Feature Article

Commercial uses of Natural color and Production of Annatto
(Bixa orellana L.)

A. Rajendran and I. Gnanavel

General Description: Bixa orellana L. (Family: Bixaceae) is a shrub or bushy tree which ranges from 3 to 10 meters in height. Its glossy, ovate leaves are evergreen with reddish veins; they have a round, heart-shaped base and a pointed tip. With a thin, long stem, the leaves are between 8 and 20 cm long and 5 and 14 cm wide. The twigs are covered with rust colored scales when young and bare when older. Bixa's flowers are pink, white, or some combination, and are 4 to 6 cm in diameter. From the flower protrudes a striking two-valved fruit, covered either with dense soft bristles or a smooth surface. These round fruits, approximately 4 cm wide, appear in a variety of colors: scarlet, yellow, brownish-green, maroon, and most commonly bright red. When ripe, they split open and reveal a numerous amount of small, fleshy seeds, about 5 mm in diameter and covered with red-orange pulp, the embryo of which is poisonous.

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Life Care Phyto Remedies Ayyappanthangal, Chennai-56, Tamilnadu, India.
*Corresponding Author : rajendran_dr@hotmail.com