ANALYSIS OF MICRO-NUTRIENTS COMPOSITION OF COCOYAM (COLOCASIAE ESCULENTA) AND SWEET POTATO (IPOMOEA BATATAS L) LEAVES IN MELON SOUP

The study focused on developing an eco-friendly discharge printing paste for dyed cotton fabrics at suitable concentration and pH combined with a neutral thickener was conducted at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The study involved controlling the flow and concentration of bleaches, a process that led to irregular prints and fabric tear.  Five household bleaches with known percentage concentration of sodium hypochlorite - Bleach-A: 0.36% (3.56 g/dm3); Bleach-B: 3.5% (34.00g/dm3); Bleach-C: 1.15% (11.48g/dm3); Bleach-D: 4.29% (42.92g/dm3) and Bleach-E: 0.06% (0.57g/dm3) were used for the study. A neutral thickener was developed to control the flow of bleach by combining different amounts of modified starch (4.5, 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0g) and water (125 ml) to achieve a variety of consistency at 20oC. The produced thickener was then combined with varying volumes (15, 25, 35) of 4.29% bleach (pH =11.4), to create a discharge paste.  Lastly, five coloured cotton textiles (black, brown, navy-blue, purple, and army-green) were used to test the developed discharge paste using screen printing. The outcome demonstrated that purple and black colours were difficult to discharge. The neutral thickener containing modified starch (6.0g), water (125ml) mixed with 35ml of 4.29% hypochlorite bleach to create discharge paste, produced right consistency for a printing paste and had a pH of 9.66. The pH test results, indicated that it was safe to use on cotton fabrics. In conclusion, the discharged paste (6.0g modified starch, 125ml water, and 35ml 4.3% hypochlorite bleach) produced regular, repeating designs on cotton fabrics that were dyed without causing damage to the fabric.