Biocolours – Safe food colours
Biocolours-A New Generation Additive For Industries?
Biocolours or natural dyes are derived from plants, insects and minerals. The use of such colouring matter is rooted in antiquity. Relics from the excavations of Harrapan Culture have yielded evidence of ropes and fabrics dyed with natural colours. The caves of Ajanta (the earliest dating back to the first century B.C.) still preserve the beauty of biocolours in their fullest splendour. In short, use of biocolours through the art of dyeing and printing is one of our richest heritages. Biocolours had to pay a very heavy price due to the development of the synthetic genre of dyestuff. Synthetic dyes made their advent in India in the 18th century and gradually pushed natural dyes into oblivion due to their superiority in the speed of dyeing or printing and the fastness of colours.