kevin@heshengstar.com
+8613295467567
MCT powder is the easiest ingredient in the category to sell on a single number and the hardest to verify. "70% MCT" is a claim; a specification is evidence. The full declaration for a spray-dried MCT powder runs to roughly thirty-four items across four blocks — sensory, physicochemical, contaminants and microbiological — and most buyers only ever see three of them.
Below is the complete checklist, in the order we publish it, with a note on what each point actually protects you against. Use it to audit a supplier, or to check that the specification you were sent is really complete.
Why "70% MCT powder" tells you almost nothing
Oil load is the headline, and it is also the easiest number to shave. The parameter that should appear on the specification is total fat content, tested by Soxhlet extraction (GB 5009.6) and specified as a window — not a single figure. A real 70% powder declares total fat at 68.0 – 74.0%. If a supplier's document says "oil load 70%" with no analytical range, no method and no tolerance, you have a marketing statement, not a specification.
Two further numbers decide whether that oil is actually encapsulated, or just blended in:
- Surface oil (wet basis) ≤ 5.0% (SC/T 3505) — free oil sitting on the particle surface. High surface oil means poor encapsulation, and it oxidises first.
- Granularity: ≥ 90% through a 40-mesh sieve (GB/T 5507) — the practical measure of flowability, dusting and dispersion behaviour on your filling line.
Block 1 — Sensory (4 points)
- Character — dry free-flowing powder, no caking, adhesion or deliquescence
- Colour — white to off-white
- Odour and taste — no rancid, stale, spoiled or mouldy off-notes
- Impurities — no foreign matter visible to normal vision
These four are batch-tested on every lot. They are subjective by nature, which is exactly why a retained sample from each batch matters: it is the only way to settle a dispute later.
Block 2 — Physicochemical (15 points)
| Parameter | Unit | Typical requirement | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total fat | % | 68.0 – 74.0 | GB 5009.6 |
| Caproic acid C6:0 (of total FA) | % | ≤ 2.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| Caprylic acid C8:0 (of total FA) | % | 50.0 – 80.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| Capric acid C10:0 (of total FA) | % | 20.0 – 50.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| Lauric acid C12:0 (of total FA) | % | ≤ 3.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| Myristic acid C14:0 (of total FA) | % | ≤ 1.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| ≥ C16 (of total FA) | % | ≤ 1.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| C8 + C10 (of total FA) | % | ≥ 95.0 | GB 5009.168 |
| Acid value (as fat) | mg KOH/g | ≤ 1.0 | GB 5009.229 |
| Peroxide value | mmol/kg | ≤ 1.0 | GB 5009.227 |
| Protein | % | 2.0 – 10.0 | GB 5009.5 |
| Moisture | % | ≤ 3.0 | GB 5009.3 |
| Ash | % | ≤ 5.0 | GB 5009.4 |
| Surface oil (wet basis) | % | ≤ 5.0 | SC/T 3505 |
| Granularity (through 40 mesh) | % | ≥ 90.0 | GB/T 5507 |
Four of these deserve a second look:
- C8 + C10 ≥ 95%. This is the real purity statement. "MCT" alone can legally cover a much wider cut; a combined C8+C10 floor of 95% is what separates a genuine MCT powder from a lauric-heavy coconut-derived powder dressed up as one.
- The closed fatty-acid window. C6, C12, C14 and ≥ C16 are each capped. A supplier who only publishes C8 and C10 is hiding the two ends of the distribution.
- Protein 2.0 – 10.0%. Protein here is carrier, usually sodium caseinate. It is also a milk allergen. Any food customer needs this declared, and a vegan or dairy-free project needs it replaced.
- Ash ≤ 5.0%. Ash reflects mineral load — carriers, anticaking agents, and any inorganic carry-over. Combined with moisture (≤ 3.0%) it tells you how much of the powder is neither oil nor useful solids.
