Ground up beetles found in yogurt -- carmine serves as insect-based food

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Ground up beetles found in yogurt -- carmine serves as insect-based

food coloring

JoAnn Guest

Jan 21, 2007 12:37 PST

 

 

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- Mike Adams, editor, NewsTarget.com

 

 

This is not a joke: there are ground up red beetles being used right

now as a food coloring ingredient in yogurt, ice cream, juice drinks

and many other grocery products. The ingredient is called " carmine. "

Carmine is literally made from dried, ground-up red beetles, and its

coloring (bright red) is used in yogurt, juice drinks, candies, and

a long list of other products, including many " natural " products.

 

It's not that these red beetles are dangerous. Except for a few

individuals who suffer severe allergic reactions to the beetles,

most people do just fine eating carmine. Beetles are probably good

for you, just like ants. High in protein, low in fat... you get the

picture.

 

But there's a grossness factor that probably explains why products

using this ingredient list " carmine " instead of " powdered red

beetles " on the label.

 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has even

petitioned the FDA to ban carmine(1), or, at the very least, require

its clear labeling. The CSPI cites a study conducted by the doctors

at the University of Michigan (headed by Dr. Baldwin, University of

Michigan Medical Center) that demonstrated carmine can cause a

severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis -- a condition that

can put a person into shock and require hospitalization. But these

reactions are extremely rare.

 

 

WHY DO MANUFACTURERS USE CARMINE?

 

People tend to buy foods that look good. The redder the juice drink,

for example, the more " alive " it looks. That's why we pick bright-

red apples and bright-orange oranges in the grocery store. The

vibrant colors tell us, " This is ripe and healthy! "

 

It's no surprise, then, that consumers purchase food products with

vibrant colors. Carmine adds this vibrancy and color to foods,

making them more appealing to consumers. In other words, if it looks

good, we are more apt to buy it.

 

There are also technical reasons why carmine is a useful food

coloring. If you're curious about what the food manufacturers say

about carmine, read:

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/1998/0398AP.html

 

 

HOW IS CARMINE MADE / WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

 

Most carmine used in the United States is imported from Peru and the

Canary Islands. They are harvested as follows (Quoted from:

www2.labs.agilent.com/botany/cacti_etc/html/news7.html):

" The insects are carefully brushed from the cacti... and placed into

bags. The bags are taken to the production plant and there, the

insects

are then killed by immersion in hot water or by exposure to

sunlight,

steam or the heat of an oven. It is to be noted that the variance in

appearance of commercial cochineal is caused by the different

methods

used during this process. It takes about 70,000 insects to make one

pound (454 gm) of cochineal. The body of one coccineal is said to

contain between 18-20% of carminic acid.

 

The part of the insect that contains the most carmine is the abdomen

that houses the fertilized eggs of the coccineal. Once dried, a

process

begins whereby the abdomens and fertilized eggs are separated from

the

rest of the anatomical parts. These are then ground into a powder

and

cooked at temperatures in excess of 212? F (100? C) to extract the

maximum amount of color. This cooked solution is filtered and

through

special processes that cause all carmine particles to precipitate to

the

bottom of the cooking container. The liquid is removed and the

bottom of

the container is left with pure carmine. "

 

Yum. Not exactly what you had in mind when you were eating yogurt,

was

it? The most appetizing part of this description has to be, " ...the

abdomens and fertilized eggs are separated from the rest of the

anatomical parts... "

 

 

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF CARMINE?

 

The surprising answer is that, based on the health-enhancing

properties

of other pigmentation chemicals from the animal world (such as

astaxanthin found in crustaceans and salmon -- it's 500 times

stronger

than vitamin E as an antioxidant), carmine may very well be good for

you. It's certainly better for you than any synthetic color, such as

FD & C No. 40, which is derived from coal tar.

Would you rather be eating a pigment created by insects, or one

derived

through the refining of fossil fuels? Personally, I'd rather eat the

insect pigment.

 

And although there are no studies that demonstrate health benefits

of

carmine, I wouldn't be surprised to hear of some in the coming

years.

 

 

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES TO CARMINE?

 

Yes. One company, Canandaigua Wine, introduced a substitute product

derived from grape skins. According to the Canandaigua website, this

new

product has no allergic reactions, has better pH resistance (that's

really important to food manufacturers), and has a lower " gross "

factor.

Nobody gets the shivers reading, " colored with grape skin extract "

on

the label.

There's also another bonus: the color stands up under fluorescent

lighting. Carmine (and most other food colorings) tend to fade under

fluorescent lights, reducing their shelf life.

 

Plus, we all know just how powerful grape skins are at lowering LDL

cholesterol and promoting cardiovascular health. A food coloring

ingredient made from grape skins would, if widely consumed, help

protect

the health of the public. It would probably give you all the health

benefits of drinking wine, but without the alcohol.

 

You can learn more at

http://www.cwine.com/ournews/MegaNatural.htm

 

 

WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE WITH CARMINE?

 

Like most consumers, you've probably been eating ground-up red

beetles

for years. You just didn't know it. Although you probably suffered

no

health effects from eating carmine, my personal belief is that the

name

" carmine " on the label is misleading. People have the right to know

what

they're eating, even if it doesn't pose an immediate health risk.

This is especially true when ingredients are derived from living

creatures. Whether it's beetles, cows or kangaroos, I want to know

what

I'm eating, don't you? After all, what good are the FDA's food

labeling

requirement if ingredients are cloaked in a secret food-industry

code

that nobody else really understands? It's just like calling

MSG " yeast

extract, " which is a labeling deception widely used by makers of

" natural " or vegetarian foods.

 

As with most food-labeling issues, awareness is the ultimate answer.

If

enough people become aware of the carmine issue, and sufficient

pressure

is put on the food manufacturers and the FDA, something will

probably

change.

 

At the same time, I would much rather eat carmine than artificial

food

colorings. With the beetles, at least the color comes from nature,

not a

chemical plant. In fact, South American cultures (the Aztecs and

Incas,

namely) have used carmine as coloring for thousands of years

(although

it's not clear whether they used it in foods). Technically speaking,

you

could almost call carmine a " natural " product.

 

Keep your eyes open for yogurt with a label that reads, " colored

with all-natural, organic ground-up red beetles from Peru! "

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets