Study of Natural Colorants as Antibacterial Agents on Natural Fibers

Cotton and wool substrates were treated with natural colorants from plants and their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were evaluated. The studies encompassed qualitative evaluation in terms of zone of inhibition of the treated substrate and quantitative evaluation in terms of percentage reduction in bacteria. Also, the durability of the natural colorant agent to laundering and exposure to light was determined. Of the six colorants investigated in this study, the colorant obtained from pomegranate's bark and rind indicated presence of good antibacterial activity against both gram-positive as well as gram-negative bacteria.