Abstract

Bixa orellana species is originated in tropical America and is widely used in the industry of natural colorants. The annatto colorant has a reddish coloration due to the presence of the carotenoid bixin in its seed aril. The objective of the present work was evaluating the antioxidant potential and characterize the physicochemical properties of three annatto cultivars in fresh (seeds) and encapsulated powder. Therefore, moisture, ash, lipid, protein and carbohydrates were analyzed. To evaluate the antioxidant properties the ABTS (2,2’-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) method was used. The annatto seeds and encapsulated products showed antioxidant potential for free radical ABTS, being superior to the synthetic antioxidant BHT which showed 63.62% of inhibition. These results suggest that the use of annatto colorant can provide a preventive action on diseases contributing in a beneficial way to human health.

Keywords: Natural colorant, Free radical, Bixin, Phenols, Bixa orellana