Color Retention Assessment of Duhat Dye to Cotton Fabric Using Color Fastness Test and Digital Image Processing

Synthetic dyes have changed perceptions of natural dyes, but their chemical origins pose environmental risks. Seeking an eco-friendly alternative, the indigenous fruit duhat from the Philippines shows promise as a potential dye for cotton fabrics. This study aimed to explore duhat's dyeing capability using a cost-effective and non-invasive testing technique. The evaluation began by creating a duhat filtrate and dyeing white cotton fabrics following standard procedures from the AATCC 61 1A handbook for color fastness testing through washing. The results and statistical analysis showed that when 150g of duhat skin was mixed with 50 mL of ethyl alcohol, it produced a filtrate with commendable color retention. An image enhancement technique converted RGB images to grayscale, aiding visual grading of color changes in cotton fabrics. The duhat skin dye scored a grade of 4 for noticeable color change and a grade of 3 for moderate staining on adjacent undyed fabric, according to the results from the gray scale for color change and staining. Furthermore, a paired t-test on the numerical data indicated no significant color change after the color fastness test compared to the fabric's original color. In conclusion, the experimentation suggests that duhat could serve as a potential natural dye source for cotton fabrics. Embracing duhat's coloring properties may reduce our reliance on synthetic dyes and help protect the environment.