How Is the Food Coloring Carmine Made?
What Is Carmine and Where Does it Come From Carmine is a red coloring that is used in a variety of food products. Carmine is added to everything from fruit juices, to gelatins and candies, to heighten the red coloring and make it more appealing to consumers. The brighter the color, as manufacturers insist, the more likely that consumers will buy the product. Therefore, manufacturers add carmine food coloring to products as a marketing tool. The carmine has no additional flavor and adds no nutritional value to food products. What most consumers do not know is that carmine is actually coloring that comes from beetles. The beetles are harvested specifically to extract the carminic acid that creates the familiar red food coloring. Carmine is not harmful to consumers. Specifically, manufacturers harvest the females of the beetle, dactylopius coccus, which subsists on a cactus called opuntia. The harvesting occurs after the females have fertilized their eggs. The majority of carmine is harve
