Effect of Solar and Artificial Radiation on Elaidinization and Degradation of Z‐Bixin Extracted from Bixa Orellana Seeds

Z‐bixin is the main metabolite contained in Achiote, which is widely used as a food condiment and pigment. Z‐bixin plays an important role in photosynthesis. It is used to develop artificial solar cells and scavenge radical oxygen and nitrogen species. In this work, the photochemistry of Z‐bixin with solar irradiation and lamps at 365 and 410 nm was determined in solution. The ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (UV‐Vis) and Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) analysis showed that elaidinization of Z‐bixin to E‐bixin can be reached under radiation. This is in accordance with the computational evaluation that indicates that the mechanism consists of three bond rotations with an energy requirement of 5.43 and 5.23 kcal/mol for the first and second steps and no energy barriers to the last step. After elaidinization, total degradation was observed through a cascade reaction that generated CO, CO2, H2CO, and HCl. Z‐bixin is the main component in Achiote, which is widely used as a food condiment and additive. Under artificial and sunlight, the Z‐bixin could isomerize to E‐bixin. After elaidinization, it could be degraded until CO, CO2, H2CO, and HCl through photoinduced electron transfer between bixin and chloroform to generate radical cations and chloroform‐derived radicals, followed by an oxidative breakdown