Natural Colour Extraction Plants

Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for turmeric and bloodroot orange colour. In the Mechotech catalogue, Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root is listed in the Orange Colour group alongside Skins - Brown Onion, Plant - Gaint Coreopsis / BarBerry and Leaves - Eucalyptus. According to Mechotech’s article on orange colour extraction from turmeric and bloodroot, the entry combines two strongly coloured sources: turmeric (Curcuma longa), whose curcuminoids, chiefly curcumin, give a golden-yellow to orange colour, and bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), whose rhizome sap carries the red-orange alkaloid sanguinarine and related benzophenanthridine alkaloids. The article says the two let a producer build an orange by combining curcumin’s golden-orange with the redder alkaloid tone, steered by the ratio, the pH and the extraction solvent. The catalogue entry does not say whether the two are processed together or separately, so that is confirmed with the client.

Mechotech’s Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root 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 preparation by washing, moderate drying and fine grinding, then three extraction routes of increasing purity: water simmering (simple but lower yield, because curcumin is poorly water-soluble), ethanol or acetone solvent extraction with concentration to oleoresin and higher-curcumin colour (the standard industrial method), and supercritical CO2 extraction. The route, the stabilisation steps and the turmeric-to-bloodroot arrangement for a given project are established during process development and pilot validation.

Technical Specifications

Product	Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root Natural Colour Extraction Plant
Raw Material	Turmeric and bloodroot (catalogue name: Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root)
Botanical Name	Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot), per Mechotech’s article; the product tree names no species
Plant Part / Feed Form	Turmeric rhizome (washed, dried at a controlled 50 to 60 degrees Celsius and ground fine, per the article) and bloodroot rhizome (red-orange sap); the catalogue says ‘Roots’, so the exact feed forms are confirmed with the client
Colour Group	Orange Colour (see the Orange Colour page)
Colour-forming Components	Curcuminoids, chiefly curcumin, for golden-yellow to orange (E100 as a food additive), and sanguinarine with related benzophenanthridine alkaloids for red-orange; both are more soluble in solvents than in water (per the article)
Process Category	Natural Colour Extraction Plants
Extract Type	Natural colour extract (liquid concentrate or dried powder, per specification)
Extraction Method	Water simmering, ethanol or acetone solvent extraction with concentration to oleoresin, or supercritical CO2 extraction (the three routes in the article), in closed jacketed SS 316L vessels; 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

Turmeric rhizomes are washed to remove soil and debris and dried at a controlled 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, because excessive heat degrades curcumin, then crushed and milled to a fine powder so the solvent can reach the pigment; the article notes mature rhizomes harvested eight to ten months after planting give the strongest colour. Bloodroot rhizomes are handled similarly, with care for their potent alkaloids.

Extraction

The prepared material is extracted by the route chosen for the grade: water simmering for basic food and textile use, ethanol or acetone solvent extraction for higher yield, or supercritical CO2 for very high-purity colour with essentially no residual solvent, as the article describes. The route, solvent and temperature are set during process development.

Filtration

The extract is separated from the spent material and clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press and cartridge polish filters.

Concentration & Solvent Recovery

A solvent extract is concentrated by evaporating the solvent to give turmeric oleoresin and, after further purification, higher-curcumin colour, in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator with solvent recovered through the condenser return system.

Standardisation & Stabilisation

The colour is adjusted to the target shade and strength. The article says acidic to neutral pH holds the yellow-orange while alkali turns it red-brown, and that light and heat exposure are minimised because curcumin is light-sensitive; the turmeric-to-bloodroot ratio steers the hue.

Finishing & Quality Control

For food and other demanding uses the article notes the pigment is often microencapsulated with carriers such as maltodextrin or starch to protect the light-sensitive curcumin and improve dispersibility and shelf life. The finished colour is released after assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial and moisture testing.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw material cleaning, authentication and moisture testing
Drying unit (moderate temperature)
Mill (fine size reduction)
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 with pH control
Microencapsulation or spray dryer (optional, per grade)
CIP system
Automation and instrumentation

Plant Output

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

Applications

Natural orange colour for food, textile and cosmetic markets (per the article)
Turmeric oleoresin and purified curcumin colour (per the article)
Bloodroot red-orange for specialist dyeing (per the article)
Natural colour and dye ingredient supply

Key Features

SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Two Pigments, One Orange Range
The article combines curcumin’s golden-orange with bloodroot’s redder alkaloid tone, steered by ratio, pH and solvent, so the plant is configured around the shade the client targets.
Route Chosen by Purity
Water, solvent and supercritical CO2 routes of increasing purity are described in the article; the plant is configured to the one that fits the grade.
Light-, Heat- and pH-Aware Handling
The article describes curcumin as sensitive to light, heat and alkaline pH, so processing is held at moderate temperature and low light exposure.
Alkaloid-Aware Handling
The article notes bloodroot alkaloids are bioactive and handled with care; containment and operating procedure are defined with the client.
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 Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root?

Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root — 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 Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root plant achieve?

The plant is configured to the client’s target specification for Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root; 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 Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root plant?

Capacity for the Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root 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 Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root plant?

The end-use areas listed for Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root 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 are on this page, and which parts are used?

Mechotech’s article names turmeric (Curcuma longa) and bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis); the product tree lists the entry as Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root without a species. The article takes turmeric rhizomes and the red-orange sap of the bloodroot rhizome. Whether the two are processed together or as separate lines, and the exact feed forms, are confirmed with the client.

What compound makes turmeric orange?

According to the article, the curcuminoids, chiefly curcumin, a golden-yellow to orange pigment designated E100 as a food additive. It is poorly soluble in cold water, dissolves well in ethanol, acetone and oils, and turns red-brown under alkaline conditions, so pH is used to steer the shade. Read more in Orange Colour Extraction from Turmeric and Bloodroot.

What is bloodroot and what colour does it give?

The article describes bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) as a plant whose rhizome sap is rich in sanguinarine and related benzophenanthridine alkaloids, which give a strong orange to red-orange colour and were used historically as a dye and body paint. Because they are potent alkaloids they are handled with care, and combined with curcumin they add a redder tone.

Why use solvent or CO2 rather than water?

The article says curcumin is only weakly soluble in cold water, so water extraction gives a lower yield and a weaker colour, while ethanol and acetone dissolve curcuminoids efficiently and supercritical CO2 extracts the pigment cleanly with essentially no residual solvent. Water extraction remains the simple traditional route for basic food and textile use. The route for a project is chosen during process development.

How is turmeric orange colour kept stable?

The article describes processing and drying at moderate temperatures, holding the product at acidic to neutral pH to keep the yellow-orange hue (alkali turns it red-brown), minimising light exposure, and, for food and other demanding uses, microencapsulating the pigment with carriers such as maltodextrin or starch.

How does this page differ from the other turmeric and orange pages?

Roots - Turmeric is the Yellow Colour entry for the turmeric curcuminoid colour on its own, and Curcumin is the herbal spice-oleoresin extraction of curcuminoids. This page is the Orange Colour entry that adds bloodroot, so the pigment pair, the hue and the handling differ; confirm which is wanted.

Where does this page sit in the Orange Colour range?

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

Ready to discuss your project?

Get a free quote and technical consultation from our engineering team.

Get A Free Quote

Roots - Turmeric / Blood Root