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dyeing with food colouring
In the new Spin Off magazine is an article about dyeing with food
colours. I had some sitting around from the time that Skye and her Mother were here, and did some dyeing this afternoon. I liked working with the little bottles, putting the colour in the dye bath drop by drop. Not messy and no weighing dry dye powders. I dyed wool roving, 100 gram at the time. It was easy to do, and it was quickly done as well. By putting the washed wool (not rinsed) in the dye bath with some vinegar added, you simmered it for about 30 minutes untill the bath was excaused. I do find the colours a bit harsh but that is the same for dyeing with Kool aid. I blended red and blue and did get a nice soft purple. I have a question for our Chemists....LOL in the group. I have always been a bit concerned about chemical dyes, and the use of them in our homes. This afternoon I looked at the food colouring box to see what was in there. The key word is: Proplene Glycol. I typed it in the Google box, and was overwelmed by the answers. I ended up with a 25 page document. Most of it goes straight over my head. This had all to do with the use of Proplene Glycol, in medicine for domestic animals. What do you guys know about this stuf. I have a feeling that it is not as harmles as it is brought or bought or thought.....take your pick.....LOL Els -- hate spam not welcome |
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I have always been a bit concerned about chemical dyes, and the use of them in our homes. This afternoon I looked at the food colouring box to see what was in there. The key word is: Proplene Glycol. This is not a problematic substance. Propylene Glycol is an extremely benign substance that's sort of a cousin to glycerin and sorbitol, and is in the same chemical family as sugars and alcohols. It has humectant qualities -- that is, it can help something retain moisture, just like glycerin. It can also help things dissolve in water and lower the freezing point of water, sort of like an alcohol. Nothing strange or sinister. It has full Food and Drug Administration approval for use in foods and cosmetics. (It's on the FDA "GRAS" list, that is, "Generally Regarded As Safe", i.e. non-toxic). It has been shown to cause a small incidence of skin and eye irritation in some people. And a small percentage of people are allergic to it. People are often scared off when a name sounds "chemical" and unfamiliar, but this does not mean something is automatically toxic. Nor does a familiar name, like borax, mean that a substance is harmless. You will find inflammatory web sites claiming that propylene glycol is used in antifreeze, for instance, and must therefore be poison. Yes, it is used in non-toxic antifreezes that have been formulated specifically for people with children or pets who do not wish to have standard toxic antifreeze in the house. Water is also another substance commonly found in antifreezes. That doesn't mean it's poisonous! For the best information on what we've got in the products around our house, check the "Household Products Database" published by the National Library of Medicine. It's got the most objective, non-inflammatory, and frankly most useful information of any other site I've found on the web: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ What do you guys know about this stuf. I have a feeling that it is not as harmles as it is brought or bought or thought.....take your pick.....LOL Again, Propylene Glycol is not problematic. Contrary to popular paranoia, the big food companies do not have any interest in poisoning American consumers and bringing large class-action lawsuits against them. Toxic food coloring just isn't going to be a marketable product. Elaine Benfatto elaine at urbanspinner dot com Cambridge, Mass, USA |
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In article , Elaine
Benfatto wrote: I have always been a bit concerned about chemical dyes, and the use of them in our homes. This afternoon I looked at the food colouring box to see what was in there. The key word is: Proplene Glycol. This is not a problematic substance. Propylene Glycol is an extremely benign substance that's sort of a cousin to glycerin and sorbitol, and is in the same chemical family as sugars and alcohols. It has humectant qualities -- that is, it can help something retain moisture, just like glycerin. It can also help things dissolve in water and lower the freezing point of water, sort of like an alcohol. Nothing strange or sinister. It has full Food and Drug Administration approval for use in foods and cosmetics. (It's on the FDA "GRAS" list, that is, "Generally Regarded As Safe", i.e. non-toxic). It has been shown to cause a small incidence of skin and eye irritation in some people. And a small percentage of people are allergic to it. People are often scared off when a name sounds "chemical" and unfamiliar, but this does not mean something is automatically toxic. Nor does a familiar name, like borax, mean that a substance is harmless. You will find inflammatory web sites claiming that propylene glycol is used in antifreeze, for instance, and must therefore be poison. Yes, it is used in non-toxic antifreezes that have been formulated specifically for people with children or pets who do not wish to have standard toxic antifreeze in the house. Water is also another substance commonly found in antifreezes. That doesn't mean it's poisonous! For the best information on what we've got in the products around our house, check the "Household Products Database" published by the National Library of Medicine. It's got the most objective, non-inflammatory, and frankly most useful information of any other site I've found on the web: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ What do you guys know about this stuf. I have a feeling that it is not as harmles as it is brought or bought or thought.....take your pick.....LOL Again, Propylene Glycol is not problematic. Contrary to popular paranoia, the big food companies do not have any interest in poisoning American consumers and bringing large class-action lawsuits against them. Toxic food coloring just isn't going to be a marketable product. Elaine Benfatto elaine at urbanspinner dot com Cambridge, Mass, USA Dear Elaine thank you for your very in depth explanation. I asked for help, because the 24 page paper on this chemical, that I found on the internet, was slightly over my head. I knew that someone (like you) would simplify it for me. Thank you, I will use food coloring more often now that I know that it is nearly harmless.....LOL. So far no skin irritations. I have never used food coloring in foods for many different reasons. However I have used it often in the dying of paper.....heavy paper towels and rice paper. This is the first time I have used it for dyeing wool. Since chemical dyes and natural dyes often have added chemicals, that can be harmful, to set the dyes, I was wondering about the contents of the food coloring, that was making (as stated in the Spinn Off article, the food coloring light fast. Learned something again, also will take note of the "Household Products Database" Els PS: Not all foods and food additives, even though they have been cleared by the US and or Canadian governments are not always as save as they seem......Chemicals used in gardening for instance. -- hate spam not welcome |
