Greetings fellow travellers,
Sorry today’s MIM is a little late, usually I do all my blogging at the weekend, but I spend all Saturday out with my gentleman friend and Sunday at the London Vegan Festival, so am a bit behind.
Today’s Mystery Ingredient Monday is brought to you by…
Carmine (Cochineal)
Animal, vegetable or mineral? Carmine or Cochineal is extracted from the crushed carcasses of the female Dactylopius coccus, a cactus-feeding insect native to central America. Animal.
Commonly found in: Sweets, cakes, and icing where it is used as a colouring. In the EU, it is also listed as E120.
What is it? Uh, squished bugs 
Why do manufacturers use it? Artificial versions of red food colourings such as Allura Red have been linked to hyperactivity in children. And it makes mediocre food look pretty.
Alternatives? There are artificial food colourings, but if you can avoid these at all, you are probably doing yourself a huge favour. We are overstimulated as is. Beetroot is often used as a pink colourant in all sorts of products, ok so it lacks the true red of Cochineal but has the advantage of being natural and plant-based.
More mystery ingredients next week.
~ Quirky Vegan
IIRC cochineal/carmine only uses E120. E122 is always synthetic (azorubine/carmoisine).
Thank you, have edited accordingly