I've come across a interesting way farmers use bugs in central America.
I had heard of this before, as I had a friend who swore she wouldn't ever drink anything strawberry flavoured as it has this 'bug dye' in it.
Well, turns out it is true. In many red-coloured foods (for example, a strawberry frappuchino from Starbucks), cochinal insects are what make it so pink.
The insects are found on cactus leaves, which are then picked and crushed, and their smashed bodies create a a dark red ink. Sounds a little bit gross, but it is in a lot more than people often suspect.
Red lipstick, juices, and candy sometimes contain this red dye. The dye is usually called "carmine" when labeled on a packet. Which, to be honest, sounds a lot better than crushed bug body!
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-farmers-make-red-dye-from-bugs-2014-10?op=1
The cactus leaves are put into a greenhouse which allows the bugs to then continue to grow and live on the leaves.
The bugs are scraped off the leaves
The bugs then die, and are left to dry out.
When crushed, they produce a red dye (pictured above).
So once the process is complete, the bugs can be made into powdered dyes which can be in a range of shades, from a very light and bright red to a deep maroon.
I had heard of this before, as I had a friend who swore she wouldn't ever drink anything strawberry flavoured as it has this 'bug dye' in it.
Well, turns out it is true. In many red-coloured foods (for example, a strawberry frappuchino from Starbucks), cochinal insects are what make it so pink.
The insects are found on cactus leaves, which are then picked and crushed, and their smashed bodies create a a dark red ink. Sounds a little bit gross, but it is in a lot more than people often suspect.
Red lipstick, juices, and candy sometimes contain this red dye. The dye is usually called "carmine" when labeled on a packet. Which, to be honest, sounds a lot better than crushed bug body!
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-farmers-make-red-dye-from-bugs-2014-10?op=1
The cactus leaves are put into a greenhouse which allows the bugs to then continue to grow and live on the leaves.
The bugs are scraped off the leaves
The bugs then die, and are left to dry out.
When crushed, they produce a red dye (pictured above).
So once the process is complete, the bugs can be made into powdered dyes which can be in a range of shades, from a very light and bright red to a deep maroon.
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