1621 ISSN 1229-9197 (print version) ISSN 1875-0052 (electronic version) Fibers and Polymers 2016, Vol.17, No.10, 1621-1626 Exploring the Potential Uses of Vitis vinifera L. Leaves as Raw Material for Textile Dyeing without Metal Mordants Rym Mansour*, Zine Mighri, and Farouk Mhenni Unit of Research in Applied Chemistry and Environment, Faculty of Sciences of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia (Received January 8, 2015; Revised August 17, 2016; Accepted September 5, 2016) Abstract: This paper explores the potential uses of the aqueous extract of Vitis vinifera L. leaves in dyeing linen and silk fabrics without a metal mordant. The focus will be on investigating the tinctorial potential of Vitis vinifera L. leaves and its dyeing properties. The anthocyanins amounts of leaves from different Vitis vinifera L. varieties were determined by the spectrophotometry method. The effect of the main dyeing parameters (pH of the dye bath, temperature, and dyeing duration) on the dyeing quality results has been studied. Tannic acid and pomegranate peel extract have been used as a natural mordant. Experimental results have shown that fastness properties of dyed fabrics ranged from average to very good. Keywords: Vitis vinifera L. leaves, Anthocyanins, Dyeing, Linen, Silk, Tannic acid, Fastness Introduction Despite the fervent use of synthetic dyes ever since the advent of Henry Perkin’s mauve in 1856, there has been an increasing interest in natural dyes derived from plants, animals, and minerals [1]. Indeed, environmental worries and the eco-unfriendliness of synthetic dyes are behind the renewable concern for natural dyestuffs. Natural dyes are proven to be eco-friendly and UV-protective [2] as well as deodorizing, antioxidant, antifungal, and antimicrobial [3]. A case in point is the use of Vitis vinifera L. leaves extract in natural dyeing [4]. The phenolic composition of Vitis vinifera L. leaves are anthocyanins (delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, malvidin-3-glucosides, malvidin-3- O-(6-p-coumaroyl)-glucosides, cyaniding-3-O-(6”-acetyl)- glucosides, peonidin-3-O-(6”-acetyl)-glucosides) and non- anthocyanin compounds (trans-caftaric acid and the 3-O- galactoside, glucuronide, and glucoside derivatives of quercetin and kaempherol, and quercetin aglycone) [5]. The word, anthocyanins, is derived from the Greek anthos meaning flower and kianos meaning blue. Anthocyanins are the most important pigments of the vascular plants and are known to be nontoxic. The pigments in question give colors ranging from orange, pink, and red to purple and blue in some flowers and fruits. Anthocyanins are scientifically proven to be not only antioxidant and antibacterial but also antileishmanial [6]. Furthermore, anthocyanins are considered to be interesting for their use as natural water-soluble colorants [7]. The use of natural dyes is increasing remarkably because they offer diverse and unique shades on different natural fabrics. Several research studies have shown that silk and wool fabrics are easily dyed [3,8]. However, natural dyeing of flax fabrics has always been a challenge simply because most natural cellulosic fibers require dyeing in conjunction with mordants (salts of various metals). Among the various metals, Fe, Al, Cu, Pb, and Sn are frequently used. A critical and realistic evaluation of dyeing with vegetable dyes highlights the metal toxicity of substances used in processing [9]. It is worth noting that mordanting with metal salt as a pre-requisite for the application of most of the natural dyes may contaminate the dyed textiles with objectionable heavy metals resulting in carcinogenic effects. Bearing in mind environmental concerns, the use of natural mordants in place of metallic salt mordants is advised. Indeed, the colors and fastness values obtained by using potential bio-mordants versus metallic mordants have to be evaluated. Bio-mordants are highly acclaimed nowadays. They are biological natural materials having metal ion(s), such as tannins, mostly coming from vegetation sources, and they act as mordant in natural dyeing. Some plants and plant parts with high tannin or metal content may present mordanting effects. The natural mordants, such as myrabolan (Terminalia chebula), tannin, tannic acid, tartaric acid, guava, and banana leaf ash have been utilized for mordanting purposes [10]. Various studies have been carried out regarding eco- friendly alternative processes and bio-mordants in natural dyeing [10-19]. The present research paper will focus on the technical feasibility of dyeing silk and linen fabrics with the aqueous extract of Vitis vinifera L. leaves and will explore their color characteristics and fastness properties without mordant salts. Instead of the use of various metals, tannic acids and pomegranate peel extracts will be used as natural mordants. Interestingly, pomegranate peel extract includes granatonine (an alkaloid) and several phenolic compounds (such as gallic acid, quinic acid, ellagic acid, catechin, kaempferol, and malic acid). Pomegranate peel could be a potential source of natural mordant as it is rich with tannins [3]. Tannin is an astringent vegetable product found in a wide variety of plant parts such as bark, wood, fruit, fruit pods, *Corresponding author: rymmansour2004@yahoo.fr DOI 10.1007/s12221-016-5033-y