Methods of producing carote-noids and development of dye technology based on it

The aim of the study is to find effective methods for isolating carotenoids that would allow for the most complete extraction of pigment from plant materials, as well as to create a natural dye on its basis that would be able to color various groups of food products. The use of polar solvents and their mixtures con-tributed to a more effective extraction of carotenoid pigment from pumpkin pulp. The lowest extraction ca-pacity was demonstrated by 95 % ethanol, since it has less polarity. The content of carotenoids (in terms of β-carotene) in the solution when using it was 17.34 mg%. The use of ethyl acetate and acetone as extractants made it possible to increase the efficiency of pigment extraction by 3 and 8 times, respectively. The content of carotenoids in solutions reached 24.85 mg% when using ethyl acetate and 39.53 mg% when extracted with acetone. The optimal option among the solvent mixtures was a combination of ethyl acetate and 95 % ethanol in a ratio of 1:1, in which the content of carotenoid pigment reached 37.58 mg%. The use of ultrasound had little effect on the efficiency of carotenoid extraction. Using the most effective extractants and their mixtures, a technology for obtaining a carotenoid dye was developed. This technolo-gy includes the stages of extraction, concentration of extracts and their subsequent lyophilic drying. The resulting carotenoid dye is a bright yellow powder with a carotenoid pigment content of 50.56 mg%. The hydrophilic properties of the dye acquired during the production process make it possible to significantly expand the possibilities of using previously hydrophobic carotenoids for coloring various food products.