Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources
Vol. 6(1), March 2015, pp. 38-41
Study on traditional food plant resources and bioactivities of product as dye from
fruits of Basella alba L. (Ceylon Spinach) plant
Simana Bora*, Porismita Borah and Runjun Gogoi Rajkumari
Department of Botany
J B College, Jorhat-785001, Assam, India
Received 3 March 2014; Accepted 17 September 2014
Basella alba L. commonly known as Ceylon Spinach and Puroi in Assam is used as pot herb in N E Region of India. Its
dark blue fruits having deep red-violet flesh are a potential source of natural colorants. It is a potent natural antioxidant and
stable at 60°C and beyond 60 °C it goes to be gradually unstable. Its fruits have great potentialities for application in the
cosmetics, food dye, official ink and fabric industry. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the economical cultivation
of the plant and selection of part of plant species useful for dye extraction. The colour pigment from fruits can be extracted
(40.5%) with water by constant stirring for 1-2 h at room temperature. Thermal stability of dye solution and dyeing of
beaten rice with this dye was studied.
Keywords: Basella alba , Ceylon Spinach fruits, Economical plant, Traditional edible colour, Thermal stability, Food colour.
IPC code; Int. cl. (2014.01)−A61K 36/00
Introduction traditionally used as vegetable. Its leaves and flowers
Synthetic dyeing is characterized by high contain vitamin A and C, iron and calcium. The fruits
environmental pollution and high health risk factor. contain a red dye which is used as food colorant as
Synthetic colorants are generally harmful and cause well as cosmetic. The chemical constituents of the red
allergies to human1. Dyes are becoming important dye are gomphrenin 1, betanidin dihexose and
commodities in today’s global economy. Because of isobetanidin dihexose molecules2-3. The aim of the
environmental and high health hazards in the present study was to evaluate the economical
production and use of synthetic dyes and pigments, cultivation, propagation and selection of this plant
the use of natural colour has been increasing globally. part(s) useful for the extraction of natural dye as well
There is a great prospect of economic growth in the as the use of dye as natural food colorant, colour
field of natural colour’s business. Particularly, the stability in the liquid state.
rural economy of underprivileged rural people can be Originally from India, Ceylon Spinach is very
enhanced through the practice of the using natural common, fast growing perennial vegetable. It is a
colour. There has been a limited research into natural climbing tropical vine, growing up to 3-4 m in height.
dyes over last 150 years. In view of consumer demand It has thick heart shaped leaves and bears white
for natural products incorporating natural ingredients, flowers. Only leaves and young stem are eaten, they
search for the study of new sources of natural are used in salads or steamed with tofu and ginger.
colorants and its use has became a subject of research.
Ceylon Spinach, commonly known as Basella alba Cultivation
L. belonging to the family Basellaceae is locally The area of cultivation of Ceylon spinach requires
known as puroi. The climate of Assam is suitable for a well-drained moisture retentive soil, with sun light
its easy cultivation and widely available fruits can be shade; it grows well in a variety of soil, but prefers
harvested 3-4 times in a year. This plant is humus rich soil with acidic and neutral pH range
5-7(Ref.4). Both the cold and spring seasons are ideal
——————
*Correspondent author:
for its cultivation. The preferential climatic
E-mail:
[email protected] temperature for its fast growing is within 20-30°C.
Mob.-+91- 9435450604 The harvesting of fruit starts within 5-6 weeks.
BORA et al: TRADITIONAL FOOD & DYE FROM FRUITS OF BASELLA ALBA 39
Leaves on lateral branches are smaller than those on The moisture content of the fruit samples was
runners (Plate 1). The flowers are self-pollinated determined on air dried basis. Drying of the sample
(bisexual) white, pink or purple. The purplish black was continued until constant mass was obtained.
ripe fruit, a sub-globose pseudo-berry within size of A definite mass of each sample was treated with
4-10 mm in diam. have fleshy perianth and contain a proper solvent (water/alcohol/hexane, etc.) repeatedly
violet juice. The fruit contain one seed of 3 mm to get complete extraction of raw dye.
diam.5. Ceylon Spinach usually begins to bear fruits in
mid January at 21o C and ripens in early March or Extraction of dye
after the last frosts. The extraction method of natural dye basically
Ceylon Spinach is not an endangered species depends on medium in which the dye is extracted.
because local selections are commonly grown in The solvents used for present extraction purpose
home gardens and for the market. It has been included were water, alcohol and hexane. A definite
in the traditional vegetable mandate list for mass of the sample was treated with proper solvent
conservation. No germplasm collection by natural repeatedly to get complete extraction. The selection
gene bank is reported6. Germplasm is being conserved of solvent for total extraction of dye was made
in situ in custody of the farmers. Collection and by studying the parameters e.g. ratio of solvent
screening of local material is advisable. The plant has to sample, time, temperature, stirring speed, etc.
good prospects as a leafy vegetable with good and ultimately the proper solvent that does not
nutritional values having a remarkable resistance to lose the properties of the dyes during extraction
diseases. was selected.
