Green vegetation: a promising source of color dyes

Abstract

Abstract The present study aimed for the extraction of color dyes from different sources, such as Brassica oleracea, Brassica campestris, Citrus limon, Citrus limetta, Tagetes erecta, Spinacea oleracea, Beta vulgaris, Rosa indica and Curcuma longa. The leftovers of such plants were mainly used for color dye extraction and their confirmation using spectrophotometric analysis. The specific color pigments like carotenoids, anthocyanin, chlorophyll and betanin were found to be the main coloring agents that impart specific color to the samples. Among all these samples, the maximum yield was obtained from C. limetta aqueous peel extract, and among all the temperatures employed room temperature was found out to be the most suitable temperature for the stability of color extracts. The extracted colors were utilized in candy making and sugar syrup making and were also used for coloring various foods stuffs. Moreover, the extracted color dyes were applied for dyeing purposes on cotton cloth with alum showing better and more enhancing color fastness results than the lime.