Bixa orellana

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Achiote" redirects here. For the corregimiento in Panama, see Achiote, Colón. For the tuber known as anchote, see Coccinia abyssinica.

Achiote
Achiote seed pods

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Bixaceae
Genus: Bixa
Species:
B. orellana
Binomial name
Bixa orellana
Synonyms[2]
  • Bixa tinctaria Salisb.
  • Orellana orellana (L.) Kuntze
  • Bixa orleana Noronha
  • Bixa americana Poir.
  • Bixa purpurea Sweet
  • Bixa odorata Ruiz & Pav. ex G.Don
  • Bixa acuminata Bojer
  • Orellana americana (Poir.) Kuntze
  • Bixa upatensis Ram.Goyena
  • Bixa katangensis Delpierre

Bixa orellana, also known as achiote, is a shrub or small tree native to Central America.[3][4] Bixa orellana is grown in many countries worldwide.[3]

The plant is best known as the source of

body paint and lipstick, as well as a spice.[4] For this reason, the Bixa orellana is sometimes called the lipstick tree.[3][4]

Etymology and common names

The name Bixa orellana was given by

specific epithet was derived in honor of the Amazon explorer Francisco de Orellana, an early explorer of the Amazon River.[4][5] The name achiote derives from the Nahuatl word for the shrub, āchiotl [aːˈt͡ʃiot͡ɬ]. It may also be referred to as aploppas, or by its original Tupi name uruku, urucu or urucum ("red color"), which is also used for the body paint prepared from its seeds.[3] Colloquial names include bija, roucou, orellana, annatto, achiote, and many other names used regionally.[3] The nickname, "lipstick tree", derived from use of the dye as a cosmetic.[4]

Description

Bixa orellana is a perennial, tall shrub to small evergreen tree that can reach 6–10 m (20–33 ft) high.[3][4][6] It bears clusters of 5 cm (2 in) bright white or pink flowers, resembling single wild roses, that appear at the tips of the branches.[3] The fruits of the Bixa orellana are globular, ovoid capsules arranged in clusters resembling spiky looking red-brown seed pods covered in soft spines.[3] Each capsule, or pod, contains 30–45 cone-shaped seeds covered in a thin waxy blood-red aril.[3] When fully mature, the pod dries, hardens, and splits open, thereby exposing the seeds.[3]

The plant is most well known as the source of the red-orange annatto pigment. The pigment is derived from the pericarp (the waxy aril layer that covers the seeds) of the Bixa orellana fruit.

norbixin or orelline (the yellow pigment).[3][7][8]
Annatto oil contains
beta-carotene, essential oils, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, flavonoids, and vitamin C.[9]

Distribution

Although the exact origin of Bixa orellana is unknown, it is native to northern South America and the Central American tropics: "it is said to be indigenous by Seemann on the northwest coast of Mexico and Panama, by Triana in New Granada, by Meyer in Dutch Guiana, and by Piso and Claussen in Brazil".[4] Additionally, Bixa orellana is found in substantial wild and cultivated acreages from Mexico to Ecuador, Brazil, and Bolivia.[3] Although an invasive species, it is cultivated in many world regions.[3]

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the annatto dye was distributed to Southeast Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Hawaii and southeastern North America in tropical and subtropical regions through trading exchanges.[3][4] It became cultivated in tropical regions of Asia, such as India, Sri Lanka, and Java mainly for the dye which the seeds yield.[3]

Cultivation

Achiote flower
Mature achiote pods, showing the red seeds

Bixa orellana grows easily in subtropical to tropical climates, in frost-free regions sheltered from cool winds.[3] It prefers year-round moisture, good drainage, and moderately fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. It can be propagated from seed and cuttings. Cutting-grown plants flower at a younger age than seedlings.[10]

The main commercial producers of B. orellana are countries in Latin America (specifically Peru, Brazil and Mexico), which constitute 60% of total world production followed by Africa (27% of total world production) and Asia (12% of total world production).

better source needed] Production statistics are not usually available and would not provide a reliable guide to international trade, since many of the producing countries use significant quantities domestically (e.g., Brazil is a large producer and consumer, needing additional imports). Annual world production of dried annatto seed at the beginning of the 21st century was estimated at about 10,000 tons, of which 7,000 tons enter international trade. Peru is the largest exporter of annatto seed, annually about 4,000 tons; Brazil the largest producer, with about 5,000 tons. Kenya exports annually about 1,500 tons annatto seed and extracts and is the second-largest exporter, after Peru. Côte d'Ivoire and Angola are also exporters.[12]

Industrial uses

Oil of Bixa orellana

Before synthetic dyes revolutionized industry, Bixa orellana (which is the only plant to produce the pigment bixin)[13] was planted commercially. The pigment is extracted from the pericarp of the seeds through use of alkaline water, vegetable oil, or organic solvents.[3][7]

The annatto pigment has global economic significance, as it is one of the most widely used natural dyes to color food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. It is used commonly in foods because the coloring does not alter the flavor and is not toxic.

condiments.[3][4] Cosmetic products include lipstick, hair coloring products, nail polish, soaps, lacquers and paints.[4]

Culinary uses

Ground Bixa orellana seeds are often mixed with other seeds or spices to form a paste or powder for culinary uses in

cured meats
, and other items. The seeds impart a subtle flavor and aroma and a yellow to reddish-orange color to food.

