Improvement of Annatto Pigment Yield in Achiote Through Laminarin Spray: An Ecofriendly Approach

A study has been taken up to find out the influence of laminarin spray at different concentrations (0.5–2%) on Bixa orellana L. (Achiote) which produces one of the most important natural food grade colourant -annatto on its seeds. Analysis of annatto pigment profile during the ontogeny of fruit indicates, a progressive increase in annatto pigment level production at both 0.5 and 1% laminarin spray, which showed 1.7 and 2 folds improvement respectively over control (2.2% pigment) at 60days after flowering (DAF). The pigment content was further improved by 90 DAF in seeds in 1% laminarin treated plant against 60 DAF of control. Higher concentration of Laminarin (2%) spray showed reduction in pigment content but it was more than that of control. This ensures an efficient and easily adoptable methodology for increasing annatto pigment yield in the standing crop.