Utilization of Annatto Color to Improve the Sensory Characteristics of Food Products

Annatto is a natural colorant and condiment that produced from achiote tree seeds (Bixa orellana,) in tropical and subtropical areas especially native to central and South America. It provides distinct yellow to bright orange colour. Its colour attributes link with presence of carotenoids. Now, annatto is used in food, medicine as well as chemical industry as dye Apart from colouring properties, annatto is also used to improve the flavour and taste characteristics of food.it provides mild earthy, peppery flavour and slight nutty scent tvarious food recipes.

Chemical Composition:

annatto seeds are complicated its structure and composition. In the outer layer of annatto seed Bixin, is present in significant concentration that is a red-coloured carotenoid pigment. It is the main substance responsible for the dyeing characteristics of seeds, where its concentration can be as high as 5.0%. The most characteristic complex structures isobixin, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, orellin, bixein, bixol, crocetin, ishwarane, ellagic acid, salicylic acid, threonine, tomentosic acid, tryptophan, and phenylalanine identified in the annatto seeds. other components that in considerable value are 40 to 45% cellulose, 2.5 to 6.5% sugars, 0.5 to 1.0% essential oils, 3% fixed oils, 1.0 to 4.5% pigments, and 13 to 16 % proteins and alpha and beta-carotene, as well as tannins and saponins.

Applications of Annatto Colour in Food Industry:

Annatto is used as a dye in a number of food items to colour and flavour the different food products. Moreover, it also in medicines as a dye.

In Bakery items and Extruded Products.

The annatto that comprised of more water-soluble part appears to bind well with the starch molecules in the cereal products, both extruded and baked food items. Annatto dye formulations that are soluble in water are prepared to colour various extruded food products such as rice and wheat spaghetti, vermicelli’s, pastas and noodles along with the bakery items such as fructose cones and puff biscuits. However, colour improvement through addition, completely lost during processing.

In Dairy Products

Annatto colour with bixin and norbixin carotenoides common way to introduce Orange colour in cheese products, the good illustration of this is Cheddar cheese, to sustain the constant colour shade during seasonal and environmental fluctuation. In 1800’s Cheddar cheese first decorated with orange colour having source annatto source. The main problem with this is stability of colour as cheese is unable to keep it intact throughout the process, which creates incompatible and undesirable condition for cheese with the outcomes of bleaching of final product. Besides this, annatto is used in yoghurts, Red Leicester cheese and flavoured processed cheese, margarine and ice creams to make it more attractive. Colby cheese is coloured with annatto a common example of this. Blends of annatto with caramine are commercially available in both water- and oil-soluble formats. Their use is commonplace to give a classic vanilla shade in ice cream and also in margarines, where the blend is used to replicate the shade of? –carotene.

In Seafood’s

Nor-bixin i.e water soluble form has the ability to bind to proteins, which can make the colouring of products such as fish very effective. Water-soluble nor-bixin is added to a brine bath along with fish dipping to create an effective golden colour that is well- fixed and will not leach out during the supply chain or retail display. When it intermingle with protein, annatto will shift slightly in shade to a more red shade which can be seen in cheeses coloured with annatto.

In Fruits and Vegetables:

Annatto dye are used to colour the naturally shine and brilliant colours of fruits and vegetable products particularly citrus family include kinnow, mandrin,grapefruit, lemon, concentrates, squash, blended fruit jams, jellies, marmalade's. Annatto dye formulation that are processed with sprayers and acid stable are effectively used in fruit based beverages with highly acidic value to pore a constant colour touch as compared to low acidic one

My name is mahtab shoukat. i'm post graduation student in food technology. its my passion to express my creativity and thinking through writing articles.