E120 - Cochineal, Carminic Acid, Carmines

Author: Ivan Red Jr. Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: January 27, 2026

E120 - Cochineal, Carminic Acid, Carmines

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

Cochineal or E 120 (carminic acid, carmine) is a natural red dye. It is obtained from insects Dactylopius coccus, which live in different species of fleshy plants. The daily allowable count

Cochineal or E 120 (carminic acid, carmine) is a natural red dye. It is obtained from insects Dactylopius coccus, which live in different species of fleshy plants. The daily allowable amount is 5 mg per 1 kg of body weight.

Carmine can cause allergic contact reactions (in cosmetics). No side effects were observed at concentrations used in foodstuffs.

Use of carmine

The substance is used for coloring jams, jams, beverages; also in cosmetics and in the production of paints for painting.

Carmine is derived from insects (beetles) that parasitize some plants.

Carminic acid is a pigment derived from the body of female insects Coccus cacti or Dactylopius coccus or from their eggs. To prepare a kilogram of the substance requires a huge amount of insects, which are collected before laying their eggs. During this period, they acquire a red color. The outer part of the insects is dried, treated with a solvent, and the remaining parts are filtered.

Cochineal is more expensive than other dyes because its extraction is a labor-intensive process. It has a deep purple-red color.

The color of carminic acid depends on the acidic environment. At pH = 3 (acidic environment) the color is orange, red at neutral pH = 5.5 and purple at pH = 7.

This acid combines with cations of metals, such as aluminum, resulting in diamond-red pigments.

Names used to name the food additive:

E-120
Cochine
carminic acid
carmine
Cochineal
Carminic Acid, Carmines

E120 - Cochineal, Carminic Acid, Carmines

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

Use of carmine

Names used to name the food additive:

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