The origin of cochineal
Cochineal is a natural pigment extracted from the dried bodies of female cochineal insects. Its main component is carminic acid. Cochineal is a type of resource insect parasitic on cactus plants. It belongs to the order Homoptera, the superfamily Memely, the family Magnaidae, and the genus Magenta. There are 9 species in the genus Magenta, which are raised abroad for the production of cochineal pigments. Mainly Dactylopius coccus Costa.
Cochineal and carmine
Carmine and cochineal are common food colorants. What's the difference with only one word? Although there is only one word difference between cochineal and cochineal, their properties are essentially different. The former is a natural pigment and the latter is a synthetic pigment.
Carmine is the most widely used monoazo synthetic pigment in the world. The solubility of carmine in water is 0.23g/mL. The 0.1% carmine aqueous solution is bright red and has good light resistance and heat resistance. Carmine has poor resistance to reduction, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, is stable with citric acid and tartaric acid, and turns brown with alkali.
Cochineal is a natural red pigment extracted from female cochineal beetles. The main component of cochineal red is cochineal acid. Cochineal is a natural pigment with the best light and thermal stability. It is slightly soluble in hot water. It is orange-red in acidic state, deep red in neutral state, and purple in alkaline state.
Judging from the properties of the two, they have significant differences in raw material sources, stability, coloring capabilities, etc., but people will be more inclined to safe and healthy natural foods.
In fact, cochineal is a food additive that meets the standards for use in most countries and meets people's needs for food health. Except for a very small number of people who are allergic to cochineal, most people can use it with peace of mind. However, due to low output and high demand, the price of cochineal has always been relatively high, making it a rare natural pigment in the natural pigment market.
As a food additive, cochineal is mostly used in the coloring of jams, candies, pastries, drinks, baked goods, puffed foods, cooked meat products, etc. As a kind of natural pigment, it meets people's needs for health and can also enhance the appearance of food.
The Application of Carmine Red
Carmine red can be used as food, medicine and cosmetic coloring, especially mouthwash, tooth powder, powder, ointment, used for solid powder dosage form coloring, it is advisable to dissolve in a small amount of concentrated ammonia solution, and then added to the powder, after a long time of grinding, in order to obtain the best colour of uniform distribution of the best colour of the mordant dyeing with aluminium or tin salts, can be dyed with silk and wool into a bright red. It can be used as pigment for food, cosmetics, etc. and as indicator for titration of ammonia solution, and as reagent for microanalysis and fluorescence analysis.
Cosmetics
1. It can be used in lipstick, foundation, eye shadow, eyeliner, nail polish and baby products.
2. Pharmaceuticals, cochineal red in the pharmaceutical industry, used as tablets and micro-pills coating materials and colouring agents for capsule shells.
Foodstuffs
3. Carmine red can also be used in food such as candy, drinks, meat products colouring.
4. Carmine red pigment in addition to the colouring function, some studies have shown that it has a significant role in preventing DNA damage caused by carcinogens, and can be used for viral diseases (such as herpetic stomatitis, herpetic stomatitis, etc.), cancer and AIDS prevention and treatment.
Carmine red and yellow, orange, red pigments, such as curcumin, cochineal orange, paprika, β-carotene mixed with a series of different shades of products.
Carmine Red Market Prospects
Because cochineal red has strong colour and high colour fastness, it is also one of the most valuable natural red dyes in the world. This rare and expensive natural dye was widely used in textiles before the 19th century. Currently, cochineal red is still used as an important red dye in textiles, but also in food, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
The continuous growth of the global food and beverage industry is one of the key factors for the growth of the cochineal red market. Carmine red is widely used in the food sector for bakery and confectionery products, soft drinks, strawberries, and jams. In addition, growing demand for colourants in the meat industry and growing demand for cosmetics and personal care products are driving the growth of this market.
Market data published by Research And Markets shows that the global cochineal red market size reached US$ 47.2 Mn in 2021 and is expected to reach US$ 68.5 Mn in 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2022-2027. Carmine red's excellent PH stability and high temperature resistance properties, as well as the natural origin of the special bugs, endowed this raw material with unique and mysterious attributes, and has become one of the hallmarks of the product's premiumisation.
Compared with synthetic colours, natural colours often have fewer toxic side effects and are increasingly widely used. As a natural pigment, cochineal red has great commercial value as demand for it is growing across the consumer market.
However, due to the demand for halal certification and the trend towards plant-based or vegan products in recent years, the use of carmine red has been limited as many people find it disgusting and unsafe as a source of bugs.
There exists an objective reason that cochineal red pigment has worm protein residues during the production process if the removal is incomplete, which may become human allergens and cause allergies in humans, leading to allergic asthma, etc., which is one of the main focuses of the cochineal red research and application.
There is also an important point, due to the high price of cochineal red, most manufacturers in China can hardly afford, so some dealers also make powdered cochineal red pigment into water. Or choose more of our characteristics of natural red pigment products, such as chilli red, beetroot red, red, etc. instead of cochineal red or other synthetic red pigment.
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