Natural Staining Patterns by Cochineal and Comparison of their Staining Patterns by the pre- or Post-Treatment of Mordants

 

Suk-Yul Jung*

Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Molecular Diagnostics Research Institute, Namseoul University, Cheonan 331-707, Republic of Korea

 

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.

 

 

 

1. INTRODUCTION:

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. Historically, this dye was used predominantly for coloring artwork and textiles ¹, but currently it is also used worldwide in food additives, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals². Carminic acid is extracted from the body and eggs, then mixed with aluminium or calcium salts to make carmine dye, also known as cochineal 3. It has been reported that cochineal was used for colouring fabrics³. It was also used for textiles and painting ^4. Cochineal-coloured wool and cotton are important materials for Mexican folk art and crafts ^5,6.

 

The water-soluble form is used in alcoholic drinks with calcium carmine; the insoluble form is used in a wide variety of products ⁷.

 

According to Zaima et al.,², among carmine acid and its isomers, 2-C-α-glucofuranoside and 2-C-β-glucofuranoside of kermesic acid (DCIV and DCVII, respectively) isolated from cochineal dye, and DCVII was converted to CA and DCIV, whereas CA was very stable and only very slightly converted to DCIV and DCVII.

 

To recover original colors and change them, mordants have been used. In our previous reports, mordants were applied to fabric silk and they induced color changes of the silk⁸. Dried Juglans regia Linn stained to fabric silk was mixed with copper acetate, iron (II) sulfate, and potassium dichromate, which changed the original color of brown into other colors of purple, khaki, and dark brown, respectively ⁸.

The treatment of mordants was divided into two procedures, e.g., mordancy prior to dyeing, mordancy post dye-adsorption. However, it is not yet reported about cochineal dye by the order of dye-treatment.

 

In this study, using various mordants above, it was analyzed whether the pre- or post-treatment of the mordants to cochineal dye could induce the changes of color in fabric silk.

 

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS:

2.1. Preparation of cochineal dye:

Cochineal of pre-spawn was carefully separated from cactus. It was boiled with water in a big pot and then completed air-dried with sunlight. The dried bug was homogenized and was filtered by a mesh as illustrated in figure 1.

 

 

2.2. Pre- or post-treatment of various mordants:

Our research targeted the staining of silk, using the dried cochineal dye, and the changes of silk colors using a variety of mordants. In particular, how pre- or post-treatment of modants changed its colors were analyzed. Briefly, copper acetate, aluminum potassium sulfate, sodium tartrate plus citric acid, iron (II) sulfate or potassium dichromate were pre-mordanted with the silk in 3 liters of distilled water at 30⁰C for 10 min as shown in table 1. And then homogenized cochineal dye was added to the silk as adjusted with the temperature of 30⁰C to 40⁰C. The concentration of hydrogen ion (pH) was maintained acidic of pH 4. For more adsorption, the silk was well rub down for 30 min. When the staining was finished, residual staining solutions were washed away and the silk was dried.

 

 

 

Figure 1. Homogenized cochineal dye

 

 

Table 1: Pre-treatment of various mordants to silk

Mordants	Volume of mordants (gram)	Volume of distilled water (ml)	Treatment time (min)
Copper acetate	15	900	15
Aluminum potassium sulfate	15	900	15
Sodium tartrate plus citric acid	40 + 120	800	15
Iron (II) sulfate	15	900	15
Potassium dichromate	30	900	5

 

 

For post-treatment of mordants, order of staining and mordants were modified as compared with Table 1. Volume of mordants and distilled water, pH and treatment time were identical as pre-treatment of mordants. However, silk was directly mixed with the homogenized cochineal dye at the temperature of 30℃ to 40℃ for 30 min. For more adsorption, the silk was well rub down for 30 min. When the staining was finished, residual staining solutions were washed away and the silk was dried.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

3.1. Staining patterns of silk by the pre-treatment of mordants:

To analyze the staining patters of silk by the pre-treatment of mordants, mordants were previously treated to silk and then cochineal dye was applied. Mordants are used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue 9. Here, it was precluded that various mordants would change the color of silk followed by the staining of cochineal dye. Figure 2 represented that only 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. On the other hand, iron (II) sulfate showed thicker pink than cochineal dye without any mordant. It induced the thicker color change and looked brownish. Very interestingly, copper acetate and sodium tartrate plus citric acid showed very different staining patterns as compared with cochineal dye without any mordant, cochineal dye pre-treated with aluminum potassium sulfate, iron (II) sulfate and potassium dichromate and they stained the silk purple and pale yellow, respectively.

 

 

Figure 2. Pre-treatment of mordants to silk and then staining with cochineal

 

3.2. Staining patterns of silk by cochineal dye followed by the treatment of mordants:

Although mordants are pre- or post-treated, it is not implied to have different staining patterns. Thus, it was analyze whether mordants induced various staining patterns with the staining of cochineal dye in figure 3. As shown in figure 3, all staining patterns were clearly different from pre-treatment of mordants shown in figure 2. Cochineal dye without any mordant showed pale pink at “none” as compared with figure 2. Identical procedures for those were performed but staining signals was a little different. 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. Iron (II) sulfate showed yellowish. Copper acetate, sodium tartrate plus citric acid and potassium dichromate showed very similar staining patterns of grayish but did only thick or pale.

 

 

Figure 3. Staining with cochineal to silk and post-treatment of mordants to silk.

 

4. CONCLUSION

The term, natural dye, covers all the dyes derived from natural resources such as plants, insects and animals¹⁰. Various mordants including metal ions were applied to the silk fiber^11,12. Our study targeted to analyze the staining of silk by cochineal dye and the comparison of its staining by the pre- or post-treatment of mordants. Further our study had purpose to evaluate cochineal dye as a biological staining material such as haematoxylin, which is extracted from the heart wood of the log wood tree (Haematoxylum campechianum) and its basophilic complexes are used to stain cell nuclei with dark blue ¹³. Hematoxylin is widely used as a natural dye and if two natural materials used in this study are applicable for cellular staining, they will be very useful for those to show yellow and brown colors.

 

Our results showed that cochineal dye stained the silk pink without any mordant, which was deduced by the main component of a carmine substance. Staining patterns by post-treatment of mordants were clearly different from pre-treatment of mordants. In particular, iron (II) sulfate showed yellowish. Copper acetate, sodium tartrate plus citric acid and potassium dichromate showed very similar staining patterns of grayish but did only thick or pale.

 

Our study would be useful to understand the staining changes by pre- or post-treatment of mordants to cochineal dye. Further study will be processed to evaluate the cochineal dye as a biological usage.

 

5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

Funding for this paper was provided by Namseoul University.

 

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Accepted on 25.02.2018           © RJPT All right reserved

Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2018; 11(6): 2267-2270.