Method of preparing paprika red pigment with low polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

A method of preparing paprika red pigment consisting of:

• (1) drying, crushing and granulating mature peppers to obtain pepper particles;
• (2) extracting the pepper particles with a vegetable oil in a rotocel extractor to obtain a paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution;
• (3) extracting the paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution with an ethanol solution in a liquid-liquid extractor to remove spicy substances;
• (4) running the paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution through a chromatography column to remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons;
• and
• (5) concentrating the paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution to obtain the paprika red pigment,
• wherein in step (1), the mature peppers are dried, crushed, and granulated at 30° C.;
• wherein in step (2), the pepper particles are extracted with the vegetable oil at 40° C. and at a spraying volume of 1,000 L/h;
• wherein in step (3), the paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution is extracted continuously with the ethanol solution with a paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution flow rate of 1 m3/h and an ethanol solution flow rate of 2 m3/h, and the ethanol solution is a 70% (v/v) ethanol solution;
• wherein in step (4), the chromatography column includes a filler that includes 200 mesh activated carbon and 80 mesh activated white clay mixed at a weight ratio of 7:1, and a weight ratio of the filler and the pepper particles is 7:30;
• and
• wherein in step (5), the paprika red pigment vegetable oil solution is concentrated at 74° C. and a pressure of 0.09 mPa, the paprika red pigment has a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentration of 10.4 mg/Kg, and the paprika red pigment has a benzopyrene concentration of 1.9 mg/Kg.