Author(s):

Lakshmi Pooja Sanku, A Padma, V Vijaya Lakshmi, J Hayavadana and I Rajitha

Abstract: The use of natural dyes has been in India for thousands of years and is part of India’s cultural identity. In the present scenario the craft of using natural dyes remained to smaller segment of craftsmen in the society, which may be due to difficulty in making and also due to lack of proper documentation about the process. As the synthetic dyes overtook the textile industry due to their ease of application and lower price, use of natural dyes retained to very small segment of textile wet processing industry. Hence, an attempt was made to identify the use of locally available natural dye sources and auxiliaries for preserving the natural dye extracts so as to use them as when required. For, the present study, simple, eco-friendly and easy method of extracting pigments from natural dye sources was explored. The process of extraction was validated by checking the quantity of pigment percent in the extracted solution. As, availability of the natural dye extracts was not there in the market, and craftsmen are not ready to extracts the pigments due to its lengthy process, their preservation was also studied. Three preservations viz., cow urine, cow ark and sodium benzoate were selected and their effect was assessed on natural dye extracts from sappan wood (Caesalpinia sappan), annatto seeds (Bixa orellana L.) and marigold flower (Tagetes erecta). The extracts were preserved for one year with and without preservatives and colour degeneration was evaluated through their absorbance values (abs) under visible light in spectrophotometer under transmittance mode. All the three extracts showed slight change in their light absorbance ‘abs’ value after one year and cow urine found to be better preservative among the selected preservatives.

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