• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.431-441
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• 2011

Microbial colorants produced from Zooshikella sp. were developed as a reddish dye for fabrics. The reddish colorants were extracted from cell mass of Zooshikella sp. using 100% ethanol and were identified as prodiginine by 1H-NMR and FT-IR analysis. Microbial prodiginine had a maximum spectrophotomatric absorbance at 530nm and were chemically stable and 30 to $60^{\circ}C$. The microbial prodiginine could dye natural fibers such as cotton, silk, and wool as well as synthetic fibers such as nylon. The maximum K/S values of the dyed fiber were shown at 540 run with a color appearance of RP (reddish purple). Silk and nylon had an excellent dyeability among the experimental fibers. The optimum pH for the dyeing of experimental fibers was at pH 3.0 and dyeability was improved as the temperature increased. The cover change of dyed multifiber fabrics with the microbial prodiginine were measured after washing with detergents and a dry cleaning solvent for the selection of a proper fabric against microbial prodiginine. Among the experimental fibers, silk and nylon did not show significant color change after washing. Therefore, under the criteria of dyeability, silk and nylon were excellent fabrics for being dyed by microbial prodiginine.