India, Dec. 17 -- The Government of India has issued a release:

Annatto Dye Preparation - The developed process involves the batch type percolation technique using counter current extraction of annatto seeds with selective solvents and further solvent recovery and vacuum dehydration of concentrated dye to crystal like form. The crystal-like dye can be further used in the formulations in the form of water soluble, oil soluble and refined powder.

Annatto Seed Separator - A small, continuous power operated machine was designed and developed for the separation of annatto seeds from pods. The machine was conceived as a low-cost, easy-to-dismantle and easy-to-fabricate device for removing the seed from the annatto pod with the machine capacity of 100 kg/hr having seed output of 40 kg/hr .

In addition to the above, CSIR-CFTRI has undertaken studies by visiting relevant industries and by engaging experts in various commercial and traditional food sectors to explore the application of different annatto-based formulations such as oil-soluble, water-soluble, propylene glycol (PG)-based, sugar-based and acid-soluble colorants. Colour concentrations for these formulations were standardized to obtain the required shades across different food sectors, and the dye concentration and suitability were evaluated for a variety of commercial and traditional food products. Tailor-made formulations based on water-soluble carbonate systems were found suitable for use in hard-boiled candies, vermicelli, gold fingers, and fast foods such as biriyani and vegetable manchurian. Similarly, PG-based tailor-made formulations were found suitable for traditional sweetmeats such as boondi laddu and motichoor laddu, as well as dairy and bakery products including butter, cheese, biscuit cream, bakery cream, and icing cream. The sugar-powder formulation was found convenient for application in hard-boiled candies, jalebi, jangri, and boondi laddu.

The above answer was given by Shri Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, Minister of Fisheries,Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, in response to a question asked in the Rajya Sabha.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.