Take a look at a French Mimolette, aged Gouda, or Wisconsin Cheddar, and that rich golden-orange color is hard to miss. In many cases, the color comes from annatto, a natural colorant made from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), a plant native to the tropical Americas.
For centuries, Indigenous peoples in the Americas used achiote to color foods and cacao drinks. Today, cheesemakers use its pigment to give certain cheeses their signature hue.
Annatto contains two main carotenoid pigments: bixin, which is fat-soluble, and norbixin, which is water-soluble. Cheesemakers add it to milk before coagulation, allowing the pigment to spread through the developing curd.
The result is the familiar orange-gold color.
Milk naturally changes color throughout the year. Cows grazing on fresh, beta-carotene-rich grass produce milk with a deeper yellow hue, while winter milk tends to be paler. Annatto helps cheesemakers even out those seasonal differences, giving each batch a more consistent appearance.
Flavor:
Generally, no—annatto adds little noticeable flavor, but its color can shape expectations, leading consumers to associate deeper orange cheese with a sharper, more intense taste.
Texture:
Some cheesemakers report that annatto can affect texture. According to Culture Cheese Magazine, Appleby’s Dairy in England found that annatto-colored Cheshire had a drier, more pronounced crumble than the uncolored version. Annatto may influence curd drainage and moisture, which can also affect mold growth and shelf life in blue cheeses.
So, while annatto is primarily used for color, it may also subtly influence a cheese’s texture and development.