PART II

Chapter II.II

CRAFTING CARE

Biochromes x Biofabrication

Learning how to make natural and botanical dyes

(biochromes) during the past few months has been amazing experience so I

decided to further practice this skill. I knew I wanted to work with pH indica-

tors and combine them with crafting biomaterials with agar agar and alginate

so I can create sort of wearable materials that act as an interface or a visual

actuator when they come in contact with bodily fluids and more particularly

with vaginal secretions.

For myself the inspiration for this material was the way that my vaginal secre-

tions cause discolouration on my underwear, especially during the second

half of my menstual cycle.

Lactobacilli bacteria that dominate the vaginal flora for a healthy vaginal

microbiome, secrete lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide, which seems to

discolourise my underwear! Having this in mind I started think-

ing whether I can also experiment with dyeing and modifying the col-

our of materials and textiles using lactobacilli from my microbiome in

the future!

Hibiscus dye and ink turns blue after a while, both on fabric and paper. It turns purplish with Alum and pinkish with Vinegar. Some people constantly use vaginal soaps with probiotics or other solutions that stabilise the vaginal pH because they experience microbiome dysbiosis. Some also use pH strips to check the acidity of the vaginal fluids. The vaginal microbiome consists of many microorganisms bur it is said that a healthy vaginal microbiome means Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota.

The golden question though is if we can create our own DIY methods to assist us in monitoring and preventing vaginal infections and microbiome dysbiosis.

Natural dyes like Hibiscus and Red Cabbage contain Anthocyanins which are natural pH indicators but are also an antioxidant.

Anthocyanins are natural colorants which have extensive range of colors and occur widely in nature. Anthocyanins are the most important dye ranging from orange, pink, red, violet to blue in the flowers and fruits of the vascular plants. They are harmless and water soluble which makes them interesting for their use as natural water soluble colorants. Their antioxidant activity, which is known to play a vital role in the prevention of neuronal and cardiovascular illnesses, cancer, and diabetes.

Today many of these plants that can be used for dye extraction are classified as medicinal and in recent studies have been shown to process remarkable anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral activity qualities.

Red Cabbage juice or dye is more commonly used in DIY Biology as a pH indicator than Hibiscus, however, research shows that there is also potential of HAE (Hibiscus aqueous extract) as a pH indicator when combined in the production of films made from Natural polymers (chitosan, gelatine and starch. The gelatine polymer in the film deemed to make the dye more UV resistant. There was also great colour change observed, from pink (pH=2.0) to yellow (pH=13.0) were observed(picture below). Materials -A pot and a stove

-Glass jars to store the dye

-Knife

-Precision scale

-Filter paper and funnel to filter and

strain the dye Step-by-step instructions

TIP

If you wish to experiment with modifying the colours of your dyes add some modifiers. Modifiers change the colour but that means change in pH! Some easy to find modifiers are vinegar or lemon juice (acid), washing soda or baking soda (alkaline dissolve in water) or Aluminium Potassium Sulphate (alum liquor must be dissolved in water). I would not advise you to put the alum near your eyes, mouth, nose and in sensitive areas.

Slowly with a pipette or a dropper syringe add the modifier to your dye and observe how it changes. You may also note down the colour or make some samples from textile or on paper along with their pH measurement. -Weigh 5gr of the petals and add 500ml of water into a pot and

place the petals on the stove on medium fire.

-For the red cabbage dye you have to wash the red cabbage well and chop it off with a good knife. Chop it off finely and place enough of the red cabbage inside the pot that it gets completely covered. You should add about 500ml of water.

-Let the petals simmer in the pot for half an hour until you get a more concentrated solution of the dye.

-The red cabbage requires more simmering in order to extract a good concentration of the dye since the cabbage is a tough vegetable. After 45 mins of simmering you will notice that the leaves are getting softer and are now also getting decolorised.

-After you are done you can filter and strain the solution into a

clean glass container and store your dye in the fridge if you are not

going to use it immediately!

Modifying the colours with Alum(left) and washing soda(right

Comparing the natural colour of the Hibiscus alginate bioplastic pad with modified dye containing washing soda

Red Cabbage dye spectrum of colour without even modifying it seems to fluctuate from pH 7-8 Red Cabbage dye is a blueish colour with a pH of 7-8. In more acidic conditions, like adding a modifier, like vinegar, it will turn pinkier [pH value drops]. Also, when bacterial cellulose was added to red cabbage dye of pH 7 the colour of the dye changed from a deep purple to pinkish [left].

Materials for making the dye and the pH strips

- A pot and a stove - Precision scale - Filter paper and funnel to filter the dye and strain it -Filter papers or other interfaces like bacterial cellulose or bioplastic -Knife - A glass dish or pyrex - A spray container

- pH modifiers like vinegar or lemon (Acid), a base (water, use as a control) and an alkaline solution (washing soda). First you need to make dye from the dried Hibiscus petals or the Red Cabbage and then you have to use the dye to replace the water in the recipe! The same thing goes for adding colours to other crafted biomaterials such as agar agar and alginate bioplastics.

To do that you will need these ingredients:

-Dried Hibiscus petals or tea sachets

-Fresh Red cabbage (the fresher the better)

Step-by-step process

-First you have to make dye from the dried Hibiscus petals or the Red Cabbage. Follow the previous recipe to prepare your dyes. Store them in the fridge and add them to your materials!

-Put your filter paper or other interface of your choice in a glass dish or pyrex and spray the paper until it is fully covered.

-Let your filter paper dry in a dry and well ventilated area.

Hibiscus dye pH changes -Once the paper is dry you can cut it in thin strips or use my .dxf file to lasercut he interface of your choice in the shape of the pad that I designed.

TIPS

-Use the pH modifiers to test your material and compare it to the pH scale measurements. If you cannot get them right you might have used a wrong concentration of dyes for your strips!

-It is preferable that you use the strips in a short period of time after you make them because these dyes are super sensitive to light and after some time the strips are not accurate or usable.

-Make sure your glass container is clean before you place the filter paper in order to spray it with the indicator dye to prevent contamination and mistakes in the pH reading.

-You can place the strips for a few seconds in any area of the body and in the vaginal area in order for the fluid to have contact with the strip of the pH surface.

Spraying lasercut filter paper with Hibiscus dye to make pH sensitive interfaces for vaginal fluids Filter papers sprayed with Red Cabbage dye