A REVIEW ON THE EXTRACTION METHODS OF FOOD COLOURS FROM NATURAL SOURCES.

Colour plays a crucial role in the food production and processing sector as it contributes to the sensory attribute of food. It plays a major role in determining the freshness, nutritional value, safety, and aesthetic value of a food. Thus, in this way it directly affects the market value of the coloured food product. Natural colours are primarily derived from plants, insects, mineral ores or microbial sources. Pigments such as flavonoids, carotenoids, betanines, and chlorophyll are mainly applied to give colour to the products which do not have it, or have lost it in the course of processing. Research on natural food colours and their extraction techniques have become a key area in the food industry, particularly the discovery of new natural colorants. It is because natural colours are assumed safe compared to synthetic colours as they are non-allergic, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, and biodegradable. Pigment extraction is one of the most important procedures in the manufacturing of natural colourants. It can be divided into conventional and non-conventional methods. Conventional methods include Soxhlet extraction, maceration, and hydrodistillation. With recent advancement in technology newer and more efficient methods have emerged such a ssupercritical fluid extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction which not only extract pigments faster and effectively but are also environmentally friendly. This review article focuses on various methods utilised for extraction of these natural colour pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]