Cochineal

Chemical properties

Cochineal is a red coloring material from the dried bodies of the female insect Coccus cacti and harvested from cultivated cacti. The raw material is obtained primarily from the Canary Islands and parts of South America. Boiling cochineal with mineral acid produces carmine red (ClH12O7). Precipitating a mixture of cochineal and alum produces a bright red pigment. Cochineal is used as a color additive in food, drugs and cosmetics. It is also used as a microscopic stain and biological marker.

The Uses of Cochineal

Cochineal is a red colorant extracted from the dried bodies of the female insect coccus cacti. The coloring is carminic acid in which the water-soluble extract is . It precipitates at ph 3, has good stability at ph 4, and excellent stability at ph 5–8. It has low tinctorial strength and has excellent stability to heat and light. It is also stable in retorted protein systems where other food dyes are unstable. It is used in foods requiring red coloring.

Definition

A red coloring matter consisting of the dried bodies of the female insects Coccus cacti. The coloring principle is carminic acid.

Essential oil composition

The principal pigment in cochineal is a protein-bound glycoside of the anthraquinone, carminic acid.