Description : The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. This insect lives on cacti in the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. These insects are found on the pads of prickly pear cacti, then are brushed off and dried.

The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid, typically 17-24% of dried insects’ weight, can be extracted from the body and eggs, then mixed with aluminium or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal. 

Carmine is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium salt of carminic acid; it is also a general term for a particularly deep-red color of the same name. The pigment is produced from some scale insects such as the cochineal scale and certain Porphyrophora species (Armenian cochineal and Polish cochineal).

		Ingredients : Carminic acid, Potassium Hydrochloride, Water. Stability : Heat : Vere Good PH (Colour Range) : Pink-Pinkish Red Light : Vere Good.
Product Code :PEACWS – 116	Concentration :1.5% (Liq.) Carminic acid		Applications : Desserts, Confectionhery, Yoghurt, Liquor, Milk Products, Jellies etc.