Cochineal insects that come from the beetle family are exposed to heat or boiled in water, dried and ground up to make Carmine, a red colouring. This red dye may be found in cakes, maraschino cherries, yogurt, tomato products, jams and juices. Read labels and make sure they don't list one of the following - cochineal extract, carmine, natural red 4, C. Yep, that's right, a bug. The female cochineal bug to be precise.
Despite the possible "eww" factor, this tasteless, FDA approved extract is full of intrigue and cultural history. The cochineal dactylopius coccus , is a slate bug that feeds on the prickly pear grown throughout Mexico, South America, the southwestern United States and the Canary islands off the coast of Spain.
The male cochineal plays its own unique role in nature, but it's the wingless, legless female that interests dye makers. If you go looking for her, you won't find her vibrant red bounty on display; the female cochineal's grey exterior is covered in a white powder that protects her from predators as well as the scorching desert sun.
And since the juice from the cacti is her only source of nutrition, she burrows in and is understandably a bit stubborn to release her foothold. In order to harvest the cochineal, the prickly pear pads are cut and brought to factories so the bugs can be pulled off and processed.
But it takes some serious people power; approximately 70, cochineals are needed just to create one pound 0. Once the harvested bugs are dried in the sun, smashed and mixed with an acidic alcohol solution or even borax, they give way to a vibrant, long-lasting dye. Dyes have been used to color anything from textiles to pottery since the Neolithic Period or New Stone Age, with the majority sourced from vegetables, plants and trees.
But bugs have their place too — and not only the cochineal. Another elusive dye associated with wealth and royal status, tyrian purple , was made from the glands of snails. The cochineal bug is native to Mesoamerica, leading the Aztecs to be the first to discover and use carmine to fill their lives with stunning shades of crimson. When the Spanish arrived to colonize the Americas, they uncovered the power of carmine's cacti-loving source and built enormous wealth by monopolizing the cochineal market , "It [Spain] kept its sources secret, and it had a law making export of the dye punishable by death," shares Greenfield.
Coveted by the wealthy, the royal families as well as artists across Europe, the dye understandably created fertile ground for lust and contention. While those cumbersome and secretive production methods certainly made carmine elusive, the color itself may hold equal importance for its value. About 70, insects are needed to produce a pound of dye.
Until , cochineal was one of many dyes that fell under the umbrella term "natural color" on ingredients lists. But because cochineal provokes severe allergic reactions in some people, the Food and Drug Administration requires carmine and cochineal extract to be explicitly identified in ingredients lists.
Aside from its role as an allergen, cochineal has no known health risks, although those who keep kosher or choose not to eat animal products will want to keep their distance. I ended up in the ER on a business trip because I accidentally ate some yogurt that contained it. People can be allergic to artificial AND natural golors, so Trader Joe products are not safe because the are all natural.
Remember, bee venom, tobacco, and botulism are all natural. I live in Bloemfontein,South Africa. Many years ago we could buy Cochineal extract almost anywhere. I would like to know if this is still available and wherefrom.? I got a very bad allergic reaction that lasted for months with several visits to ER which started right after eating raspberries from a farm. We never found out what it was, but it took months to clear it up. Now I wonder if that was related to this? Do raspberries have Cochineal?
Cristina, Raspberries do not contain cochineal. Raspberries are raspberries-a fruit that grows on bushes. You probably are allergic to raspberries or an insecticide used on the raspberries. I get all these insects on my bodyhday make my nose run and get these bad headache.
There like little black dots. When I smash them they turned blue. My veins in my arms are dark green and real thick. Can you help me please. Also I work with all kinds of seafood. Thank you for sharing, this was very informative. Although the thought of eating bugs is weird I am happy for natural options.
My reason in searching about carmine is the allergy. I have been having severe allergic reactions over the years and finally took in an ingredient list of a bite size cupcake ironically red velvet, a cheesecake factory product to an allergist. He immediately pointed out carmine in the ingredients and we chuckled about it being bugs.
After the scratch test of over 80 things and some bloodwork carmine is the only thing I am allergic to other than some environmental things like cats and pollens. My reactions were so random and severe I thought for sure I was going to be allergic to things.
Carmine can surely connect the dots for my experiences however the bloodwork showed only a low-ish level reaction to it. You also mentioned nail polish and makeup, can topically cause anaphylactic shock of the eyes? Hi MaggyMoo. Thanks so much for your question. I am so sorry to hear that you are allergic to cochineal. As I said in the article, it is indeed a known but fortunately rare allergy. I would think that if you are allergic to something, you would have a bigger more intense reaction the more of it you consumed certainly that is the case for me and certain pollens, or poison ivy!
I am sorry but I do not know the answer to your question about whether topically applied products containing cochineal would cause anaphylactic shock of the eyes.
This is a question for your doctor. Makes you want to stop eating anything. Or drinking it seems are world is full of things we can never see understand or want. Now I want to become vegan, animal rights activist or insect rights activist. Your article really hit home, being so sensitive to everything and three of my children too.
Now I am looking at more labels and taking my phone with me when I shop to define the ingredients of products. I always knew about the worm in the bottom of the tequila bottle but never knew about other insects in products. Thanks for enlightening me and my family.
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