Annatto
Annatto is the name for the reddish-yellow seeds of the Orlean shrub (botanical name: Bixa orellana ) used as a spice , to obtain vitamins and as food coloring ( E 160b ). Other names are Achote, Bixin, Orlean, Ruku, Anatto; the French name is roucou , the Spanish achiote or achote , the Brazilian urucum .
Occurrence
The plant is found in the Caribbean and tropical South America . Its seeds are small, red and triangular in shape, and have an earthy-bitter taste. They were among the Mayans as a seasoning and coloring agent used as textile and body color, as well as in religious rites in which they with the rain associated were. The seeds were also used as currency .
For indigenous peoples the seed is used for medical purposes, for example as an aphrodisiac , sunscreen and insect repellent or as a digestive remedy. The hard seeds are either treated with hot water to loosen the ingredients , or they are ground several times .
In Brazil , Annatto is called Colorau , Urucum or Colorífico , depending on the region , and is used to color and season meat and fish dishes . In Mexican cuisine it is known as achiote in Spanish .
Food coloring
Annatto is less known in Europe , but is used to color boiled eggs and cheese , such as the British varieties Shropshire Blue , Cheddar and Red Leicester . The Gourmet Handbook explains how to color this and other cheeses:
“[…] If the Cheddar comes from Scotland , it is usually bright yellow because it is colored with Annatto. This practice was common 200 years ago, when saffron colored to mimic the rich yellow of a whole milk cheddar. Because back then only those who could afford it left the cream on the milk and in the cheese; those who did not had to make butter from it , and the cheese turned out paler. [...] "
The French varieties Reblochon , Mimolette , Mamirolle or Fol Epi , the Danish Blue Note and occasionally the German and Dutch Gouda are also colored with Annatto.
Chemical components
Annatto contains xanthophylls and oxygenated carotenoids . It is a mixture of the dyes Bixin and Norbixin , the latter being the saponification product of Bixin. Depending on the extraction process from the plant, one of the two substances predominates. If sodium hydroxide is used for the extraction , the sodium salt of norbixin is also formed .
Annatto is considered to be harmless to health. The permitted daily dose is 5 mg / kg body weight. In rare cases, allergic skin reactions are possible.
Annatto seeds contain vitamin E in an unusual isomer composition , 90% of which is delta- tocotrienol . Because of its anti- angiogenic properties, among other things , delta-tocotrienol is currently playing a role in cancer research .
Web links
- Annatto data sheet on the website additives online the Consumer Initiative
- [1] Annatto on Gernot Katzer's spice pages
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry on E 160b: Annatto, Bixin, Norbixin in the European database for food additives, accessed on June 16, 2020.
- ↑ Annatto: From body color to popcorn. Survival International website , accessed December 25, 2015.
- ↑ Udo Pini : The Gourmet Handbook . Page 157. Tandem-Verlag, Cologne (4th edition), 2004. ISBN 3-8331-1097-X .
- ↑ Teruo Miyazawa, Kiyotaka Nakagawa, Phumon Sookwong: Health benefits of vitamin E in grains, cereals and green vegetables. In: Trends in Food Science & Technology. 22, 2011, pp. 651-654, doi: 10.1016 / j.tifs.2011.07.004 .
- ↑ Valentina Viola, Francesca Pilolli a. a .: Why tocotrienols work better: insights into the in vitro anti-cancer mechanism of vitamin E. In: Genes & Nutrition. 7, 2012, pp. 29-41, doi: 10.1007 / s12263-011-0219-9 . PMC 3250530 (free full text).