By: Prof. Dr. Ir. Sedarnawati Yasni, M.Agr., Senior Auditor LPPOM MUI
The controversy over using carmine as a food colouring has finally subsided after the MUI confirmed that the colouring material from insects is halal to use. Besides carmine, which comes from cochineal insects, there are many other colourings for food and beverages. What are they?
Carmine is a colouring for food, drinks, cosmetics, and other products made from cochineal insects. The Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) has issued a fatwa. MUI Fatwa No. 33 of 2011 concerning the Act on Food and Beverage Coloring from Cochineal Insects emphasizes that food and beverage colourings derived from cochineal are halal as long as they are beneficial and not harmful.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Sedarnawati Yasni, M.Agr, a professor of Food Technology at IPB University, explained that carmine is made from Cochineal insects (Dactylopius coccus) or aphids that stick to prickly pear cacti (genus Opuntia). This type of insect is commonly found in Central and South America. Currently, Peru is known as the largest producer of carmine in the world, reaching 70 tons per year. Cactus is a food source for cochineal in moisture and plant nutrients.
To process it into a dye, said Sedarnawati, a senior auditor for LPPOM MUI who has checked the halalness of carmine, cochineal insects are dried in the sun until dry and then crushed with a machine. After that, it becomes a bright dark red powder. To highlight the desired colour aspect, this cochineal extract is usually mixed with an acid alcohol solution to further bring out the colour.
In Biology, this animal is classified as an insect because it belongs to the Insecta class, with the genus Dactylopius, the order Hemiptera and the species Dactylopius coccus. This insect lives on cactus plants and obtains nutrients from plants, not dirty materials. This animal has several similarities with grasshoppers; its life cycle does not go through the larval and pupal stages, and its blood does not flow. Although the MUI Fatwa has confirmed that using cochineal for food colouring is halal as long as it is beneficial and not harmful, this carmine dye has been a pro and con. The cause was the publication of the discussion results from the Bahtsul Masail Institute (LBM) NU East Java, which stated that the law on dyes from carmine is unclean and disgusting.
“In essence, MUI and LBM NU have the same perspective and views in determining religious fatwas, especially on matters of worship and food, namely by using the ihtiyath or careful approach, and as far as possible getting out of differences in fiqh,” explained the Head of MUI for Fatwa, Prof. KH. Asrorun Niam. However, added Kyai Niam, the determination of the law is different due to differences in the tashawwur of the problem. MUI uses the tahqiqul manath approach by examining the details of the type of animal used as the dye, considering that the types of insects are very diverse. Meanwhile, if reading the results, LBM NU mentions the law on insects in general. MUI Fatwa No. 33 of 2011 concerning the Law on Food and Beverage Coloring from Cochineal Insects states that food and beverage colouring from cochineal insects is halal as long as it is beneficial and not harmful. The President Director of LPPOM MUI, Muti Arintawati, emphasized that her party had conducted halal inspections to ensure that products had been made with halal ingredients in facilities according to the criteria by implementing the Halal Product Assurance System (SJPH), including for natural carmine dyes. On this basis, the MUI Fatwa Commission issued a halal fatwa, and BPJPH issued a halal certificate. Meanwhile, regarding food safety, products that use natural carmine dyes have BPOM distribution permits to be safe for public consumption.
In addition to carmine, many types of dyes circulating on the market are used for various purposes. Based on information from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), dyes are included in Food Additives (BTP), of which there are 27 BTP groups.
There are two dyes: natural (natural food colour) and synthetic (synthetic food colour). Natural dyes are made through extraction, isolation, or derivatization (partial synthesis) from plants, animals, minerals, or other natural sources. Synthetic dyes are dyes obtained through chemical synthesis.
Prof. Sedarnawati explained that natural dyes can be obtained from many sources. In addition to being easy to get, in terms of food safety, natural dyes that have not undergone a processing process involving many additional ingredients are also safer because they come from fruits and vegetables—for example, tomatoes, carrots, turmeric, pandan leaves, katuk leaves, and so on.
This is different from synthetic dyes, which, if consumed excessively and continuously in the long term, will have a negative impact on health—for example, damaging the function of body organs, especially the liver and kidneys.
However, Prof. Sedarnawati reminded us that natural dyes actually have a higher critical point in terms of halal. Because natural dyes are unstable during storage, to maintain the colour so that it remains bright, coating materials are often used to protect it from the effects of temperature, light, and environmental conditions.
“The coating material that is often used is gelatin, which comes from animals. The gelatin must be ensured to come from halal animals and processed according to Sharia principles,” said Prof. Sedarnawati.
Do you understand about carmine dyes?
You don’t need to worry anymore if the packaging says carmine. As long as it is halal certified, the product can be guaranteed to be halal. Check the halalness of the product you will consume through the website www.halalmui.org or the Halal MUI application, which can be downloaded from Playstore. Good luck. (***)
