Cochineal’s significance as a red dye has guided human history in the Americas and beyond. So first, what is cochineal? Cochineal is the name of the insect and the red dye that is made from it.

They determined that the fabric's red dye was made from the dried bodies of a species of parasitic scale insect, Kermes vermilio. The insect is known to burrow into oak trees and feast on their sap.

deep purple-red color, and that's the source of cochineal, cochineal dye, carmine, whatever you wanna call it. Narrator: For thousands of years, people have been using these bugs to dye everything ...

Joseph Borzelleca published a study on the food coloring Red No. 3. The FDA cited his work when banning the additive in ...

The compound that makes this red helps explain why the chain’s customers recoiled: It’s pulverized insects. For the National Geographic web series Ingredients, chemist George Zaidan studies ...

An curved arrow pointing right. Cochineals are tiny bugs that live on prickly pear cactuses. The acid in their guts makes a red dye used in textiles, cosmetics, and foods like M&Ms and Yoplait yogurt.

Some manufacturers have already reformulated products to remove Red 3. In its place they use beet juice; carmine, a dye made from insects; or pigments from foods such as purple sweet potato ...

You made your own colorful dye out of crushed bugs and water! The cochineal (koh-chin-eel ... The shell of the female cochineal contains a vibrant red chemical called carminic acid. Carminic acid's ...

comes from dried bugs. It has been used in food since the 16th century. It’s also found in cosmetics. Red 40, also known as Allura Red, is the most commonly used red dye in various products.