The root of natural food dyes is vast. They are made from a wide range of sources such as vegetables, minerals, fruits, and the bark of plants. They provide color when we add them to the food or drink. They vary in their forms such as powder, gel, liquid, and solid. There are used on the commercial level as well as on the domestic level.
NATURAL FOOD DYES
These are some simple steps to make natural dyes. First of all, choose the source from which you want to extract the natural dyes. Collect about 1 cup of fruits and vegetables. Chop them in a chopper. Allow the food and vegies to provide more color to completely saturate the dyes. Transfer the chopped material into the saucepan and add the water. Add water twice that of the quantity of the chopped material. As for 1 cup of the chopped material add about 2 cups of water. Boil it. About one hour when the dyes reached the desired color turns off the heat. Allow it to cool at room temperature. Stain it and store it.
HOW TO DYE FABRIC
Natural dyes are used to provide colors to the clothing. Mordent, a fixative that is used to impart adhering to the dyes to fix on the cloth. Fabrics require one more step to hold the dye in the case of natural dyes. Here are some steps to produce lovely colored fabrics. For fruit dyes, take ¼ cup of salt and approximately 4 cups of water and stew the clothes for 1 hour. For vegetable dyes, take 1 cup of the salt and cups of water to stew the cloth for 1 hour. After one hour wash out the fabric in cold water. Remove the excess water from the fabric. Soak it in the dyes. Place the fabric in the dye container for about 24 hours. Wash it with cooled water. Dry it in the air.
PROTECTION WITH DYES
As fixative or mordent is necessary for the dyeing process. Many mordants are highly dangerous. Iron, copper, and tin are used as fixatives, but these are very dangerous ones. We use salt as a natural fixative.
SOME IMPORTANT NATURAL DYES
1- CAROTENOIDS
Carotenoids are important pigments of plants, algae, and some bacteria. They provide the yellow, orange, and red color to different parts of the plants, fruits, and vegetables. They have more than 600 types.
2- CHLOROPHYLL
It is one of the most important green pigment which found most commonly in cyanobacteria, algae, and plant. Chlorophyll mostly absorbs blue light and to some extent red light.
3- ANTHOCYANIN
These are the pigments that provide the purple, red, and blue color to the vegetables and plant. It has antioxidant activity. Variation in the intensity of their color is due to the acidity or alkalinity. It most denatured by heat.
4- TURMERIC
It is one of the most important pigments which provides the yellow and orange color to the food. Its color variations depend upon the acidity and alkalinity. As pH increases its color changes to green slowly.
