misc Anti caking? Powders and spices

Wildfire Chilli Australia

Wildfire Chilli Australia

I have been making some spice mixes and was wondering what you guys use to stop it from "caking". They are fine for awhile but then after a few months they do get clumpy. I want to keep it as natural as possible. I have seen that some agents that are natural,what do you use ?
 
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I just ground up some rice into a powder and have added it to one of my clumpy mixes. Don't know if it will make a difference now or if I have to do it before it reaches clumpy.
Will do some more experiments and see but I think it would be easier for now just to find a product that is proven and where they can give me proper proportions.
 
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The way rice works is it absorbs moisture, but once the grain is full of moisture it stops working. If you live in a humid climate it will eventually clump.
 
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I know it's a simple thing, but...

one of the best ways to keep your spices from not clumping (I'm talking about the ones we use on a daily basis in our own cupboards) is to not hold the shaker over a pot of steaming "whatever" and shake. Especially if the lid is off. Steam gets into the bottle, cap goes on, stuff gets lumpy.

Now how do we go about educating our customers not to hold the bottle over the steaming pot which makes our products get lumpy and then they think it's the product's fault???

Wildfire C.A.- I'm looking forward to hearing how your experiments come out.
 
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Thinking outside the box... rice paper lined top (hidden top rim of bottle). Woot!
 
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how would that work under a shaker flip top?
 
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The side of the bottle hidden by the cap. Where the screw top is. Just thinking that's all.
 
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Hmmm rice paper as an absorbent could get moldy, never mind. Wonder how rice doesn't. Or if it does. The last thing we need is to add an additional anti-microbial.

I found that powdered cellulose is used for anti-caking and is from plant cell walls.
 
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so where does one get those little 'dessicant" packets that are in jerky, etc?


One little packet, into the jar, not counted as product weight.............??????????
 
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salsalady said:
so where does one get those little 'dessicant" packets that are in jerky, etc?


One little packet, into the jar, not counted as product weight.............??????????
Click to expand...

I am not sure that the idea would pass food safety standards as good as it is, the bag could rupture without you knowing and it could become a breeding ground for bacteria.
 
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Well the Nu-FLOW stuff is the only thing I can find that is all natural, and organic even.
Since you use a very small amount it may not be costly.
Get a free sample from them: http://www.ribus.com/sample.htm
Specify Nu-FLOW
(as salsalady posted)
 
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thehotpepper.com said:
Well the Nu-FLOW stuff is the only thing I can find that is all natural, and organic even.
Since you use a very small amount it may not be costly.
Get a free sample from them: http://www.ribus.com/sample.htm
Specify Nu-FLOW
(as salsalady posted)
Click to expand...

I did try to get a sample but it came up with an error. I have sent them an email instead. The only thing is it looked like you had to get a HUGE qty of it, but have asked them that as well. Will let you guys know when they write back.
 
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when I submitted my request, it asked for a phone number and said something about contacting to verify request. Perhaps the "down-under" thing causes the error.

if I get a 1# sample and if you can't get any, I'll send you some.
 
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Okay I've been researching some more.

Natural Anti-Caking agents:
Talc (A mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate.)
Kaolin (A clay mineral.)
Potato Starch (Potato starch has a clean flavor and imparts desirable flavor characteristics, which I read in a study on anti-caking for shredded cheese. It was the preferred anti-caking agent in this study, but for cheese.)
Microcrystalline Cellulose (I mentioned this earlier as powdered cellulose. Cellulose is from plant walls.)

I'm liking the potato starch finding.
 
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thehotpepper.com said:
Well the Nu-FLOW stuff is the only thing I can find that is all natural, and organic even.
Since you use a very small amount it may not be costly.
Get a free sample from them: http://www.ribus.com/sample.htm
Specify Nu-FLOW
(as salsalady posted)
Click to expand...

Just as an update, I just got a tracking order on my 5 pound sample of the Nu-Flow product. I hope it has a good shelf life, because 5 lbs will probably last me a lifetime. :lol: I also hope it comes with some good instructions on how to use it. I will post more once it arrives.
 
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