Cucumber Powder

Fruit of Cucumis sativus is washed, sliced, dried in warm air and milled to 80 mesh to give cucumber powder. The powder is green with a pale, grayish cast and tastes mild, watery and faintly green, with a light fresh note. Leaves, vines and seeds are separate materials.

Cucumber is about nine-tenths water, so a small amount of powder stands for a large quantity of fresh fruit. The finished powder is delicate, and its strength is aroma, not body, so it is used in small amounts and with ingredients that let the fresh note come through.

SKU: BOT-VPO-0031 Category: Vegetable Powders Tags: Bars & Bakery, Cucumber, Dehydrated Powder, Fruit & Berry, Plant-Based Foods, Seasonings & Flavors, Seasonings & Sauces, Vegetable Powders

Dehydrated Cucumber Processing

The species is Cucumis sativus L., the cucumber, a trailing vine of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) native to South Asia. It is not the squash or melon groups of other Cucurbita and Cucumis species, though the family connection is close: honeydew and cantaloupe are Cucumis melo, and the gherkin is a cucumber group. The part used is the immature fruit, which is eaten before the seeds harden.

The raw material is fresh cucumber. Fruit is washed, sliced, with or without peel, and dried in warm air, then ground to a fine powder. Because the fresh fruit is mostly water, the dry yield is low, and the fiber and trace solids form a light, voluminous powder. Hot-air dehydration drives off much of the fresh aroma, so the powder reads as a mild, cooked-cucumber note and not as the sharp crispness of a salad slice.

The fresh smell of cucumber comes from unsaturated aldehydes, notably nonadienal, formed when cells are cut and enzymes act. These compounds are volatile and are lost in part during drying, which is why dehydrated cucumber is a weaker aroma ingredient than freeze-dried or juice forms. Peel contributes green color and fiber, and peeled fruit gives a paler, milder powder.

Cucumbers are harvested young, and larger, seedier fruit becomes bitter near the stem end because of cucurbitacins, which modern cultivars are bred to avoid. The cultivars are not listed, so the powder is judged by tint and taste.

Cucumber Color, Flavor & Composition

Cucumber powder is light green to gray-green, depending on how much peel remains, and it gives a faint green suspension in water. The flavor is mild and watery with a faint grassy sweetness and little acidity. The effect on a formula is subtle, which makes cucumber useful where a fresh, cooling note is wanted without strong vegetable character.

Characteristic constituents are fiber, sugars, minerals such as potassium and the aldehydes that carry cucumber aroma. No figure is given for any of them. Because the solids are low, a high inclusion is needed for a visible effect, and the powder acts mainly as a flavor modifier.

Cucumber powder is best seen as a freshness modifier. Used alone it tastes faint, while paired with dill, mint, lemon or yogurt it supplies the cooling, watery backdrop of a cucumber dish, and tasters judge it in context, not on its own.

Form	What It Is	Choose It When
Dehydrated Cucumber Powder	Hot-air dried and milled fruit	A mild, cooked cucumber base is wanted
Cucumber Juice Powder	Spray-dried juice on a carrier	A soluble, fiber-light cucumber note is wanted
Freeze-Dried Cucumber Powder	Fruit dried under vacuum	A fresher aroma and color matter most
Cucumber Extract Powder	Ratio extract of the fruit	A concentrated extract is specified

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Cucumis sativus
Plant Part	Fruit & Berry
Processing	Dehydrated
Common Name	Cucumber
Raw Material	Fresh cucumber fruit
Ingredient Type	Dehydrated Vegetable Powder
Appearance	Green powder (natural color of the dried material)
Flavor	Mild, watery, faintly green
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Dispersible
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)	≤8.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤10,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤1,000 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Application Areas

Yogurt Sauce and Dressing Mixes

Dry tzatziki, ranch and yogurt-dip mixes use cucumber powder for a cool, fresh vegetable note without the water of grated fruit. It rehydrates in dairy bases and pairs with dill, garlic and mint, and the pale tint blends into white sauces.

Drink Mixes and Spa-Style Beverages

Dry drink mixes use cucumber powder with lemon, mint or melon powders to make cooling, light-flavored beverages. The mild taste leaves room for stronger notes, and the powder disperses in cold water with stirring, so a clear, lightly green drink is possible.

Snack Seasoning Dusts

Snack seasonings pair cucumber powder with dill, sour cream and onion for pickle-style chips and crackers. The faint green speckles are barely visible, and the fresh note lifts salty, fatty bases without adding sharpness, which suits sour-cream seasonings.

Plant-Based Dips and Spreads

Plant-based spreads and cashew-based dips use cucumber powder to add a fresh vegetable undertone. It absorbs water, so spread consistency is checked, and it blends with garlic, herbs and lemon in dry premixes for chilled dips.

Instant Soup and Cold Soup Mixes

Dry cold-soup mixes, such as gazpacho or cucumber soup bases, use cucumber powder to carry the fresh vegetable identity. The powder rehydrates in cold liquid, and a splash of acid brightens the mild flavor after dilution.

Handling Notes

Cucumber powder is light and bulky, and its fiber takes up moisture readily. In humid air it clumps and can form a crust, and the mild flavor makes any off-note from moisture damage easy to notice. Weigh in a dry room and reseal the liner after each draw.

The fresh aroma is fragile and fades with warmth and air. Aged powder smells flat or hay-like, and the cooling note gives way to a stale, vegetal background. Keep unopened drums cool, use opened bags promptly and avoid storage next to strong odors.

The pale green fades toward tan under light and heat. Opaque, sealed packaging in a cool store holds the shade. Because the powder is voluminous, a drum holds less mass than denser powders, and pack sizes should match the production run to avoid long open times.

Light and bulky powders are easy to under-fill. A drum of cucumber powder holds far less mass than a drum of a dense powder such as tomato, so weigh by mass and not by volume when scaling a recipe, or the dose will drift between operators.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.