A condiment called sazón is commonly used in Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisine for meats and fish. The Spanish word sazón means "season" or "seasoning". Sazón is made with ground Bixa orellana seeds and packaged into small, disposable foil packets for easy use. Additionally,

French Caribbean, it is added to a fish or pork stew called blaff.[14]

In

Yucatecan condiment called recado rojo, or "achiote paste", is made from ground Bixa orellana seeds combined with other spices and is a mainstay in Mexican and Belizean cuisines.[17]

Traditional uses

One major traditional use of the Bixa orellana plant was for body, face, and hair paint among various tribes and ancient civilizations either for decorative purposes or as omens to ward off evil spirits and illnesses.[4][18] It has been reported to be used by Brazilian native tribes, the native Taínos in Puerto Rico, the Tsáchila of Ecuador and different Amazonian tribes.[4][18][19] As a result of the Spanish Conquest, the Bixa orellana was introduced to peoples like the Aztecs, Incas and Mochicas, who showed evidence of later use.[18] The Aztecs also apparently used the annatto pigment as red ink for manuscript painting in the 16th century.[4][19]

Bixa orellana is used in traditional medicine.[4][7] The tree has been used in Ayurveda, the folk medicine practices of India, where different parts of the plant are thought to be useful as therapy.[20]

The plant is valued for its stem fiber to make rope mats and for the adhesive gum.[21][22][23]

Gallery

  • With fruits in Hyderabad, India
    With fruits in
    Hyderabad, India
  • Fruit in Hyderabad, India
    Fruit in Hyderabad, India
  • Split seed pod
    Split seed pod
  • Seed pod closeup
    Seed pod closeup
  • Fruit
    Fruit
  • Bixa orellana - MHNT
    Bixa orellana -
    MHNT

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T61986316A61986320.en
    . Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Bixa orellana (annatto)". Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI). 27 September 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Morton, Julia F. (1960). "Can Annatto (Bixa orellana, L.), an old source of food color, meet new needs for safe dye?". Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. 73: 301–309. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  5. ISBN 978-0-8247-0421-6
    .
  6. ^ "Plants profile for Bixa orellana (lipsticktree)". Plants database, US Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  7. ^
    PMID 25050404
    .
  8. PMID 27222755
    .
  9. ^ Ângela de Almeida Meireles, Maria; Lima Cavalcante de Albuquerque, Carolina. "Processo otimizado para obtenção de óleo rico em antioxidantes de urucum" (PDF). Inova (in Portuguese). Unicamp. Retrieved 2 Jun 2015.
  10. ISBN 0-304-36435-5
    .
  11. PMID 28559632
    .
  12. ^ Jansen, P. C. M. (2005). Jansen, P. C. M.; Cardon, D. (eds.). "Bixa orellana L." PROTA 3: Dyes and tannins/Colorants et tanins. PROTA. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 5 Oct 2014.
  13. S2CID 560600
    .
  14. ^ a b c "Achiote: The Spice That Dyes Food Yellow". The Spruce Eats. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  15. ^ "New Crops from Brazil". Purdue University. 1990. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  16. ^ Gonzalez, Martha (30 Sep 2017). "El achiote un colorante saludable" (in Spanish). Editorial La Prensa S.A. Retrieved 27 Aug 2021.
  17. ^ "RECIPE: Recado Rojo". LOS DOS. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  18. ^
    JSTOR 40458510
    .
  19. ^ a b "Colorants Used During Mexico's Early Colonial Period". Stanford University. 1997. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  20. ISBN 978-0-387-70638-2
    .
  21. ^ Ellison, Don (1999). Cultivated Plants of the World. London, New Holland.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ^ Graf, Alfred Byrd (1986). Tropica: color cyclopedia of exotic plants and trees for warm-region horticulture—in cool climate the summer garden or sheltered indoors (3rd ed.). East Rutherford, N.J.: Roehrs Co.
  23. ISBN 0-7254-0480-9
    .

External links

Look up Bixa orellana or lipstick tree in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bixa_orellana&oldid=1211998117"