Medicinal Plants in Natural Health Care as Phytopharmaceuticals
Anil K. Sharma, Raj K. Keservani, Surya Prakash Gautam in Herbal Product Development, 2020
Bixa orellana is a plant native to Brazil but grows in other regions of South and Central America. It is grown in tropical countries such as Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Indonesia, India, Kenya and East Africa. It is a small evergreen tree; leaves large, cordate acuminate, glaborous on both surface; flowers whire and pink in terminal panicles; fruits reddish brown or green capsules, clothed with soft bristles; seeds trigonous covered with a red pulp. The seeds are considered the plant part of commercial importance, since the pericarp (layer that surrounds the seeds) contains the pigments that have wide industrial application. About 80% of this pigment is the carotenoid known as bixin, which has the dye property and can be extracted with vegetable oils or chemical bases. Depending on the cultivar and climatic conditions of the region, the bixin content can vary from 1% to 6% in the seed aril. The remainder is composed of other dyes and inert substances of minor importance (Raddatz-Mota et al., 2017).
Natural Products and Stem Cells and Their Commercial Aspects in Cosmetics
Heather A.E. Benson, Michael S. Roberts, Vânia Rodrigues Leite-Silva, Kenneth A. Walters in Cosmetic Formulation, 2019
Various colourants used in the cosmetic industry can be derived from plant sources. Henna has been used since ancient times and is the most commonly used hair colourant in the Middle East. Henna is also used in many countries, including India, for creating decorative patterns on the skin. Henna comes from the Lawsonia alba bush of North Africa and India, and provides an orange colour. Henna contains lawsone, which is a chemical compound that provides protection from the sun. It is important to note that henna’s colouring effects usually require acidic conditions. Boiled chamomile flowers can also be used as hair dyes by providing a yellow colour. Chlorophyll is a green photosynthetic pigment that commercially can be extracted from nettle and spinach. It can also have deodorizing properties and is thus used in some deodorants and toothpastes. Xanthophyll is a yellow photosynthetic pigment that may also be used in the industry. Indigo is a blue pigment that comes from the Indigofera genus of flowers and is the oldest pigment known. Indigo is now often derived from synthetic processes. Saffron is a dark orange pigment from the Crocus sativus flower that has a strong tinting power due to the presence of carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. The dye is difficult to extract, and as a result is expensive. Saffron can also be used as an essential oil. Several sources of red pigment exist that include madder that has been used since ancient times and is from the Rubia tinctorium root; carthamin derived from the safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) bush; annatto, also known as bixin, from the seeds of the Bixa orellana plant; and alkanet reddish-brown pigment from the Alkanna tinctoria husk (Corbeil et al., 2000).
Modern extraction methods and standardization of extracts
C. P. Khare in Evidence-based Ayurveda, 2019
Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is an efficient form of liquid solvent extraction compared to maceration and Soxhlet extraction as the method uses a minimal amount of solvent. Similar to other solvent technique, ASE also critically depends on the solvent types. Cyclohexaneacetone solution at the ratio of 6:4 v/v with 5 minutes heating (50°C) showed to yield the highest bixin from Bixa orellana with 68.16% purity. High recoveries (~94%) of flavonoids from Rheum palmatun were observed using 80% aqueous methanol by ASE, suggesting the suitability of this method for quality control evaluation.
Bixin Triggers Apoptosis of Human Hep3B Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells: An Insight to Molecular and IN SILICO Approach
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2018
Yogesh Kumar, Alugoju Phaniendra, Latha Periyasamy
Bixa orellana L. belong to Bixaceae family, also known as annatto is a plant native to Brazil but also grow in tropical countries such as India, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, and East Africa. Annatto is the name given to red-yellow extract obtained from seeds of Bixa orellana L. Annatto has been reported to be nontoxic when administered at 540 mg of bixin/kg weight of rats (8), therefore the seeds of annatto are widely used as a natural coloring agent in food industries, especially in dairy products (9), paint and textile industries. Due to its good cutaneous tolerability, the annatto seed extract is also used as a coloring agent in cosmetics (10,11). It is also reported to exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity (12–14). In West Indian folklore annatto is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus by lowering the blood glucose levels (15) and is a potent inhibitor of lens aldose reductase and thereby it can be used in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy (16). Hypolipidemic effect (17), antimalarial activity (18), and anti-inflammatory activity (19) are the other pharmacological effects which are associated with annatto seed extract.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Alcohol
- Alkali
- Apocarotenoid
- Bixa Orellana
- Ester
- Hydrolysis
- Isomerization
- Methyl Group
- Food Coloring
- Cis–Trans Isomerism