Strategies to meet the global demand for natural food colorant bixin: A multidisciplinary approach

One-step ultrasound-assisted recovery of yellow-orange-red natural coloring from defatted annatto seeds: A cleaner processing alternative

The interest in natural colorants derived from sustainable processes has prompted research into obtaining bixin from defatted annatto (Bixa orellana L.) seeds. Bixin is a compound that imparts yellow-orange-red coloration, known for its high biodegradability, low toxicity, and wide industrial applicability. Meanwhile, high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) technology has emerged as a promising method for extracting natural colorants, offering higher yields through shorter processes and minimizing thermal degradation. Although some studies have demonstrated the efficiency of HIUS technology in bixin extraction, research on the effects of acoustic cavitation on the properties of the colorant remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of HIUS-specific energy levels (0.02, 0.04, 0.12, and 0.20 kJ/g) on the chemical, physical, and morphological characteristics of annatto extracts containing bixin and geranylgeraniol. Single-step extractions of bixin using ethanol as a solvent were evaluated at various acoustic powers (4.6, 8.5, 14.5, and 20 W) and extraction times (0.5, 1, 3, and 5 min) to determine their impact on the yield of natural colorant extraction. Increasing the acoustic power from 4.6 to 20 W and extending the extraction time from 0.5 to 5 min resulted in higher yields of natural colorant, likely due to the effects of acoustic cavitation and increased heat under more intense conditions. However, elevated levels of mechanical and thermal energy did not affect the chemical properties of the colorant, as indicated by UV-Vis and FTIR spectra. Conversely, higher specific energies yielded colorants with a more intense red hue, consistent with increased bixin content, and altered the microstructure and physical state, as observed in X-ray diffractograms. Nevertheless, these alterations did not impact the solubility of the colorant. Therefore, employing a cleaner extraction procedure aided by one-step ultrasound facilitated the recovery of natural colorants and contributed to the biorefining of annatto seeds, enabling the production of a rich geranylgeraniol colorant through a sustainable approach.

The apocarotenoid production in microbial biofactories: An overview

Carotenoids are a vast group of natural pigments that come in a variety of colors ranging from red to orange. Apocarotenoids are derived from these carotenoids, which are hormones, pigments, retinoids, and volatiles employed in the textiles, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Due to the high commercial value and poor natural host abundance, they are significantly undersupplied. Microbes like Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli act as heterologous hosts for apocarotenoid production. This article briefly reviews categories of apocarotenoids, their biosynthetic pathway commencing from the MVA and MEP, its significance, the tool enzymes for apocarotenoid biosynthesis like CCDs, their biotechnological production in microbial factories, and future perspectives.

Bixin-loaded colloidal nanodelivery systems, techniques and applications

Bixin is the cis-carotenoid from the seed of achiote tree or annatto. It is an approved liposoluble apocarotenoid by FDA as colorant and additive in the food industry. Nonetheless, bixin is unstable in the presence of oxygen, light, high pHs (alkali) and heat; thereby reducing its bioavailability/bioactivity, and also, with a low solubility in water. Some biopolymeric (e.g., nanofibers, nanogels, and nanotubes) and lipid-based nanocarriers (nanoliposomes, niosomes, hexosomes, nanoemulsions, solid-lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers) have been introduced for bixin. Thus, this review focuses on the updated information regarding bixin-loaded nanodelivery platforms. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive review of bioavailability, physicochemical properties, and applications of nanoencapsulated-bixin as an additive, its release rate and safety issues. These findings will bring potential strategies for the usage of nanocarriers in managing bixin defaults to improve its broad application in various industries.

Status of food colorants in India: conflicts and prospects

Food colorants are imperative ingredients for attracting consumers and in deciding their preferences. Here we discuss the current status of natural colorants and synthetic food colorants on the Indian market by appraising the growth of the food colorant market both globally and nationally, based on published case studies on synthetic food colorants (SFCs), rules, and regulations implemented by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on natural food colorants and SFCs. The substantial lacunae in the research on the impacts of SFCs in the Indian population identified through our literature survey signify the scope and need for appraisal of the issues prevailing in the Indian food colorant market as well as the necessity of renewing the food colorant policies. The illegal use of banned food colorants, the adulteration of natural food colorants, mislabelling of SFCs as natural colorants, and the permitted use of internationally banned food colorants, as well as the unawareness among consumers are serious issues recognized. Appropriate labelling to denote natural food colorants' presence, renewed standards of policy to determine the permitted use of food colorants, comprehensive regulations for the production and use of natural food colorants, stringent rules to constrain the production of toxic SFCs are obligatory to breakdown the dilemma on the Indian food market. Most importantly, awareness and responsiveness should be generated among consumers regarding the illegal use and adulteration of colorants and the need to use natural colorants. We also recommend a logo to designate the presence of natural colorants which will aid the consumers to make the right choice.

Multispectroscopic, virtual and in vivo insights into the photoaging defense mediated by the natural food colorant bixin

An upsurge in early onset of photoaging due to repeated skin exposure to environmental stressors such as UV radiation is a challenge for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical divisions. Current reports indicate severe side effects because of chemical or synthetic inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) in anti-skin aging cosmeceuticals. We evaluated the adequacy of bixin, a well-known FDA certified food additive, as a scavenger of free radicals and its inhibitory mechanism of action on MMP1, collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase. The anti-skin aging potential of bixin was evaluated by several biotechnological tools in silico, in vitro and in vivo. Molecular docking and simulation dynamics studies gave a virtual insight into the robust binding interaction between bixin and skin aging-related enzymes. Absorbance and fluorescence studies, enzyme inhibition assays, enzyme kinetics and in vitro bioassays of human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells highlighted bixin's role as a potent antioxidant and inhibitor of skin aging-related enzymes. Furthermore, in vivo protocols were carried out to study the impact of bixin administration on UVA induced photoaging in C57BL/6 mice skin. Here, we uncover the UVA shielding effect of bixin and its efficacy as a novel anti-photoaging agent. Furthermore, the findings of this study provide a strong foundation to explore the pharmaceutical applications of bixin in several other biochemical pathways linked to MMP1, collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase.

Combining Photodegradation in a Liquid-Core-Waveguide Cell with Multiple-Heart-Cut Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography

Photodegradation greatly affects everyday life. It poses challenges when food deteriorates or when objects of cultural heritage fade, but it can also create opportunities applied in advanced oxidation processes in water purification. Studying photodegradation, however, can be difficult because of the time needed for degradation, the inaccessibility of pure compounds, and the need to handle samples manually. A novel light-exposure cell, based on liquid-core-waveguide (LCW) technology, was embedded in a multiple-heart-cut two-dimensional liquid chromatography system by coupling the LCW cell to the multiple-heart-cut valve. The sample was flushed from the heart-cut loops into the cell by an isocratic pump. Samples were then irradiated using different time intervals and subsequently transferred by the same isocratic pump to a second-dimension sample loop. The mixture containing the transformation products was then subjected to the second-dimension separation. In the current setup, about 30–40% of the selected fraction was transferred. Multiple degradation products could be monitored. Degradation was found to be faster when a smaller sample amount was introduced (0.3 μg as compared to 1.5 μg). The system was tested with three applications, that is, fuchsin, a 19th-century synthetic organic colorant, annatto, a lipophilic food dye, and vitamin B complex.