Metabolic engineering and computer-simulated enzyme engineering led to the production of carminic acid, a natural red colorant, from bacteria for the first time A research group at KAIST has ...

These products get their red hue from carminic acid, a chemical found within the insect. ©fitopardo/Getty Images An average trip to the grocery store can yield a cartful of colorful foods.

Cochineal bugs — oval-shaped scale insects around 0.2 inches long — are harvested and turned into the natural dyes cochineal extract, carmine, and the pure pigment carminic acid. They have ...

It has long been established that tumors are slightly more acidic than healthy body tissue. This is largely due to their production of lactic acid, a waste byproduct of the cells' metabolism.

Carminic acid is a naturally occurring organic molecule whose structure consists of 9,10-anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid “decorated” with a methyl group, a glucopyranose, and four hydroxyls. It is ...

Although it is widely used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide, the breakdown of carminic acid (a natural red dye extracted from insects) in nature has remained unclear.