Grains - Black Rice
Grains - Black Rice
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for black rice. In the Mechotech catalogue, Grains - Black Rice is listed in the Grey to Black Colour group alongside Galls - Oak Galls, Leaves - Sumac, Hulls - Walnut, Roots - Iris, Dried Bean - Black Beans and Vegatables - Balck Carrot / Black Currant. Mechotech’s article on black rice describes the colour as concentrated in the bran as anthocyanins, strongly dominated by cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, which gives a red-purple tone and makes the colour easier to standardise than mixed berry or vegetable colours.
Mechotech’s black rice plant is configured around the bran-borne anthocyanin pigment and the target colour extract. It is built in SS 316L with integrated solvent recovery, automation and full documentation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. Anthocyanins are leached under acidic protection and concentrated with limited heat exposure; the acid, solvent and temperature are established during process development and pilot validation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Grains - Black Rice Natural Colour Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Raw Material | Black rice |
| Plant Part / Feed Form | Grain, with the pigment concentrated in the bran (exact feed form, such as whole grain or bran, confirmed with the client) |
| Colour Group | Grey to Black Colour |
| Pigment Class | Anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside dominant), in the bran |
| Extract Type | Natural colour extract (liquid concentrate or dried powder, per specification) |
| Extraction Method | Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction with food-grade solvent (alcohol / aqueous), multiple cycles at controlled temperature |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filters |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Spray or vacuum dryer |
| Automation | PLC-based |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air and power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Natural colour extract (anthocyanin colourant) |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Raw Material Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Scale-up trials, contract manufacturing |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial production |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Manufacturing Process
Raw Material Preparation
Black rice or its bran is authenticated, tested for moisture and milled to a uniform particle size so that the pigment-bearing bran layer is fully exposed to the solvent.
Extraction
The prepared material is extracted with acidified aqueous or ethanolic solvent in closed jacketed SS 316L extractors at controlled temperature over multiple cycles, leaching the anthocyanins under acidic protection.
Filtration
The extract (miscella) is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters.
Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The miscella is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, with solvent recovered through the condenser return system so that heat exposure of the pigment stays low.
Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed for colour strength and adjusted to the declared target specification before the final finishing step.
Drying & Quality Control
The standardised Black Rice extract is spray- or vacuum-dried where a powder is required, then released after the agreed assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial and moisture tests.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw material cleaning and size-reduction system
- Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels
- Solvent storage tanks
- Plate-and-frame filter press
- Cartridge polish filtration
- Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
- Solvent recovery unit and condensers
- Standardisation / blending vessel
- Spray or vacuum dryer
- CIP system
- Automation and instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- Natural colour and dye ingredient supply
- Food and beverage colour applications (subject to approval of the specific colour in each market)
- Cosmetic and personal-care colour applications
- Nutraceutical and Ayurvedic / herbal formulations
- Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply
Key Features
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-return recovery reuses solvent between batches and reduces solvent loss.
Acid-Protected Pigment Recovery
Extraction is configured to keep anthocyanins in their stable acidic form, because the pigment behaves as a pH indicator and is sensitive to heat.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release assay are used to check the finished extract against its declared target specification.
Gentle Concentration
Vacuum concentration keeps heat exposure low for temperature-sensitive colour compounds.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Grains - Black Rice?
What specification can the Grains - Black Rice plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Grains - Black Rice plant?
Which raw material is processed in the Black Rice plant?
What gives black rice its colour, and how is it standardised?
How does this page differ from other black-rice and rice-bran pages?
Which related colour pages does Mechotech list with Grains - Black Rice?
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