Galot, using the extract of Jeju's common persimmons

The common puckery persimmons that grow wild in Jeju are too small and have too many pits to be consumed as fresh fruit or for processing. Galot is the product made by people to make use of the inedible fruit. The persimmon extract is processed either directly on the tailored clothes or on the material cloth before making the clothes. Galot is ideal clothing for areas like Jeju with high temperature and humidity.


 Good Points of Galot

1) It is good for working clothes since the material does not stick to the skin even if it gets wet from the rain.
2) The persimmon extract works as a preservative, which relieves concern of wet clothes from the rain or sweat to become rotten when they are just left out without cleaning and drying.   
3) There is no odor even when the clothes are wet from perspiration.
4) There is less concern about contamination after wearing the same clothes for days and weeks.
5) The clothes retain crispiness as the material was dyed with persimmon extract. Thus, it is notnecessary to apply starch to maintain durability.
6) When weeding in the early morning field, the clothes do not get wet from dewdrops.
7) There is no concern of the skin being cut or pricked by a branch or grass while cutting grass for animal feed.
8) It is good working clothing for fishermen.


 Scientifically Proven Excellency of Galot

The research on Galot continues by clothing scholars which furthers for its popularity. While the general merits of Galot are previously described, the matters that are scientifically proven are enumerated as below. 

Physical Functions
1) Dyeing with persimmon extract largely improved the effect of blocking ultraviolet and visible rays. In particular, the cotton material showed an almost complete blockage of such rays and the effect is sustained even after it is washed.
2) Dyeing with persimmon extract provides not only dyeing but also the increased adherence between fiber materials as well as the effect of coating.
3) When the fabric is dyed with persimmon extract, the level of elongation reduces but the trituration increases. 
4) The air permeability showed was 49% less compared to the level of cotton broadcloth.
5) Despite the increased number of washings, the color fastness improved with a consistent color tone.
6) The content of heavy metals was either detected below the baseline or undetected at all.
7) When the fabric is treated with persimmon extract, air permeability becomes lower but it shows a starching effect.
8) Galot is low in thermal insulation compared to the raw fabric. As the brittle starching effect keeps the fabric away from the skin, it feels cool to wear despite the low air permeability. It is assumed to be generated from the thermal conductivity reflector effect.

Antibacterial Test
1) The antibacterial test proved that Galot has an antibacterial effect, showing the antibacterial activity at a different level from that of cotton broadcloth.
2) In the resistance tests against fungi, microbe, and Escherichia coli, Galot also proved its preventative effect even after repetitive washing.

Colorfastness Test
1) In the colorfastness test, discoloration remained at an acceptable level when Galot was put in an acidic liquid of sweat but it was worsened in an alkali liquid of sweat.
2) There was no contamination in the washing colorfastness test but showed a change of color. 
3) In the colorfastness test with ironing, discoloration progressed further than in the washing test,
proving that heat causes discoloration.
4) The test result indicates the dry cleaning method is better than water cleaning using a detergent.
The scientific tests proved the consistency of the quality of Galot as has been traditionally believed. The tests also call for caution when handling Galot as it is susceptible to heat and becomes easily discolored with the use of an alkali detergent. The best way of cleaning Galot is to rinse in plain water as it is believed that sweat or stains do not permeate into the fabric because of persimmon extract treatment. It is recommended to wash Galot using neutral detergent.



 Process of Persimmon Extract Treatment

1) 1) Prepare the material fabric or a dress by washing it for the persimmon extract treatment process. The washing is needed because the fabric generally shrinks after washing or in the process of the persimmon extract treatment.

2) Harvest unripe persimmons in the middle of July to the beginning of August (for 10 to 15 days beginning 20 June of the lunar calendar) and crush them. In the past, a stone or wood mortar was used to crush them but a plastic tool is used in these days. The persimmon extract becomes blackened and useless if a grinder or juicer is used because of the chemical reaction between the blade and tannin in the extract. One should be careful because the black substance produced from the reaction between the blade's iron and tannin from the extract stains and sometimes totally ruins the fabric. Be prepared by wearing separate working clothes because the persimmon extracts can stain all fabrics.
 

3) Place the crushed persimmon layer by layer while rolling the prepared fabric or dress so that the extract can evenly permeate. Then, step on the rolled fabric or dress until the extract wells out from the layers of the crushed persimmon. Remained fruit skin or stalk pieces of the crushed persimmon may stain the fabric unless they were carefully taken off. Hence, put the crushed persimmon into a very fine netted bag and knead it to get the extract juice first. Then, soak and knead the fabric or dress in the extract juice so that it can be permeated deeply. If the extract is too thick, add a small amount of water (10%) to get the juicy extract. 
 

4) Once the extract is well permeated into the fabric or dress, spread the wet fabric flat without wrinkles in a place that receives plenty of sunshine to dry it. If you want proportional color emission, use bamboo, plastic or nylon line instead of a steel made clothes hanger or clothesline because the color of the area that has contact with the hanger or clothesline made of steel will become blackish. If drying only one side facing the sun, the color emission on the other side becomes weak. Hence, make sure to alternate the sides everyday to face the sun for a satisfactory color emission.
 

5) Spraying water once a day will make a more darkened color emission faster.

6) 8 to 10 days later, once the color emission is completed, do not iron the fabric or dress but use your hands to spread out any wrinkles and fold it in the same manner when you starch by hand without ironing. If you iron Galot, the color changes as discoloration takes place because of heat. The required period for the darkest color emission is 3 to 4 days in the summer time when the sunlight is strong and the color fades if drying more than that period. It takes 7 to 8 days in the seasons with weak sunshine. 

The above description is to explain how to dye Galot using Jeju's common puckery persimmons. It is possible to use other cultivated varieties that bear puckery tasted fruit or unripe sweet persimmons of which the taste is still puckery because the pits have not been formed yet. However, they give a weaker tone of color. It is also tested and proven that different colors develop upon the amount of tannin contained in the fruit depending on the type of tree family even in Jeju's indigenous variety.