Extracción de ácido carmínico a partir de la cochinilla (DACTYLOPIUS COCCUS) para la producción de pigmento natural como alternativa al colorante rojo 40

Abstract

In the context of the present experimental work, the study of the grana cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) and its incredible capacity to produce a natural pigment known as carminic acid (CA) was addressed. Throughout this research, a series of experiments designed to explore various aspects related to the breeding, life cycle, and industrial applications of this organism were conducted. The study began with the rearing of cochineal grana as its first stage. Then, controlled experiments were conducted to investigate the factors affecting the absorbance of carminic acid (CA), evaluating process variables such as temperature and humidity. At the conclusion of the project, a marked increase in the insect population was observed, from the initial 1315 individuals to 24468 at the end, which clearly indicated the success of the implemented protocol. The (AC) of the rearing protocol obtained a higher absorbance percentage (0.166%), in the spectrophotometer compared to the (AC) of the control mealybugs (0.160 %). During the analysis of the chromic solvate behavior in the UV-VIS equipment, it was demonstrated that this dye maintains a wavelength at 620nm in both solutions at different pH. The presence of the characteristic functional groups of (AC) could be evidenced, demonstrating the presence of the peaks characteristic of its molecular structure in the results evidenced during the use of the equipment.