Cochineal

Product Name	: Cochineal
Catalog	: BBC-DP-2005
Botanical Name	: Dactylopius coccus
Parts Used	: Dried, pulverized bodies
Typical Uses	: Textiles, Food, Drugs and Cosmetics

Cochineal is a red dyestuff consisting of the dried, pulverized bodies of certain female scale insects. Cochineal is used to produce scarlet, crimson, orange, and other tints and to prepare pigments such as lake and carmine. Its dyeing power is attributed to carmine or carminic acid, obtained by boiling cochineal in water. It finds its applications mainly in cosmetics, foods and pharmaceutical industries and it can also be used in textile and plastic applications.

Dyeing Processes

Pre mordant: Use alum mordant at 15% of fabric weight.
Dyeing: Use the extract at 0.5 to 2% of fabric weight for a medium depth of shade. If for the bugs, only 3-8% of fabric weight is needed for a medium depth of shade. The colorant is first extracted from the dried insects as follows: Gently grind the insects in a blender or use a mortar and pestle to crush them to a fine powder. Put this powder into a saucepan and cover with three inches of water. Boil for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and set aside (This process can be repeated for several times to prepare more leaching liquor). The combined leaching liquor is used as a dyebath. Because cochineal is sensitive to acids and bases, soaps used to pre, or post wash your fibers must be in neutral pH.
Post treatment: Conduct soaping of the dyed material with non-ionic detergent (0.5gpl) for 20-30 mins.
Hot wash and then cold wash.

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