Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology

Kumkuma is a red colour powder which is mainly used for the religious purpose and it was made from saffron flowers of Crocus sativus L with mild use of turmeric. The utilization of kumkuma by Hindu religious people is immense and it is applied at the forehead where people believe it as so divine and religious marking.

The kumkuma samples, the natural stain were used to stain the Pectinolytic actinomycetes VIT S2 for contrast and it is easily available and economically viable.

The kumkuma samples were collected from local market, Vellore. The samples were used for the staining of Pectinolytic actinomycetes.

The Kumkuma (K1) and Kumkum (K2). The Kumkuma (K1) shows better result compared to that of Kumkum. The results revealed that kumkuma (K1) shows positive result compared to that of kumkum (K2). This may be due to the presence of more Ca (OH)₂ in kumkuma (K1) is basic (cationic) which retains on the cell layer present in all gram positive Actinobacteria. The positive ions which are present in kumkuma attracted to the negatively charged bacterial cell and retain the stain.

This is the foremost study to report on staining of pectinolytic strain using kumkuma (K1) and kumkum (K2). The turmeric has beneficial effects present in samples were less harmful compared with chemical dyes. But, the saffron present in kumkuma shows various pharmacological properties. The study supports with positive result that kumkuma (K1) is better than kumkum (K2) and the use of kumkuma (K1) is safer than other chemical dyes which can be used for the staining of actinomycetes in near future.