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Annatto Color From Seed

Started by keju, August 17, 2019, 04:16:01 AM

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keju

Hi All,
I have been trying to use color from annatto seeds, as this is what I am able to source in my area.
I was able to extract the color from the seeds to water very simply by adding a little sodium hydroxide to the water to make it basic.
After that I balanced it back with some citric acid.
So now I have loads of lovely annatto colored water.
Next I added it to the curd, and here's where it went wrong.
Some of the annatto water did color some of the curd, whilst other curd simply didn't take it up at all.
I ended up with a yellow and white cheese, showing different curd pieces, even though on pressing they knitted together just fine.
Does anyone have suggestions for how to make the curd better take up the lovely yellow ?
Cheers.

Susan38

Hi!  It still sounds like your cheese turned out looking nice, if not mottled?  Anyway, I have yet to color a cheese, but from what I have read, the recipes call to add the annatto into the milk and get the color uniform before it gets coagulated into cheese.

awakephd

Right - if you added it at the curd stage, try adding it while it is still milk. I add annatto after ripening but before adding rennet; I wait about 15 minutes after adding the annatto before adding the rennet - I seem to recall that it is necessary to have some gap between, but don't recall for certain.
-- Andy

Susan38

And the Colby recipe from cheesemaking.com says to warm the milk, add the annatto and stir well before adding calcium chloride (if using), then add the culture...so it sounds like there are different ways to do it, but I think adding it to the liquid milk first is key to getting an even color.

keju

Thanks for the replies. I will give it another go tonight adding the annatto before the rennet, and let you all know how it goes.
The cheese did turn out OK, it's just yellow and white, so quite a different sort of feeling actually.
Cheers,
Keju.

awakephd

Quote from: Susan38 on August 18, 2019, 09:30:25 PM
And the Colby recipe from cheesemaking.com says to warm the milk, add the annatto and stir well before adding calcium chloride (if using), then add the culture...so it sounds like there are different ways to do it, but I think adding it to the liquid milk first is key to getting an even color.

Yep, often is more than one way, up to a point!
-- Andy

keju

Hi All,
I have made a second batch of this one now, adding the annatto before the rennet.
It worked a treat, with the colour all taken up perfectly.
I also added less citric acid to the colour mixture, keeping it more basic. It all seems to have worked.
Cheese & Cheers to everyone !