Vegetable dye was extracted from the seeds of sinduri {Bixa orellana (Linn.)} using
water (soaking method) and ethyl acetate (soxhlet and reflux methods) as solvents. Reflux method
gave the highest yield (10.1%) while soxhlet method yielded 7.10% of dye. In soaking method,
seeds were soaked in water for four different time periods. The highest yield (8.93%) was
obtained in 18 hours out of 6,12. 18 and 24 hours soaking periods. Considering the chemicals and
processing cost, water soaking method appeared the best although it gave slightly lesser amount of
dye compared to other methods. The performance of the extracted dye for its edibility was studied
in laboratory against rats. After feeding the dye, mixed with waler, the physiological changes of
rats were observed. The test showed no adverse effect, and it seemed that the dye is non-toxic to
animals. Thus, it can be suggested as a substitute to chemical dye as food colourants.