Justicia Carnea Dyes: Extraction, Characterization, Application and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity on Cotton Fabric

Abstract

This study aims at extracting natural dyes from fresh and dried leaves of Justicia carnea. Application of the aqueous extracts of these leaves on fabrics with mordants (cobalt chloride and lime) and without mordants at a dyeing temperature of 80⁰ C was carried out using pre-mordanting, simultaneous- mordanting and post- mordanting processes. The extracts show a good antimicrobial activity to bacteria and fungi. The improvement in fastness properties of the dyed cotton fabrics to rubbing and perspiration showed that mordants as well as mordanting methods have influence on colour efficiency. The FTIR and UV spectroscopy analysis of the dyes revealed some important peaks and functional groups related to colour formation. The phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, anthraquinones, steroids and phenols in the fresh and dried samples. This research work reported a successful extraction of ecofriendly dyes from Justicia carnea that can meet the current yearning for industrial development in the developing countries of the world where biosources materials from nature abounds in large quantities.