ABSTRACT:
Background/Objectives: The cochineal is a insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural red dye carmine is derived and is extracted from Dactylopius coccus Costa. In this study, using various mordants, it was analyzed whether the pre- or post-treatment of the mordants to cochineal dye could induce the changes of color in fabric silk. Methods/Statistical analysis: Cochineal was boiled with water in a big pot and then completed air-dried with sunlight for a natural dye. Mordants were added to a silk and then homogenized cochineal dye was added to the silk. Findings: Cochineal dye stained the silk pink without any mordant, which was deduced by the main component of a carmine substance. The pre-treatment of aluminum potassium sulfate and potassium dichromate showed the pale pink and more pale pink, respectively. However, those staining patterns were not quite different from cochineal dye without any mordant. In post-treatment of mordant, aluminum potassium sulfate showed very similar pattern of pale pink as compared with the pre-treatment of the mordant. However, other staining patterns were very different from the pre-treatment of the mordant. Improvements/Applications: Our study would be useful to understand the staining changes by pre- or post-treatment of mordants to cochineal dye.