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I was wondering about the contents of the food coloring, that was
making (as stated in the Spinn Off article, the food coloring light fast. Actually, lightfastness is not the result of adding a chemical to a dye. The dye itself -- the molecule that absorbs/reflecs light, which our eyes read as color -- is either stable or unstable when exposed to light energy. It's simply a physical property of that particular dye, probably based on the shape of the molecule and how willingly it reacts with other substances in the environment, like air, humidity, etc. As for food colorings, they are actually acid dyes in the same family as all our standard textile dyes, but they get their colors exclusively from molecules that have been shown to be non-toxic. Some food coloring is light- and wash-fast, and some will quickly fade. Again, this is like many other dye families. PS: Not all foods and food additives, even though they have been cleared by the US and or Canadian governments are not always as save as they seem......Chemicals used in gardening for instance. True, but I can tell you that after the big "Red No. 2" scare in the 1970s (does anyone else but me remember that?) the FDA came down very, very hard on colorants used in food, and the agency has not relaxed its concern about their safety over the past 30 years. Food dyes are some of the most heavily regulated ingredients I know about. Of the hundreds of colors out there, only a handful -- around 12-15 -- are still allowed to be taken internally in the U.S. Some others are permitted for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But the rest are simply prohibited from use in or on the human body. And even those that are approved must be manufactured under extremely strict conditions and batch-certified before they are released to the market. I've been researching food dyes for the past few months, contacting manufacturers and such, and it's really been an eye-opener. Both how many there are, and how few we actually have access to! Elaine Benfatto elaine at urbanspinner dot com Cambridge, Mass, USA |
#5
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Hi Elaine,
Yes, I remember the scare with the Red no. 2. Even though I don't dye anything your explanations were great. Hugs, Nora |
#6
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In article , Elaine
Benfatto wrote: Elaine, Glad that you have been studying food dyes. You certainly have many answers for me. I am just wary in todays processed food setup, there are more and more chemicals added. More and more there seem to be reactions to the use of these long term additives. More and more warnings are coming from all sides. Mothers with new babies are warned about all kinds of do's and don'ts. Listening and reading about these I just wanted to know a bit more about this, before I was going to use it with larger groups. Also keeping in mind that we use a septic field and use well water. One is constandly pushed with one's nose on the fact that you do have to be smart and careful about the use of chemicals at all times. I do have the book, Colour; Travels throught the Paintbox, by Victoria Finlay sitting in the pile of books to be read. I am sure it will explain lots. In a meantime thank you for all your input. I now have to go back and do lots more reading about acid dyes, mordants and its use and about Els I was wondering about the contents of the food coloring, that was making (as stated in the Spinn Off article, the food coloring light fast. Actually, lightfastness is not the result of adding a chemical to a dye. The dye itself -- the molecule that absorbs/reflecs light, which our eyes read as color -- is either stable or unstable when exposed to light energy. It's simply a physical property of that particular dye, probably based on the shape of the molecule and how willingly it reacts with other substances in the environment, like air, humidity, etc. As for food colorings, they are actually acid dyes in the same family as all our standard textile dyes, but they get their colors exclusively from molecules that have been shown to be non-toxic. Some food coloring is light- and wash-fast, and some will quickly fade. Again, this is like many other dye families. PS: Not all foods and food additives, even though they have been cleared by the US and or Canadian governments are not always as save as they seem......Chemicals used in gardening for instance. True, but I can tell you that after the big "Red No. 2" scare in the 1970s (does anyone else but me remember that?) the FDA came down very, very hard on colorants used in food, and the agency has not relaxed its concern about their safety over the past 30 years. Food dyes are some of the most heavily regulated ingredients I know about. Of the hundreds of colors out there, only a handful -- around 12-15 -- are still allowed to be taken internally in the U.S. Some others are permitted for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But the rest are simply prohibited from use in or on the human body. And even those that are approved must be manufactured under extremely strict conditions and batch-certified before they are released to the market. I've been researching food dyes for the past few months, contacting manufacturers and such, and it's really been an eye-opener. Both how many there are, and how few we actually have access to! Elaine Benfatto elaine at urbanspinner dot com Cambridge, Mass, USA -- hate spam not welcome |
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#9
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In article ,
wrote: | On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:53:50 -0700, (Els van Dam) wrote: I do find the colours a bit harsh but that is the same for dyeing with Kool aid. I blended red and blue and did get a nice soft purple. Just a suggestion, but if you want to soften these harsh colors, remember your color wheel and add just a drop or two of the complementary color, or one drop each of the primary components of it, more often. These are dyes, so for greatest accuracy it will be the wheel of cyan - magenta - yellow primaries rather than the old red - blue - yellow pigment wheel we learned as school kids. Helen Thanks Helen, That is what I did, but you realy have to sample there as well, so you do get the correct mix. I have bought more food colouring, or is it coloring. Will play in my old crock pot with small amounds and keep notes. Els -- hate spam not welcome |
#10
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