Red 4 (E120)
<p ><b>Carmine</b> (<img alt="play" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Loudspeaker.svg/11px-Loudspeaker.svg.png" width="11" height="11" /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English" >ˈkɑrmɪn</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English" >/</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English" >ˈkɑrmaɪn</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English" >/</a>), also called <b>Crimson Lake</b>, <b>Cochineal</b>, <b>Natural Red 4</b><sup id="cite_ref-Dapson2007_0-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine#cite_note-Dapson2007-0" >[1]</a></sup>, <b>C.I. 75470</b><sup id="cite_ref-Dapson2007_0-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine#cite_note-Dapson2007-0" >[1]</a></sup>, or <b>E120</b>, is a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigment" title="Pigment" >pigment</a> of a bright-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red" title="Red" >red</a> color obtained from the aluminum salt of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carminic_acid" title="Carminic acid" >carminic acid</a>, which is produced by some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect" title="Scale insect" >scale insects</a>, such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal" title="Cochineal" >cochineal</a> scale and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_cochineal" title="Polish cochineal" >Polish cochineal</a>, and is used as a general term for a particularly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine_(color)" title="Carmine (color)" >deep-red color of the same name</a>. Carmine is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson" title="Crimson" >crimson</a> ink, rouge, and other cosmetics, and is routinely added to food products such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt" title="Yogurt" >yogurt</a> and certain brands of juice, the most notable ones being those of the ruby-red variety.</p>
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To prepare carmine, the powdered scale insect bodies are boiled in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia" title="Ammonia" >ammonia</a> or a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate" title="Sodium carbonate" >sodium carbonate</a> solution, the insoluble matter is removed by filtering, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum" title="Alum" >alum</a> is added to the clear salt solution of carminic acid to precipitate the red <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium" title="Aluminium" >aluminium</a> salt, called "carmine lake" or "crimson lake." Purity of color is ensured by the absence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron" title="Iron" >iron</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stannous_chloride" title="Stannous chloride" class="mw-redirect" >Stannous chloride</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid" title="Citric acid" >citric acid</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax" title="Borax" >borax</a>, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin" title="Gelatin" >gelatin</a> may be added to regulate the formation of the precipitate. For shades of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple" title="Purple" >purple</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbonate" title="Calcium carbonate" >lime</a> is added to the alum; thus, the traditional crimson color is guaranteed not only by carminic acid but also by choice of its chelating metal salt ion.<sup id="cite_ref-tym_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine#cite_note-tym-1" >[2]</a></sup></p>