Block 3 — Contaminants and hazards (9 points)
| Contaminant | Unit | Requirement | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total arsenic (as As) | mg/kg | ≤ 0.1 | GB 5009.11 |
| Lead (as Pb) | mg/kg | ≤ 0.08 | GB 5009.12 |
| Total mercury (as Hg) | mg/kg | ≤ 0.02 | GB 5009.17 |
| DBP | mg/kg | ≤ 0.3 | GB 5009.271 |
| DEHP | mg/kg | ≤ 1.5 | GB 5009.271 |
| DINP | mg/kg | ≤ 9.0 | GB 5009.271 |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | µg/kg | ≤ 2 | GB 5009.27 |
| Aflatoxin B1 | µg/kg | ≤ 0.5 | GB 5009.22 |
| Aflatoxin M1 | µg/kg | ≤ 0.5 | GB 5009.24 |
The three plasticizers are the line most often missing from a supplier's specification — and the one that gets shipments rejected. DBP, DEHP and DINP migrate from flexible PVC, gaskets, hoses and packaging film into fatty materials. A powder producer who reports them at all is telling you two things: their packaging and conveying line has been assessed, and they know what a modern food-safety audit asks for. Ask for the limits in writing before you ask for a price.
Benzo(a)pyrene and the two aflatoxins cover the other direction: process contaminants from drying, and mould toxins from the raw material chain.
Block 4 — Microbiological (6 points)
| Item | Unit | Limit (n / c / m / M) | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerobic plate count | CFU/g | 5 / 0 / 1000 / — | GB 4789.2 |
| Coliforms | CFU/g | 5 / 0 / 10 / — | GB 4789.3 |
| Mould | CFU/g | < 10 | GB 4789.15 |
| Yeast | CFU/g | < 10 | GB 4789.15 |
| Salmonella | /25 g | 5 / 0 / 0 / — | GB 4789.4 |
| Staphylococcus aureus | CFU/g | 5 / 0 / < 10 / — | GB 4789.10 |
Read the sampling plan, not just the number. "5 / 0 / 1000" means five sample units per lot, zero units allowed above m, and m set at 1000 CFU/g. It is a different (and stronger) discipline than a single pooled test result. For Salmonella the requirement is absence in 25 g, which is the standard the export markets enforce.
Two practical traps
1. The peroxide value unit
Peroxide value is quoted in mmol/kg by Chinese and European laboratories and in meq/kg (or "meq O₂/kg") in many American documents and older internal specs. The conversion is fixed: 1 mmol/kg = 2 meq/kg ≈ 0.025 g/100 g. A limit of 1.0 mmol/kg is therefore 2.0 meq/kg. Compare specifications only after converting — a 10× error here is common and it usually surfaces at the port, not at the quotation stage.
2. Batch inspection versus type inspection
Not every item on this list is tested on every lot, and no factory on earth claims otherwise. The specification should mark each parameter as either batch inspection (tested and reported for every lot — typically the sensory block, total fat, fatty acids, acid value, peroxide value, protein, moisture, ash, surface oil, granularity and the aerobic count) or type inspection (tested at least once a year — typically heavy metals, plasticizers, benzo(a)pyrene, aflatoxins and Salmonella). A supplier who cannot tell you which is which has not read their own specification. And if you are importing, ask for the current type-inspection report as well as the lot COA.
Documents to request with the powder
- Specification sheet with version number and effective date
- Batch COA with measured values, methods, and the standard it was tested against
- Type-inspection report (annual) for heavy metals, plasticizers, mycotoxins and pathogens
- Ingredient and allergen declaration, plus a non-GMO statement
- MSDS and a migration/food-contact statement for the packaging materials
- Certificates: ISO 9001/22000, HACCP, Halal, Kosher as applicable to your market
- A 1 kg sample from the production line that will supply you
Six red flags
- Oil load quoted as a single figure with no analytical range or method
- No surface oil or granularity data — the two parameters that predict how the powder behaves on your line
- Fatty-acid composition reported for C8 and C10 only
- No plasticizer limits declared
- Peroxide value quoted without stating the unit
- A COA that says "conforms" for every line instead of giving a measured value
What our specification looks like
We supply spray-dried MCT powders from 50% to 70% oil load in both C8:C10 60:40 and 70:30 profiles, with the full declaration above — 34 items, four blocks, plasticizers included. Formulations can be customised (carrier system, dairy-free variants, oil load, C8:C10 ratio), packaging runs from 20 kg kraft bags to 10 kg aluminium-plastic bags in cartons, and shelf life is 24 months at or below 25 °C unopened. See the MCT 70% microencapsulated powder and the pure C8 powder grade for the complete tables, or email kevin@heshengstar.com for a specification sheet and a 1 kg sample.