Natural Colour Extraction Plants

Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for giant coreopsis and barberry. In the Mechotech catalogue, Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry (spelled as in the product tree) is listed in the Orange Colour group alongside Skins - Brown Onion, Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root and Leaves - Eucalyptus. According to Mechotech’s article on orange colour extraction from giant coreopsis and barberry, the two plants reach orange by different chemistry: giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) flowers carry carotenoid and flavonoid pigments, including chalcones and aurones, while the roots, inner bark and berries of barberry (Berberis species) carry the yellow-orange alkaloid berberine. The catalogue entry does not say which plant parts a project uses or in what proportion, so the feed and the blend are confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.

Mechotech’s Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry plant is configured around the raw material 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. The article describes three extraction routes for these plants: water extraction for a mild orange, ethanol or aqueous-ethanol extraction for a stronger, more concentrated pigment, and food-grade oil extraction for the oil-soluble carotenoid fraction. The extract is then clarified, held at acidic pH with an antioxidant, and concentrated under vacuum. The route and the blend of the two plants are established during process development and pilot validation.

Technical Specifications

Product	Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry Natural Colour Extraction Plant
Raw Material	Giant coreopsis flowers and barberry roots, inner bark and berries, as described in Mechotech’s article (catalogue name: Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry)
Botanical Name	Coreopsis gigantea (giant coreopsis) and Berberis species (barberry), as named in Mechotech’s article; the barberry species is not stated and is confirmed with the client
Plant Part / Feed Form	Coreopsis: flowers and petals collected at full bloom, fresh or dried. Barberry: roots and inner bark, and to a lesser extent berries (per the article). Exact feed forms and the blend are confirmed with the client
Colour Group	Orange Colour (see the Orange Colour page)
Colour-forming Components	Coreopsis flowers: carotenoids and flavonoids including chalcones and aurones; barberry: the alkaloid berberine, a yellow-orange pigment (per the article)
Process Category	Natural Colour Extraction Plants
Extract Type	Natural colour extract (liquid concentrate or dried powder, per specification)
Extraction Method	Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction at controlled temperature with water, ethanol / aqueous ethanol, or food-grade oil for the oil-soluble carotenoid fraction (the three routes the article describes); route confirmed during process development
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 where a solvent is used
Drying System	Spray or vacuum dryer, where a powder is required
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 (orange colour group)

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

Coreopsis petals are cleaned and lightly crushed to open the tissue; barberry roots and bark are cleaned, chopped and, where used, dried and ground to expose the yellow inner tissue where berberine is richest, and the berries, if used, are handled separately (per the article). Each plant is prepared to expose maximum surface area before extraction.

Extraction

The prepared charge is extracted in closed jacketed SS 316L vessels at controlled temperature over several cycles. The article describes water extraction (a simmer), ethanol or aqueous-ethanol extraction for a stronger, more stable and concentrated pigment, and food-grade oil extraction for the oil-soluble carotenoid fraction; the two plants can be extracted together or separately and then combined. The route and conditions are set during process development.

Filtration

The extract is separated from the spent material and clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters. The article holds the clarified liquor at acidic pH, around pH 4 to 5, and adds an antioxidant such as ascorbic acid to protect the colour; pH and additives are confirmed during process development.

Concentration & Solvent Recovery

The extract is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, with solvent recovered through the condenser return system where a solvent is used. The article describes gentle vacuum concentration to a stable liquor or paste.

Standardisation

The concentrate is assayed and adjusted to the declared target colour specification, such as shade and colour strength. The balance of the flavonoid and carotenoid colour of coreopsis with the berberine of barberry sets whether the tone leans yellow-orange, orange or red-orange (per the article), so the blend ratio is held consistent between batches.

