Patent ID: 8021440

Claim:
A process for making a carminic acid lake, comprising treating an aqueous solution with an aluminium and calcium compound, said aqueous solution comprising from 0.5% to 15% of carminic acid and from 0.75% to 15% of protein, said protein being other than a Dactylopius coccus costa insect protein, under conditions such that a carminic acid lake is produced that comprises from 40% to 80% by dry weight of carminic acid and from 10% to 30% by dry weight of said protein, wherein (i) substantially all of said protein has a molecular weight below 10,000 Da, (ii) said aqueous solution is substantially free of Dactylopius coccus costa insect proteins with a molecular weight above 6,000 Da, and (iii) the ratio of said carminic acid to said protein in said aqueous solution is less than 1.