Mechanical extraction of natural dye extract from Bixa orellana seeds in spouted bed

Since the recent prohibition on use of the synthetic dye in several countries there is an increasing international interest for natural pigment. The use of annatto (Bixa orellana) seeds as a source of natural dye has been increased due to its lack of toxicity. In this paper, the mechanical extraction of the bixin from Bixa orellana seeds in a spouted bed has been studied. The results show that it is possible to efficiently extract this natural dye from Bixa orellana seeds in spouted bed. The effect of the insertion of a draft tube on the mechanical extraction of bixin was analyzed. The fluid dynamic aspects, the extracted mass, the yield and bixin content were quantified. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.