Ok yeah but hear me out…
… does it taste better than cochineal?
Oh wait–
Starbucks will stop using a red food dye made from bugs, its president recently wrote in a blog post.
Despite the attention Starbucks has received for using the insect-based dye in some of its products, the coffee purveyor is far from the only user of this additive. Anytime you see an ingredients list that includes carmine, cochineal extract or natural red 4, you can be sure that there’s a little powdered bug therein.
The idea that any business would try to feed insects to a largely bug-averse populace may seem remarkable, but consider the alternatives: if it doesn’t come from a bug, it may come from something worse.
Hmm. What about–
2. Fungal Pigments
Source: Monascus and Aspergillus species
Pigment Produced: β-carotene, melanins, azaphilones, quinones, flavins, ankaflavin, monascin (red), anthraquinone, naphthoquinone
Key Benefits: Immunomodulatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiproliferative properties
Research Focus: Identifying fungal species capable of producing various colors, such as red (Monascorubramine derived from Monascus), orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, and blue. This research focuses on finding these pigments’ use and understanding their health benefits in food and pharmaceutical applications. The study explores fungal polyketide pigments as food colorants, focusing on safety concerns like toxicity and carcinogenicity. It highlights advanced methods, such as metabolic engineering and nanotechnology, to produce safe, food-grade pigments without mycotoxins.
source:
Ok, ok, probably not quite commercially ready yet.
(sigh)
Maybe just mix in a lot of raspberry or strawberry jelly? jam? powder?
ETA: corrected formatting
