US biotech company Debut has announced a significant scientific breakthrough in animal-free bioproduction of carmine, the red pigment that is traditionally derived from the cochineal beetle.

Debut’s biosynthetic innovation features both a new family of enzymes that is responsible for a key step, as well as new solutions to overcome expensive inputs during the biomanufacturing process.

Carmine, which is commonly used as a red colourant in food and beverage applications, has a long history dating back thousands of years. Until recently, there have been no eco-friendly or vegan versions of the insect-derived ingredient, with synthetic replacements unable to achieve precise colour matches with the same vibrancy, stability and formulation potential, Debut said.

Additionally, health concerns have surfaced around artificial alternatives such as the petroleum-derived Red 3 dye, banned by the US Food and Drug Administration in January 2025 following claims that the additive is carcinogenic.

In contrast, Debut said its biomanufactured carmine can offer advantages regarding health, sustainability, safety and animal welfare. It also aims to ensure a consistent supply chain that is not reliant on the migration pattern of a beetle.

To enable bioproduction from a renewable, low-cost source, Debut combined its patented microbial production systems with advanced cell-free biomanufacturing to overcome industrial limitation and improve bioproduction by 100-fold versus previous attempts. This necessitated that Debut discover two new enzymes and improve their performance to break through a known barrier in bioproduction of carmine, which Debut said scientists have spent over 15 years searching for.

According to Debut, its carminic acid is more than 95% pure compared to the industry average of 30% or lower – the purity of carminic acid derived from the cochineal beetle is typically around 10%, the company explained. The biomanufactured carmine can offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and is devoid of a specific protein found in beetle-derived carmine reported to cause skin irritation, making it beneficial for food and beauty applications.

Debut recently completed pilot-scale bioproduction, enabling the formulation of carminic acid for beauty applications initially. It is preparing to expand into the food and beverage market in collaboration with an industry partner, with active discussions currently underway.

Joshua Britton, founder and CEO of Debut, said: “Carmine is one of the hardest molecules to innovate. After a large investment and a lot of hard work, we are very proud to have discovered the all-important missing step in creating renewable carmine that enables us to go from sugar all the way through to this prized molecule.”

“Many teams have tried to biomanufacture carmine over the years with no success due to the complexity and cost of inputs. It is only through the advancement of our biotechnology, Debut's proprietary Bio2Consumer platform and our differentiated capabilities in biomanufacturing that this innovation has finally come to life.”