Abstract

LOPEZ M., Luis G. et al. Evaluation of the Extraction of Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete L.) Colorant for Textile Products. TecnoL. [online]. 2022, vol.25, n.53, e206.  Epub Aug 09, 2022. ISSN 0123-7799.  https://doi.org/10.22430/22565337.2165.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the extraction of colorant from the pulp of the fruit of calabash tree (Crescentia cujete L.) obtained in Granada (Meta, Colombia). Such extraction was performed using three different solvents (water, sodium hydroxide, and ethanol) to determine (1) the solvent that offers the highest yield and the greatest stability in resistance tests applied to a textile product and (2) the metabolites present in the samples. For this purpose, the dye was extracted by the digestion method, where 150 g of pulp were placed in three different beakers, adding water, ethanol, and sodium hydroxide until a volume of 300 ml was reached over 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour, respectively, at a constant agitation and a temperature of 75 °C. The residues were filtered and weighed. The samples thus obtained were used to dye 2x2-cm pieces of cotton, which were subjected to resistance tests with acids and alkalis, high temperatures, and detergent. The final color was determined by a colorimeter to obtain its coordinates in the CIEL*a*b* color space. Finally, by means of spectrophotometry and peaks in the absorbance spectrum plots, it was possible to study the presence of organic pigments in the samples. The NaOH solvent achieved the best performance in the resistance tests. In turn, the sample dyed with the colorant extracted using ethanol showed a total color difference of ΔE = 3.41, which was the lowest color loss in this study. The sample treated with NaOH exhibited peaks at 270-370 nm, indicating the presence of flavonoids; and that treated with ethanol, peaks at 665-700 nm, signaling the presence of saponins. According to the above, it is possible to extract a colorant from the calabash tree fruit, which makes it a potential agro-industrial raw material.

Keywords : Flavonoids; colorant; colorimetry; Crescentia cujete L.; spectrophotometry.

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