About annatto
Annatto is the name given to the Bixa orellana L. plant. Its seeds are covered by a pigment widely used by the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Their pigments were already used by the Brazilian indians before the discovery. The first reference to the annatto can be attributed to Pero Vaz de Caminha's letter to Portugal king D. Manuel, informing the discovery of Brazil. Did you know that the Aztecs, ethnic groups of central Mexico, mixed annatto dye with cocoa to produce a drink and used it in their rituals, simulating human blood.
Science and Technology
See what C&T has presented about annatto. Know the composition of your seeds. Understand how the dyes are extracted and where they are used. See recent discoveries of the presence of several other substances in your seeds. Get to know the main farming systems of annatto, their genetic diversity and the main pests and diseases that affect this crop. A page about meetings takes you to some of the main seminars on this culture, providing the articles presented at those meetings.
Business
In the BUSINESS, in addition to precious information on the prices and seed production, we also present a list of producers, consumers and companies that participate in the Brazilian production chain of annatto. We also offer a form where you can register and have your interest disclosed on our site. This page also presents information on quality control of annatto seed and laboratories where these tests can be performed.
New and publications
Annatto seeds in animal feed - 24/04/17
About 6,000 tons of annatto seeds without pigments, a byproduct of dye industries, are discarded annually in Brazil. Several studies have shown that these seeds can become an excellent alternative as animal feed, adding value to dye industries. This review introduces some of these articles. (Article in portuguese)
Article puts Rondônia state as second producer of annatto in Brazil - 02/01/17
Canal Rural TV presents material where the president of EMATER-RO emphasizes that the implantation of an annatto agroindustry in Cabixi, city from 640 km of Porto Velho, has been encouraging the production of annatto in Rondônia. According to the article Rondônia has 90.000 properties of family agriculture and the culture of annatto is very profitable. (Article in portuguese)
About this site
The purpose of this site is to be a source of information for all those interested in this culture, from scientists to farmers or even to those who just want to kill curiosity about annatto. We seek to integrate the whole production chain of the annatto, through the interaction between producer, industries and consumers.
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