Cochineal / Carmine

Cochineal extract* is a bright red colorant used for hundreds of years.  It’s extracted from a female insect named Dactylopus Coccus Costa found in South America.

Cochineal is the primary extract which is a purple-red liquid. It is available in liquid, crystal, or powdered form. It can be orange-yellow at a pH from 4 to 6.5, and purple-red above pH 6.5

Carmine is made by precipitating Carminic Acid onto an alumina hydrate substrate, using aluminum or calcium cations. Carmine is insoluble in water and oil. It is stable if pH is held above 6.

Applications include

• Cosmetics
• Pharmaceutical products including coatings
• Bakery products, dairy products, syrups, meat products, etc

*Cannot be Kosher Certified