Ceylon spinach fruits (10 g) were digested with
Materials and Methods distilled water/ethanol (100 mL) and magnetically
Ceylon spinach fruits were collected from local stirred for 1 h at room temperature. The experiment
area (Jorhat, Assam) of N E region in India. Ethanol was repeated until the solvent became colourless. The
and hexane (AR grade) were procured from BDH red-violet colour was separated from the seed by
Mumbai. The plant samples for extraction of dye were separating funnel. The extract was concentrated under
collected after identification of the plant species; the vacuum rota evaporator. Percentage of extraction of
local and scientific names were also taken into dye from fruits was determined by specific density
account. The collected samples have been found to be method.
economically viable and eco-friendly for dye
Sun fastness test
extraction.
The degree of sun fastness was determine by
exposing the dye solution in test-tube and kept in sun
light up to 120 minutes at different temperature range
25°C to 28° C7.
Thermal stability determination
As aqueous dye solution (1.5 mg/100 mL) were
transferred into the three numbers of test-tubes and
subjected to thermal stability testing at different
temperature. The three test tubes containing dye
solution were introduced in water bath/oil bath and
heating at 25, 60, 100 and 120 oC for constant time 10
minutes8. The tubes were quickly cooled in an ice
bath followed by ambient temperature. Its colour
fadedness was determined by U V spectroscopy
(using Thermo Scientific Instrument).
Dyeing of food
The dyeing of food material was done by studying
Plate 1—Ceylon spinach plant the absorbance of coloured dye extracted from Ceylon
40 INDIAN J NAT PROD RESOUR, MARCH 2015
spinach fruits on beaten-rice. Water solution of dye Thermal stability
was prepared (1.5 mg/100 mL). The beaten–rice put Aqueous dye solutions were subjected to
into the dye-bath for 5 minutes wherein the absorption various temperature for 10 minutes, their colour
of dye on the beaten–rice takes place. After absorbance were detected at 536.9 nm in a UV
withdrawing the coloured beaten-rice from the dye- spectrophotometer at 25°C and 60°C. Result
bath, the beaten-rice were air-dried at room shown that up to 60° C colour of the dye was stable
temperature9. as shown in Plate 4 (1, 2).
Above 100°C colour absorbance decreased and
Results and Discussion colour found to be unstable. Colour absorbance was
Degree of extraction not detected at 120°C as a result red-violet colour
In the fruits 40.1 % of moisture content vanished. (Plate 4 (3, 4). At 25°C and 60°C colour
was determined. The concentration of the dye was stable as observed from UV spectroscopy data,
extracted from fruit was found to be 40.5% (on dry both having same absorbance.
basis). This percentage of dye extraction was
determined by specific density method. This Evaluation of dyeing of food material
method is the comparison of the density of dye The colour co-ordinates were positive with fruits
solution with the density of the distilled water colour in the space diagram as shown in Plate 5. It
as shown in Plate 2. indicates a good coloration of beaten-rice and essay
formation of food colour complex.
Degree of Sun fastness
The result shows that the dye solution has
no change in colour at temperature upto 28°C.
Thus, the sun fastness of the dye has good stability
Plate 3.
Plate 2—Basella alba; a. Fruit (moisture 40.1%), (b) dye
Plate 4—Effect of physical interpretation of thermal stability
extraction with water (40.5%).
effect of colour changed, 1.- 25°C , 2.- 60°C, 3.- 100°C and 4.-
120°C.
Plate 3—Effect of physical interpretation no degree of colour
changed after keeping (a) With out Sun rays, (b) in presence of Plate 5—Beaten-rice photographs-(a) before dyeing and (b) after
Sun rays. dyeing
BORA et al: TRADITIONAL FOOD & DYE FROM FRUITS OF BASELLA ALBA 41
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