Variation in the concentration of carminic acid produced by Dactylopius coccus (Hemiptera: Dactylopidae) at various maturation stages.

The concentration of carminic acid was found to vary based on the size and life cycle stage of the cochineal, Dactylopius coccus Costa. The concentration of carminic acid in cochineal eggs, nymph I, nymph II, fertilized adults, ovipositing adults, and sterile adults female was measured using capillary electrophoresis, and the total fluorescence of the carminic acid globules was measured using flow cytometry. The smallest sterile adult females had a greater percentage of carminic acid relative to their weight (26.27%; P < 0.001) than adult females in the remaining groups. In general, ovipositing females had a greater percentage of carminic acid than the remainder of the females. Nymph II was the phase that had the smallest percentage of carminic acid. Using flow cytometry, it was demonstrated that ovipositing females had a greater total fluorescence than the other sampled groups (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between the percentage of carminic acid and the total fluorescence of the carminic acid globules (r2 = 0.68; P < 0.05). The results of this study, together with others that involve industrial processes, shall allow an improvement of the current classification criteria of the commercial quality of dry cochineal.