Cochineal (colorant)

A red natural organic dye prepared from the bodies of the female scale insect, Dactylopius coccus, native to Mexico, the Canary Islands, and Central and South America. Cochineal dye was used by the Aztec and Maya peoples of Central and North America, adopted by the Spanish by 1518. Cochineal was imported to Europe as early as 1540 where it quickly replaced kermes as the primary red dyestuff, until it was replaced by aniline dyes about 1870. To extract the dye, mature females are brushed from the cacti and dried; the pigments are extracted from the dried bodies using water or alcohol. The substance contains about 10% carminic acid, 2% coccerin wax, and 10% fat: the crimson color of cochineal dye is attributed to cochinealin or carminic acid. Cochineal produces a transparent lake pigment that has poor lightfastness and fades in strong sunlight. Cochineal is also used in medicine as an antispasmodic.