文章目录
Product Introduction
- Capsanthin, also known as paprika extract, is a natural coloring agent extracted from peppers. The primary coloring components are capsanthin and capsorubin, which make up 50% to 60% of the total content. Additionally, it contains a certain amount of non-coloring component capsaicin. Capsanthin offers bright color, high color value, strong coloring ability, and excellent color retention, effectively extending the shelf life of imitation foods. Besides its use in food, it's also applied in pharmaceuticals, health products, and cosmetics.
Capsanthin Production Process
- Oil-Soluble Method
- The oil-soluble method involves soaking pepper peels or dry pepper powder in liquid edible oil (such as cottonseed oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil) at room temperature, dissolving the capsanthin in the oil, and then extracting it from the oil using a specific method.
Process Flow: Peppers → Extraction → Distillation → Capsicum oleoresin → Hydrolysis → Filtration → Solidification → Soaking → Vacuum filtration → Extract → Vacuum distillation → Concentration and refinement of pigment → Drying → Capsicum pigment powder. The oil-soluble method has been largely discontinued due to the difficulty in separating oil from pigment, resulting in low extraction efficiency and high color value products.
2. Solvent Method
Process Flow: Pepper powder → Extraction with organic solvent → Solvent recovery under reduced pressure → Oil-like red pigment → Extraction with organic solvent → Solvent recovery under reduced pressure → Product. There are four methods for extracting capsanthin using organic solvents: soaking, percolation, reflux extraction, and Soxhlet extraction. Most domestic and foreign manufacturers use the solvent method, but regardless of the method used, pepper powder needs to be ground into powder before extraction, which increases operational costs.
3. Hot Countercurrent Extraction of Capsanthin
Process Flow: Dry peppers → De-seeding and chopping → Extraction of capsaicin → De-spicing → Extraction of red pigment → Concentration under reduced pressure → Vacuum drying → Red pigment → Further processing of residue → By-products.
Key Advantages:
- Short extraction time, low solvent usage, high yield, high color value.
- No need to grind the raw material into powder before extraction, reducing operational costs and making the residue valuable. A series of high-value-added products has been developed. It also avoids excessive damage to plant cell walls, which would otherwise cause large-molecule components to leach out. The process integrates filtration, extraction, and concentration, resulting in relatively low equipment investment and operational costs.
- This process can produce finished products in a single extraction without the need for refinement, meeting relevant standards. In short, this process has high application value and is compatible with existing equipment, making it an ideal method for manufacturers looking to upgrade.
4. Supercritical CO2 Extraction
Supercritical CO2 extraction uses fluid above its critical temperature and pressure as a solvent for the extraction process. This is a new chemical separation technique that relies on understanding the solubility of supercritical fluid and how various factors influence it. The technology is simple, energy-efficient, and uses non-toxic, easy-to-recover solvents, producing high-purity products with solvent residues that meet FAO/WHO requirements. The pigments extracted through this method are mostly mixed pigments, offering a simple, cost-effective, and high-color-value process. Although it’s an advanced extraction method, further improvement is needed.
Capsanthin Application Scenarios
- According to China's "Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives" (GB2760-1996), capsanthin can be used in canned food, sauces, popsicles, ice cream, biscuits, processed meat products, and imitation crab meat, added as needed during production. In canned food, it's mainly used in traditional meat and poultry cans. For cake decorations, capsanthin can be added to cream at a concentration of 30~80g/kg. Capsanthin can also be used abroad to color and flavor foods, giving them a certain spiciness. In Japan, capsanthin is used in oils, sauces, seafood products, vegetable products, fruit juices, ice cream, etc., at concentrations of 0.5~2g/kg.
Capsanthin Packaging and Storage
Storage Conditions: Keep sealed and protected from light, store in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place.
Packaging: 25kg drum for bulk, 1kg aluminum foil bag for samples, or customized packaging per client request.
Shipping Method: Courier or logistics, domestic courier arrives within 3 days, logistics within 5 days. Quotes generally include domestic shipping costs.
Shelf Life: Two years.
