Its scent is described as "slightly peppery with a hint of nutmeg" and flavor as "slightly sweet and peppery".
Annatto coloring is produced from the reddish pericarp or pulp which surrounds the seed of the achiote.
It is used in many natural cheeses, margarine, butter, rice, smoked fish and custard powder.
Annatto is commonly found in Latin America and Caribbean cuisines as both a coloring agent and for flavoring.
Central and South American natives use the seeds to make a body paint and lipstick. For this reason, the achiote is sometimes called the "lipstick-tree".
Achiote originated in South America and has spread in popularity to many parts of Asia.
It is also grown in other tropical or subtropical regions of the world, including Central America, Africa and Asia.
The heart-shaped fruit are brown or reddish brown at maturity, and are covered with short, stiff hairs. When fully mature, the fruit split open, exposing the numerous dark red seeds.
While the fruit itself is not edible, the orange-red pulp that covers the seed is used to produce a yellow to orange commercial food coloring.
Achiote dye is prepared by stirring the seeds in water or oil.
As a food additive, annatto has the E number E160b.
The fat soluble part of the crude extract is called bixin, the water soluble part is called norbixin, and both share the same E number as annatto. Annatto seed contains 4,5 to 5,5% pigments, which consists of 70% to 80% bixin.
In the United States, annatto extract is listed as a color additive “exempt from certification” and is informally considered to be a natural color.
The yellowish orange color is produced by the chemical compounds bixin and norbixin, which are classified as carotenoids.
The more norbixin in an annatto color, the more yellow it is; a higher level of bixin gives it a more reddish shade.
Unless an acid-proof version is used, it takes on a pink shade at low pH.
As a food color, annatto has less tendency to oxidize than beta carotene.
Solvent-extracted annatto pigment present in edible oils at even low practical use levels, markedly delays polymerization of the oils during heating, and thus delays the development of the unhealthy byproducts of polymerization.
Whether this effect is also present in oil-extracted annatto pigment, where annatto seeds are held in edible oil at high temperature under near vacuum or inert gas, a process that may itself induce polymerization, is not known.
Annatto has been linked to many cases of food-related allergies, and is the only natural food coloring believed to cause as many allergic-type reactions as artificial food coloring.
Because it is a natural colorant, companies using annatto may label their products "all natural" or "no artificial colors" on the principal display panel.
Annatto is not one of the "Big Eight" allergens (cow's milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat) which are responsible for 90% of allergic food reactions.
The Food and Drug Administration and experts at the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program at the University of Nebraska do not at present consider annatto to be a major food allergen.