Dye color does not fade

The technique of dyeing of nature with plant extracts can replace the colors used in industry.

Scientists have discovered the natural way to create colors that never fade, thereby drawing new techniques for use in food colors and applications to avoid counterfeit money.

According to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , a particular fruit in Africa is more dense and iridescent than any previously known biological material.

This impressive color formation is due to the special structure within each plant cell, not just the normal pigmentation, called structural coloration.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge (UK) have found that cells in Pollia condensata have cellulose-fiber-reflecting components. The different distances between the fibers in each cell reflect different wavelengths of light, resulting in a bluish color.

Structural colors have been found in animals, such as feathers, beetles and butterflies, but they use different structures and materials to achieve distinct effects. And Pollia condensata is the first case discovered in plants.

And unlike pigments, structural colors do not fade over time, because the structure can not be destroyed by absorbing light.

The range of application of very broad structural color, from money printing, food coloring, cosmetics to application in security stickers.