What product are you buying?
Psyllium husk is the dry seed coat of Plantago ovata, also called isabgol. India’s FSSAI notification for psyllium husk describes the material and publishes composition and swelling criteria. A buyer should still distinguish whole seed, whole husk and milled husk powder because they are not interchangeable purchase items.
- Whole seed: the unseparated seed; do not use a husk specification for it.
- Whole husk: separated seed coat; specify identity, purity definition, swelling method and composition tests.
- Husk powder: milled husk; add a particle-size distribution with named sieves and method.
Why a “95%” or “99%” label is incomplete
Commercial purity percentages do not tell a buyer what was counted, excluded or measured. Record the purity definition and method, permitted foreign or seed material, sampling plan and tolerance. Keep swelling volume separate: it is a functional test whose result depends on the specified method, sample preparation, time and units.
Official Indian reference and contract fields
| Field | FSSAI reference | What the PO should add |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Plantago ovata seed husk | Whole husk or powder; origin and lot identity |
| Moisture | Maximum 11.5% | Method, sampling and contract limit |
| Total ash | Maximum 4% on dry basis | Method and reporting basis |
| Acid-insoluble ash | Maximum 0.45% on dry basis | Method and reporting basis |
| Swelling volume | Minimum 40 ml/g | Method, preparation, time, unit and any stricter buyer limit |
| Organic extraneous matter | Maximum 2% | Definition, method and lot tolerance |
These are reference values from the cited notification, not a substitute for checking the current rule, destination law or the actual shipment COA.
Safety, treatment and destination evidence
Set the test panel from intended use and destination requirements. Typical decisions include microbiological criteria, pesticide residues, heavy metals, mycotoxins where risk assessment calls for them, and allergen/cross-contact information. Ask whether a microbial-reduction or sterilisation treatment was used and request the treatment record. Ethylene-oxide status should be addressed explicitly where relevant to the destination or buyer programme.
Do not infer pharmacopoeial, GMP, organic, non-GMO, allergen-free or regulatory-registration status from a generic product page. Request the exact certificate, scope, facility identity, validity date and lot link needed for the intended claim.
How to review a psyllium COA
- Match product form, lot number, production date and sample identity.
- Check the laboratory name, report date, accreditation scope where required and every test method.
- Compare results and units with the signed specification; note dry-basis versus as-is reporting.
- Confirm treatment status and the destination-specific safety panel.
- Record who samples the shipment, when it is sampled and how disputes or retests are handled.
For more detail, use the food-import COA guide.
Purchase-order checklist
- Botanical name and product form: whole husk or powder.
- Purity definition, method and permitted extraneous material.
- Swelling volume method and limit; moisture, total ash and acid-insoluble ash.
- Powder mesh or particle-size distribution, when applicable.
- Microbiology, residues, heavy metals and other destination-specific criteria.
- Treatment, ethylene-oxide status where relevant, allergen and cross-contact declarations.
- Food-contact liner, outer bag, net weight, markings, palletisation and loading plan.
- Sampling, inspection, COA, shipping documents and acceptance/dispute procedure.
Use the commodity purchase-specification guide, then request a traceable trade sample and a contract-based quote for Indian psyllium husk.
Price and availability
This guide does not publish a static 2026 price benchmark. Psyllium price and freight vary by product form, test schedule, treatment, packing, quantity, shipment window and destination. A comparable quote needs all of those inputs plus a validity period and named Incoterm.