COCHINEAL BEETLES


Cochineal Beetles (Dactylopius Coccus) are the important insect which have many importance and present in different areas


of the world. The cactus plants are the food of these insects. These insects are oval shaped, flat, soft bodied insects. They


present in Mexico and South America. These Insects are feeding on the plant, moisture and nutrients and living on cacti.


Female cochineal beetles eat the red cactus berries, so when the beetles are creased, a very deep red color is formed. Due to


its nontoxic properties, Cochineal colour has been used for many years, therefore, its use is very common in yogurt, candy,


ice cream, eye shadow, lipstick. In fact, Starbucks just known to using dyeing color in some of their beverages, producing a


large problem for their many vegan supporters. Various customers may not know the red coloring of their fabric like


pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, andamp; food could be removed from the creased bodies of cochineal.


In Cochineal insects carminic acid substances is


present in high concentration which obtained from


insects eggs and body and is mixed with calcium and


Aluminum salts to make a carmine color. It is also


identified as cochineal. in our food products and


cosmetics mainly used carminic acid like natural red


4,75470, cochineal extract, carmine ,crimson lake


used to color our products. In recent update for those


of us observing to avoid the products of animal


manipulation, as it has been known to cause severe


asthmatic attacks, anaphylactic shock and allergic


reactions in some people the component must be


comprised on packaging labels when used as a food


additive. Carmine is present in two forms insoluble


form use in jams, meat, marinades, icings, dairy


products, sausages, juice beverages, and processed


poultry. And the water soluble form of carmine is


used in alcoholic drinks. It is also used in cosmetic and


drug industry practices cochineal to color face


powdered, lipsticks, blushes, hair and skin-care


product and in drugs used in tablets and creams and


gels.


PROCESS:


In our microbiology labs a dark red colour are frequently prepared form carmine extract. The dark crimson colour is made by


collecting by females and their babies. The cochineal bugs are farmed for three months when they are ninety days old then


collected these insects. This practice is very beneficial for commercial production.


After collecting the insects are carefully scrubbed from the cacti, and kept into bags. For further process collected insects


taken to the production place and insects are killed by different ways i.e., by using heat of oven, dipping in hot water and


direct exposure to sunlight it is to be famous that the alteration in appearance of commercial cochineal is caused by the


different ways used during this procedure. For making one pound (454 gm) of cochineal about 70,000 insects are used. It is


thought that abdomen of one cochineal contain about 18-20% of carminic acid. The stomach is the part of insect that houses


the fertilized eggs of the cochineal contains the maximum carmine. A process initiates after drying whereby the abdomens


and fertilized eggs are detached from the other parts of the body. These are then ground into a powder and cooked to


extract the maximum quantity of dye. This solution put through special practices after cleaning. This causes all carmine


particles to settle down to the bottom of the cooking container. The


lowest part of the container is left with pure carmine when liquid is


removed. In manufacture many other ingredients can be used


which include stannous, gelatin, borax chloride, citric acid, etc.


That natural red dyeing in your food and


makeup might come from a place that may


make you cringe. The ground-up bodies of


thousands of tiny insects; thousands of


miles from your local grocery store,


farmers in south and Central America


make a living harvesting and smashing the


bugs that go into the dye. Theyand#39;re called


cochineal insects, and their crushed bodies


produce a deep red ink that is used as a


natural food coloring. The squeamish


customers out there (and those that are


vegan) werenand#39;t too happy when they


found out that the dye was used in the


Starbucksand#39; Strawberry Frappuccino. The


outcry ended in Starbucks halting its use of


the product. But the dye is still used in


thousands of other food products from


Nerds candies to grapefruit juice including


that lovely red lipstick. You will never see


the word andquot;insectsandquot; listed on a product


label, though. In 2009, the Food and Drug


Administration announced a new act that


simply required food producers to list the


ingredient as andquot;carmine,andquot; a catch-all term


for an especially deep-red colour of the


same name.


USES:


Carmine can b use in products by different


ways


 Cosmetic Manufacturing: Dispersions close to Lipsticks, eye shadows, eye area.


 Alcoholic Drinks: Foodstuffs with low pH requiring orange andamp;


red colors.


 Beverage Production: fruit, energy drinks, soft drinks.


 Dairy Industry: Yogurts and dairy based beverages, ice cream.


 Food Industry: meat, frozen fish, etc.

By Web Team

Technology Times Web team handles all matters relevant to website posting and management.