Released on = February 27, 2006, 2:11 am

Press Release Author = Ms. Papita Saha

Industry =

Press Release Summary = From the ancient time, natural dyes derived from natural
sources like plant, animal etc are widely used & traded. After the invention of
synthetic dyes in 1856 by William Henry Perkin, the use of natural dye was reduced
due to the limited colour capacity of natural dyes. But due to the harmful effect of
synthetic dyes & due to the ban imposed by Germany & other European Countries, there
is a revival of natural dyes for colour of textile. Natural dyes have no harmful
effects on skin; have no allergic action on skin. An attempt has been made in
laboratory scale as well as in pilot plant in Chemical engg Dept, jadavpur
University, India using bixa as a colouring dye for colouring the textile fibre &
making colourful powder (Gulal) from it.

Press Release Body = Bixa is a small tree found throughout the hotter parts of
India. Bixa is cultivated for its seeds in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & West Bengal as orange-red colour is found from its
which can be used as dyeing materials for colour fibres and making colourful powder.
It occurs in two forms: White flowers & green capsules other with pink flowers & red
capsules. The seeds which are dry, hard, bright red & have a characteristics smell
are considered good for dyeing. The unmordanted cotton gives dull shades but using
proper mordant, the colour & brightness of the colouring cloth is increased. The
colourful dye extracted from bixa is non-carcinogenic. From Literature, it is seen
that due to its non-toxic nature, dye is extensively used in dairy-industry for
colouring butter, ghee, cheese, margarine, ice cream, chocolate, meats, cereals,
confectionary, spices etc. In Latin America, the seeds are fried in fat & the colour
part is used to tent rice, gravies & stew. It is used as an ingredient in hair oils,
shoe-polishes, soap, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals ointments. It can also be used in
adsortion-indicator in agrentometric titrations.The chief ingredient of dyeing
material of annatto is bixin.Bixin comprising 70 - 80 % of the total pigments
present in the seed. In addition, a water soluble yellow dye, orelilin, methyl
bixin, b-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zexanthin are also reported. Bixin
gives water-soluble products on saponification, and it is called as norbixin. Bixin
is the main pigment of oil-soluble annatto and norbixin is the principal colouring
matter of water-soluble products.

Gulal made from Bixa dye are Orange & yellow colour, and fibre using Bixa dye is
also orange colour. The colour fastness & light fastness of the fibre are also very
good (range 4 - 5).


Web Site = http://geocities.com/kusumika_project

Contact Details = Papita Saha.
Lecturer
Biotachnology Department
ITME College
India
E-mail:papitasaha@gmail.com, papitasaha@yahoo.co.in