Sinduri, called as Sindurpushpi, Trishnapushpi, Sukomala, Raktabija and Karchchandha in Samskrit; Latkan, Sinduriya and Jafra in Hindi, Sadri in Marathi, Latkan in Bengali, Sinduri in Gujarati and Kumkum in Kannada. It is known as Annato or Arnato in English and Bixa orellana Linn in Latin. Sinduri is an ever green shrub of the height of 2-5 metres belonging to the family of Bixaceae. Though bixa is reported native to tropical America and West Indies, it is now widely distributed in most tropical countries like Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Srilanka, Equador and Jamaica, Peru, Surinam and India in wild and cultivated forms. It is cultivated commercially to extract the Annato colour from its seeds. In India it is well distributed in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and also reported to be cultivated commercially since last 5 years. Pertinent to mention that nearly 4000 acre area is under Annato cultivation in East and West Godavari, Khammam, Rangareddy, Medak, Adilabad districts and adjoining area of Andhra Pradesh through individual land holders and A.P. Forest Development Corporation.
2. Description of plants
The plants of sinduri are basically of two types –
- bearing greenish white flowers.
- bearing annato or red coloured flower.
The flowers and fruits in both kinds of shrubs of sinduri appear in clusters. Its leaves resemble with a betel vine leaf and its veins are red in colour. The fruits of this shrub are soft and thorny like that of Aranoli or dhatura which have four petals. The fruits bear nearly 50 red seeds in colour on ripening. It flowers in August to December and fruits in March-April. The fruit splits longitudinally in length in two parts as a result of which the red seeds become conspicuous. These seeds drop down after some time. The red colour compound is extracted from these seeds which are coated with thin pulpy, bright orange resinous coating commonly known as Annato dye or Bixin.
3. Important Uses of Sinduri
In Indian system of medicines especially in Ayurveda, the bitter, cold, dark brown bark is described helpful in blood diseases, headache and phlegm. It is very effective in high fever. The leaves of Sinduri are reported blood purifier. It is very effective for gonorrhea. The paste made from its seeds keeps mosquitoes at bay. Sinduri, if combined with edible items do not affect either the taste or colour. Traditionally the red orange colour is in use as cosmetics in tribals. However, the commercial product is Annato dye which is used mostly in dairy industry such as in colouring butter, cheese, ghee, chocolate, icecream in dyeing cotton, silk clothes and leather, in colouration of medicines and in making boot polishes. The colour is also used in making bindi or kumkum. By and large, it is a multipurpose species whose bark, leaves, roots and seeds are used for medicinal, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and edible colouring purposes. The ink and non edible colours have also been reported in use in many countries. The wastes of annato seeds after extraction of colour have also been reported suitable for animal feed and also for human beings when mixed with other edible material.
3.1 Annato Dye
Annato dye is basically a red orange pigment known as Bixin, extracted from the seed coat of Sinduri (Bixxaa arellana). The quantity of Bixin in the seed varies from 0.73 to 1.3 percent by weight and contains carotenoid of various types out of which cisbixin aalone accounts for 82 percent. Since bixin is the principal colouring matter, the chemistry and performance of Annato colour is essentially of the bixin. Bixin is highly unsaturated compound.
The bixin dissolves in vegetable oil, undergoes complex series of isomerisation and degradation reactions when heated to extraction temperatures. A yellow pigment transbixin and cisbixin are the major carotenoids in oil soluble annato colour. The total pigment content of the commercial annato butter colour varies from 0.2 to 2.6 percent, at least 30 percent of which is bixin.
3.1.1 Methods of Manufacturing Annato Colour
Annato colour is prepared by leaching the seed coats with an extractant prepared from one or more food grade materials like various organic solvents, edible vegetable oils and fats and alkaline aqueous or alcoholic solution. The annato colour may be of (a) water soluble and (b) oil soluble which may be obtained through (i) direct aqueous – alkali extraction (ii) organic solvent extraction and distillation and (iii) mechanical, thermal and vacuum process of oil solvent extraction system.
3.1.2. Utilization of waste Annato Seeds
The waste annato seeds after extraction of pigment are put under dehulling and defatting treatment for preparation of flour which can be used as animal feed as it contains more than 12% protein and 40% carbohydrates. The composition of Annato seeds given in table below shows the details of constituents. It was also found possible to use this resource as a human nutrition when mixed with other materials.
3.1.3 Composition of Annato Seeds
Constituents g/100 g seeds
Protein Around 12
Ether extract 5.22 - 8.84
Total carbohydrates 39.91 - 47.90
Ash 5.44 - 6.92
Pentosans 11.35 - 14.97
Pectin 0.23 - 0.55
Tannins 0.33 - 0.91
Total carotenoids 1.21 - 2.30
Source (1) Angalucci et.al (1980), (2) Aparnathi K.D. and Sharma R.S. (1991)
4. Agro-Technology
4.1 Soil and Climate
Annato is grown/cultivated in well drained red and alluvial soils with pH between 6 to 7.5. It comes up well in deep soil but can be grown on shallow soils also but needs proper pit digging and soil work. Being a tropical plant it can thrive well under 280 to 440 centigrade temperature and 800-1500 mm annual rain fall. It can not withstand severe cold climates and hence cannot be grown in north Indian states. The economic life of plant is about 20 to 25 years.
4.2 Planting Techniques
a) Planting Material
The planting material can be obtained through seeds, cuttings and tissue culture plants from certified and quality source. The germination percent of seeds is reported to be low upto 25-30% due to high percentage of non-viable seeds and mucilaginous secretion. The dye back and drying of seedlings in early stage is reported to be a common phenomenon. It is therefore, preferred to depend upon the cuttings, clonal propagation and tissue cultured plants. The quality seeds, seedlings and clonal material may be procured presently from A.P.Forest Development Corporation, Hyderabad and through a private nursery located in Vishakhapatanam. The tissue cultured plants can be obtained from M/s. GUFIC Biosciences Ltd. Andheri (Mumbai). The cost of seedling, clonal/cuttings and tissue cultured plants may be assumed as Rs.5, Rs.10 and Rs.20 per plant respectively.
b) Planting Season
The planting season is generally the monsoon period (June to September). However, it can be planted till October provided assured irrigation source exists for protective irrigation.
4.3
Pre-plantation and Plantation Activities
Annato/Sinduri is planted as ornamental or avenue plantation also being its evergreen and bushy nature. It may therefore be planted as line or boundary plantation and as block plantation on degraded/waste lands. Like any other plantation crop, the unwanted weeds and bushes are cleared for better growth. The land may be ploughed by tractors or bullocks and also leveled along contour to facilitate irrigation.
a) Spacing and Planting Material
The pits of 30 x 30 x 30 cms size are dug at 3 x 3 m or 3 x 2.5 m spacing for accommodating 1100 to 1200 plants per ha or nearly 450 to 500 plants per acre. Considering the mortality and gap filling, an additional 15-20% plants are required to be arranged. It is, therefore, desirable to arrange 500 planting material per acre.
b) Irrigation
Though the plantation is required to be done during rains, in case of dry days during monsoons it is always desirable to provide 2-3 irrigations immediately after planting. Therefore, irrigation is desirable at weekly interval taking into consideration the soil type, texture, water holding capacity and atmospheric temperature. Irrigation may also be given at 2nd, 3rd and 4th year onwards for proper growth and seed production. Better results are obtained when moisture stress is absent from flowering to capsule maturity stage.
c) Fertilizers
The Bixa plant responds well with fertilization and give always better yield and income. The recommended dose per plant for Ist and subsequent years are given as below :
