Saffron and gardenia contain useful coloring matters such as crocin to dye textile materials and food. In this study, color of saffron and gardenia on the dyed silk was investigated and evaluated by means of CIE (1976) L a b system. There were little noticeable differences between saffron and gardenia in the color exhibited on silk. The color yield for the silk increased at pH 3 in the presence of sodium L-ascorbic acid as an antioxidant.
The extracts were analyzed with a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which revealed at least ten coloring components, five of which were suggested to be shared commonly by both plant materials.