clear. For drinks, mix it into a little liquid first.

Is anything added to stop caking?

No. It is 100% lotus seed. Batch-sized bags with desiccant keep it free of hard caking until you open them.

Is it gluten-free?

Lotus seeds contain no gluten. If you print a gluten-free claim, a gluten test can be added to the lot panel so the claim rests on your lot.

How long does it keep?

12 months at ≤25 °C and RH ≤60% in the unopened bag; 18–24 months in cool storage at ≤18 °C and RH ≤50%.

What is the minimum order for private label?

500 kg per SKU for OEM, ODM and private-label packing.

Request a sample and quote

Send these 10 details and we return a specification, sample and terms in one reply:

1. Destination country and port
2. Application: paste or filling, drink powder, plant-based milk, cereal or porridge mix, bakery
3. Fineness: 80–100 mesh or your target
4. Moisture / Aw target, if tighter than standard
5. First-order volume: trial, LCL, 20ft or 40ft HC
6. Annual volume and call-off rhythm, including any Mid-Autumn deadline
7. Packaging: bulk bag size or retail pouch
8. Private label: artwork status and labelling market
9. Extra tests required by your market or customer (gluten, Listeria, residues, particle size)
10. Preferred Incoterm, payment term and target delivery date

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