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Cochineal insect dried(raw material of cochineal carmine)
The Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is a in the suborder , from which the -coloured dye is derived. A primarily parasite native to tropical and subtropical and , this insect lives on from the genus , feeding on plant moisture and nutrients.
Host cacti
Dactylopius coccus is native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, where their host cacti grow natively. There are 200 species of Opuntia cacti, and while it is possible to cultivate cochineal on almost all of them, the best to use is .
Dye
Main article: CochinealA deep crimson dye is extracted from the female cochineal insects. Cochineal is used to produce , and other red tints. The colouring comes from . Cochineal extract's natural carminic-acid content is usually 19–22%. The insects are killed by immersion in hot water (after which they are dried) or by exposure to sunlight, steam, or the heat of an oven. Each method produces a different colour that results in the varied appearance of commercial cochineal. The insects must be dried to about 30 percent of their original body weight before they can be stored without decaying. It takes about 70,000 insects to make one pound of cochineal dye.There are two principal forms of cochineal dye: cochineal extract is a colouring made from the raw dried and pulverised bodies of insects, and carmine is a more purified colouring made from the cochineal. To prepare carmine, the powdered insect bodies are boiled in or a solution, the insoluble matter is removed by filtering, and is added to the clear salt solution of carminic acid to precipitate the red salt. Purity of colour is ensured by the absence of . Stannous chloride, , , or may be added to regulate the formation of the precipitate. For shades of , is added to the alum.
Specification
CI(mm) ≥3.8
Kcw(g) 8.72-15.198
CA(%) 14.31-25.23
CW(%) 2.53-6.36
Content of water (%)≤10
The products can be supplied from the stock.
Cochineal insect dried(raw material of cochineal carmine)