Omyafood® 120 – A Non-Nano, Low-Dust, Readily Absorbable Anti-Caking Solution from Omya

1. Omyafood® 120 – A Natural Solution for Powdered Products

Powders are often highly cohesive and difficult to handle when discharged from silos, drums, or bags, as well as during transport, dosing, blending, and packaging. Caking occurs when powder particles agglomerate during storage or processing due to changes in temperature or humidity. Once caked, powders become harder to process, leading to loss of product quality and higher energy requirements.

To prevent caking, powders must remain free-flowing and dispersible. Common anti-caking agents include silicon dioxide, tricalcium phosphate, magnesium oxide, and calcium carbonate. These substances coat powder particles, reducing mechanical adhesion, and absorb moisture to prevent the formation of liquid bridges. However, many of these ingredients involve nano-sized particles, raising concerns about their potential impact on both the environment and human health. This has driven the demand for safer, natural alternatives.

Tanja Budde, director Innovation & Technical Marketing Consumer Goods at Omya, explains: “Market demand for food powders in convenience foods, drinks, sports nutrition and nutraceuticals is continually rising. So, too, is the demand for safe, natural and clean label ingredients. The requirement to declare nano particles in a product is forcing manufacturers to find effective and easy to process natural alternatives. Omyafood 120 ticks all of these boxes.”

Omyafood® 120 is an anti-caking and flowability agent for powder products, developed by Omya – a pioneer in natural mineral solutions for the food industry.

Omyafood® 120 is developed from a unique combination of functional calcium carbonate (FCC) and tricalcium phosphate, produced through a patented recrystallization process. This results in a distinctive mineral structure that is non-nano, highly porous, and low in dust, providing superior moisture absorption and effectively preventing caking.

2. Key Advantages of Omyafood® 120 Compared to Conventional Anti-Caking Agents

Omyafood® 120 (FCC) represents the next generation of anti-caking agents, offering superior benefits compared to traditional options such as Silica (E551), Tricalcium Phosphate – TCP (E341(iii)), and Magnesium Carbonate (E504).

2.1. Safe and Transparent Labeling – Non-Nano, Clean-Label

Unlike silica, which may contain nano-particles and require nano-labeling in some markets, Omyafood® 120 is completely non-nano. This ensures label transparency and compliance with clean-label trends, allowing manufacturers to meet consumer and regulatory expectations more easily.

2.2. Superior Sensory Neutrality

At practical usage levels, Omyafood® 120 provides excellent sensory neutrality – it does not cause dryness or leave an unpleasant aftertaste as silica may, nor does it create chalkiness like TCP or alkaline notes like MgCO₃. This helps manufacturers maintain the original taste and quality of their finished products.

2.3. Outstanding Anti-Caking and Flowability Performance

Even under high-humidity conditions, Omyafood® 120 demonstrates stronger anti-caking properties compared to conventional agents. Its high flowability improvement ensures stable processing, reducing the risk of blockages and production downtime.

2.4. Low Dust – Improved Safety in Manufacturing

Unlike silica, which is prone to generating dust during handling, Omyafood® 120 produces minimal dust, reducing the risk of inhalation, improving workplace safety, and supporting safer operations for production staff.

2.5. Added Nutritional Value – Fortification Contribution

Beyond its technical function, Omyafood® 120 contributes calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P), providing an additional nutritional benefit. This sets it apart from silica (no fortification value) and MgCO₃ (only supplies magnesium without calcium).

3. Wide-Ranging Applications in the Food Industry

Omyafood® 120 is suitable for a broad range of powdered food applications, including:

• Milk powders, protein milk, and protein drink mixes
  
  
• Instant powdered beverages such as 3-in-1 coffee, fruit teas, and milk teas
  
  
• Seasoning mixes, coffee creamers, energy drink powders, sports nutrition, and vitamin premixes
  
  
• Other powder-based products such as sugar, starches, and salt
  
  

4. Omyafood® 120 – The Smart Choice for Powder Formulations

Omyafood® 120 harmonizes technical performance (anti-caking, improved flowability, reduced dust) with nutritional value (natural calcium, phosphorus, non-nano safety) and broad application versatility. It is the ideal solution for manufacturers aiming to improve product quality, optimize processing efficiency, and align with modern consumer demands for safe, clean-label ingredients.

In Vietnam, Smarc is proud to be the official distributor of Omyafood® 120, providing not only high-quality ingredients from Omya but also expert formulation support, technical assistance, and professional customer service.

 Contact Smarc today to explore how Omyafood® 120 can deliver superior value to your powder formulations.