Abstract Detail

Ethnobotany

Color Stories: Investigating the phytochemistry of Musa tissues as mordants and dyes.

Natural methods of dyeing and coloring—maintained via historical records and across various communities today—hold potential as alternatives to modern synthetic dye processes that increasingly pose harm to environmental heath and functioning. A key component in the further revitalization of natural dye processes involves a deeper understanding of the complex chemistry inherent to the materials used in these processes. Mordants and dyes derived from plants are numerous in documentation, and include those sourced from Musa spp. petaloids, flowers, leaves, and sap. Notably, little work has been done to directly identify and compare the compounds associated with the application of Musa tissues as mordant and dye. This research seeks to characterize phytochemical diversity within Musa spp. across varied tissue sources. This work will focus on Musa spp. leaf, peel, and sap extracts to compare the presence and abundance of compounds associated with applications in dye and mordanting processes. Extracts optimized for the screening of polyphenolic compounds such as tannins will be analyzed via HPLC/MS. Comparisons of results are expected to show similar chemical constituents with variable concentrations according to role and specialization of tissue physiological function. Results from this work will ultimately be used to further investigate mordanting/dye ability and efficiency of Musa spp. derivatives. This will provide direct insight into optimal dye methods and expansion of existing knowledge on plant sourced color and textiles.

1 - University of Wisconsin -- Madison, Botany, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53703, USA

Keywords:
Musa
mordant
natural dye
phytochemistry
HPLC/MS
textiles
traditional knowledge
local color
polyphenols.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: ETH1010
Abstract ID:479
Candidate for Awards:Economic Botany Section best student paper