Effects of different food ingredients on the color and absorption spectrum of carminic acid and carminic aluminum lake

In this study, three foodstuffs (surimi, minced meat, and milk) were dyed with carminic acid and carminic aluminum lake. The effects of protein, metal ions, and food additives on the color of carminic acid and carminic aluminum lake were investigated. After being dyed by carminic acid, the colors of surimi, minced meat, and milk were light purple, red, and gray‐green, respectively. When using carminic aluminum lake, surimi and milk were magenta, and minced meat was red. Regarding the carminic acid solution, the presence of myofibrillar protein (MFP), whey protein isolate (WPI), and soy protein isolate (SPI) turned it red by changing the pH, while the presence of casein made it orange. The carminic aluminum lake solution turned magenta in all four cases, which were not affected by protein. The color of carminic acid and carminic aluminum lake was significantly affected by 0.001–0.1 mol/L Fe(3+), 0.001–0.1 mol/L Fe(2+), 0.001–0.1 mol/L Cu(2+), and 0.1 mol/L Ca(2+), limiting their application in iron‐, copper‐, and high‐calcium foods. The color of carminic acid was changed to yellow by 0.01%‐1% sodium nitrite, but 0.01%–1% ascorbic acid and 0.01%–0.1% monascus color did not significantly affect the color of either carminic acid or carminic aluminum lake. This paper provides a reference for the application of carminic acid and carminic aluminum lake in food science.