Drying & Quality Control

The standardised extract is supplied as a liquid concentrate or spray- or vacuum-dried to a powder, per specification, then released after assay, residual-solvent (where a solvent is used), heavy-metal, microbial and moisture testing.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw material cleaning, authentication and moisture testing
Size-reduction system
Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels (water, ethanol / aqueous ethanol; a food-grade oil vessel where the carotenoid fraction is taken)
Solvent storage tanks
Plate-and-frame filter press
Cartridge polish filtration
Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
Solvent recovery unit and condensers
Standardisation / blending vessel
pH adjustment and antioxidant dosing arrangement
Spray or vacuum dryer
CIP system
Automation and instrumentation

Plant Output

Natural colour extract (orange colour group), as a liquid concentrate or dried powder per specification

Applications

Natural orange colour and dye ingredient supply
Food and cosmetic colour applications (subject to approval of the specific colour in each market)
Textile colouring, where berberine’s affinity for silk and wool and the choice of mordant tune the shade (per the article)
Standardised natural colourant grades, from craft dyeing upward (per the article)

Key Features

SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Two Pigment Chemistries, One Orange
Coreopsis flavonoid and carotenoid colour and barberry berberine are recovered and blended to the target shade, as the article describes.
Water, Alcohol or Oil Routes
The line is configured for the route the target product needs: aqueous for a mild orange, ethanol for a stronger concentrated colour, oil for the carotenoid fraction.
Acidic Stabilisation
Clarified extract is held at acidic pH with an antioxidant, as the article describes, and concentrated gently under vacuum.
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 Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry?

Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed and commissioned as a single integrated system. Final process parameters are established during process development and pilot validation.

What specification can the Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry plant achieve?

The plant is configured to the client’s target specification for Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry; the specification achieved is established during process development and pilot validation, and batch-release testing with certificate-of-analysis documentation is defined with the client.

What production capacities are available for the Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry plant?

Capacity for the Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry plant is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline, starting at pilot scale; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.

Which industries use the Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry plant?

The end-use areas listed for Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry are given under Applications. The end use, the colour shade and the target specification are confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.

Which plants and plant parts does this page cover?

The catalogue name joins two plants, giant coreopsis and barberry. Mechotech’s article takes the flowers and petals of Coreopsis gigantea and the roots, inner bark and, to a lesser extent, berries of Berberis species. The catalogue does not state the barberry species or the proportion of each plant, so these are confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.

What gives the orange colour?

According to the article, coreopsis flowers carry carotenoid and flavonoid pigments, including chalcones and aurones, that give warm yellow to deep orange, while barberry carries berberine, a yellow-orange alkaloid that is intensely coloured, water- and alcohol-soluble and cationic. Read more in Orange Colour Extraction from Giant Coreopsis and Barberry Plant.

Why are coreopsis and barberry used together?

The article says they colour by different chemistry and complement each other: coreopsis gives depth that shifts with mordant toward brick and red-orange, and berberine is intensely bright and dyes silk and wool with little or no mordant. Blending lets the producer build an orange with both depth and vividness, and the ratio and mordant tune the hue from yellow-orange to red-orange.

Which extraction route suits which product?

The article’s guidance is water extraction for a mild, food-compatible orange, alcohol extraction for a stronger, more stable and concentrated colourant, and oil extraction when the oil-soluble carotenoid fraction is wanted for oil-based food or cosmetic products; many producers combine routes. Which applies to a project is decided during process development.

How is the orange kept stable?

The article describes filtering or centrifuging the liquor, holding it at acidic pH around 4 to 5, adding an antioxidant such as ascorbic acid, and concentrating gently under vacuum. On textiles, alum is described as giving a bright orange and iron a deeper brick tone. Stabilisation and any additives for a given product are confirmed during process development.

How does this page differ from the Berberis and Dharu Haldi pages?

Berberis Aristata Extract and Dharu Haldi are separate herbal-extraction pages standardised on berberine in the catalogue. This page is the natural colour route, where giant coreopsis and barberry are processed for orange colour; the product, the target and the specification differ.

Where does this page sit in the orange colour range?

Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry is part of the Orange Colour group (hub page: Orange Colour). The product tree lists these neighbouring pages in the group: Skins - Brown Onion; Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root; Leaves - Eucalyptus. The overall catalogue hub is Natural Colour Extraction Plants.

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Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry