Biopigment Tracing of Mangrove Rhizophora mucronate Leaf an Bark Waste and Its Application for Batik Dyeing by Multiple Fixations

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the pigments in the bark and leaves of mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata), to analyze rate of color fastness in batik, level of consumer interest, and most effective pricing for the resulting batik products. The research was conducted between June 2015 and February 2016, and took place in Mangunharjo village, Tugu district, Semarang city, Indonesia. The pigment identification tests were performed in Laboratorium Terpadu Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia. This research focused on the leaves and barks of mangrove plants. The leaves and barks were extracted to be used as dyeing agents, after which the batik fabrics were fixated using alum, limestone and lotus. This descriptive research employed UV-Vis spectrophotometry to identify pigment and Adobe Photoshop computer program to perform color fastness analysis. The result showed that chlorophyll is a pigment which contributes to the color green in leaves. Photochemical test results also show that the pigment associated to the blackish-green hue was tannin, andthat which was associated with red was flavonoid and quinone. The various colors were applied in batik dyeing process, which resulted in a range of color from yellow to dark brown. Color fastness test of batik dyed with mangrove-derived pigments on wash air dry, wash press dry, and wash sun dry using calico as fabric showed that alum and limestone fixated fabric had the least color fastness, while conversely, lotus-fixated fabric displayed good color retention. Levels of consumer interest naturally-dyed batik fabric by alum fixation was 20%. Of all the respondents, 46.67% showed interest in limestone-fixated batik, whereas 40% responded well with the lotus-fixated batik. Consumer acceptance levels for the mangrove-dyed batik fixated by alum, limestone, and lotus were 6.67%, 16.66% and 13.33% respectively. High consumer interest in fabric fixated by limestone and lotus was attributed to darker and stronger hues. The most effective price point suggested per 2.1 x 1 m of fabric was between IDR 200,000 to IDR 350,000.