Thinking of how to get the right colour for your Gouda? The answer probably lies in, well, turmeric. Indeed, several foods owe their vibrant colour to the bright yellow spice. Or rather, specifically, a compound present in it—curcumin. Safe, practical, and versatile, curcumin is a natural food colour that food manufacturers can readily embrace. But what’s so special about it? How to extract curcumin from turmeric? We detail the common methods that manufacturers should know and help you determine what might work best for you!
What’s Special About Curcumin?
Turmeric has been revered for centuries and has been noted for its health benefits. Central to that is its biologically active compound, curcumin, also known as diferuloylmethane. It has been the source of scientific and medicinal fascination for years, with countless studies focused on its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifungal properties. The therapeutic potential of turmeric and its active components could help with the treatment and supportive care of depression, arthritis, and even cancers! In isolation, curcumin has been known to lower inflammatory markers that contribute to type 2 diabetes, besides helping reduce the risk of osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases.
Curcumin is wholly safe, well tolerated, and has a low toxicity in humans. This makes it a desirable food colour, offering a yellow or orange-yellow colour to jams, processed cheese, sausages, and much, much more! Curcumin, marketed as E 100, adds plenty of value to food manufacturers seeking a safe, trusted colour from speciality ingredients manufacturers.
With so much right with it, the one thing curcumin doesn’t have going for it? It is insoluble in water. The solubility of curcumin and its instability mean it has a limited bioavailability. (Curcumin solubility in water notwithstanding, there are ways to improve the compound’s absorption in the body. Adding piperine and healthy fats, for instance.)
Why Extract Curcumin from Turmeric?
Turmeric’s various benefits are mainly thanks to its natural polyphenol compounds known as curcuminoids. The principal curcuminoid happens to be curcumin, which gives turmeric its distinct colour and flavour. While turmeric powder is readily available, curcumin extract is acknowledged to be more beneficial in certain conditions.
Ground turmeric contains only a small amount of curcumin, which makes it vital to find ways of obtaining curcumin directly, especially for use in supplements. The pharmacological element aside, another essential need to extract curcumin is to use it as a food colour. Here, curcumin is stable when exposed to heat and light. Its intensity, shade, and brightness remain unaffected by any change to the pH. Extracting it from turmeric can help obtain higher concentrations customised with specific properties, such as enabling solubility and improving bioavailability.
Methods and Process of Extracting Curcumin from Turmeric
Now, for the big question: How to extract curcumin from turmeric? A few established methods that vary vastly in underlying principle and the mechanics involved exist. Some are as simple as a chemistry experiment; others are a bit more complicated.
Some notable ways of extracting curcumin/turmeric byproducts from turmeric are detailed below.
1. Solvent Extraction Method
The most straightforward technique involves grinding dried turmeric into powder and adding a solvent to obtain colouring matter. The solvent can be acetone, isopropanol, ethanol, methanol, carbon dioxide, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, or dichloromethane. An oleoresin with a colouring matter content of around 25–35% is produced along with volatile oils and other resinous extractives. Next, a curcumin pigment is obtained from the oleoresin after subsequent washes with selective solvents. The end product is a purified powder made up significantly of colouring matter content and very little volatile oil.
2. Steam Distillation
Sometimes, ingredient suppliers are not after just food colours. Steam distillation is the go-to method when it comes to essential oils (EOs). It results in pure yields and is easy to operate, but it’ll be a while before the oils show up, so prepare to wait. The general principle involves passing steam across the plant material. After the steam condenses, essential oil and water are formed, which are then separated. For turmeric, an environment where the pressure and temperature are controlled must be created, like an autoclave. Steam is passed through the turmeric and then allowed to cool using water, capturing EOs. A volatile solvent can also be used instead of an autoclave, heating to a suitable temperature. Once cooled and filtered, the volatile solvent and solid oil are separated.
3. Supercritical CO2 Extraction
This is another way to squeeze essential oils out of turmeric—with some hi-tech apparatus and an understanding of physics. Carbon dioxide is preferred here since it is safe and odourless. The method relies on bringing the gas to its supercritical state—heating above its critical temperature and pressurising it above its crucial pressure before entering the extractor. The supercritical fluid extraction percolates in the extractor as an ascending or descending flux, enabling the extraction of the solute contained in the matrix. The supercritical CO2 turns gaseous in the separator, leaving the extracts at the bottom.
Both volatile oils and curcuminoids can be extracted with supercritical CO2 extraction. However, this method has shown the concentration of curcuminoids to be below that of a comparable methanol extract.
Choosing the Best Method for Curcumin Extraction
The ‘best’ method to acquire curcumin extract might depend on what one is looking for. Some ingredient suppliers might favour one over the others based on the requirement, yield rate, type of extract, and availability of technology and technical expertise. The solvent extraction method is easy to execute, giving good yields based on the solvent used. It is also comparably more affordable. On the other hand, steam distillation extracts essential oils, which can be perfect for particular applications. However, the process can take a long time and usually involves high costs. Environmental factors might also differ, with some methods leaving a more extensive dent in our surroundings. It’s important to consider for what purpose you need your curcumin extract before consulting with providers and determining what makes the most business sense.
A Safe, Natural Choice
Curcumin is an ideal choice for a natural food colour: It makes food products look good while putting manufacturers at ease. Knowing the benefits of this wonder compound and how to extract curcumin from turmeric can help manufacturers collaborate better with food colour suppliers and understand how to approach specific needs. Whether in search of solutions for a savoury mix or delectable culinary products, curcumin can offer a window of possibilities that can make your products shine in more ways than one. So, go ahead and give your Gouda the colour it deserves!
FAQs
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a natural dyestuff found in turmeric. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifungal properties, besides being a nutraceutical. Curcumin’s therapeutic potential has been associated with the treatment and supportive care of various cancers, arthritis, and depression. Curcumin is well tolerated and safe—as such, it is used in the food industry as a flavour and colour (E 100), lending foods a yellow or orange-yellow colour. As an additive, it is considered safe for several foods like processed cheese, jams, vegetable spreads, fish pastes, and sausages.
Adding piperine to curcumin is known to aid the compound’s absorption and help curcumin be effective in the body. Healthy fats can also help to increase curcumin bioavailability.
Curcumin is safe to use and has low toxicity in humans. As a colour additive, it is exempt from batch certification by the FDA, and the Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food has suggested an ADI of 3 mg/kg of body weight. Curcumin supplements are generally recognised as safe and appear to be well tolerated, even when taken in amounts of up to 8 grams a day. High doses, though, can lead to nausea and diarrhoea.
Curcumin can be extracted in different ways, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The way to extract curcumin depends on the requirement and need. Solvent extraction is among the more basic techniques and requires a simple setup—this could benefit those without access to advanced technology and expertise. If it’s essential oils you’re after, steam distillation and supercritical CO2 extraction could be your answer. Newer approaches are being tested continually. These could pave the way for more need-specific and efficient ways of curcumin extraction.
