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TissueDB/Materials/Ink or Dye

From Appropedia
▼This page is a material entry for the SELF Tissue Database.It documents the tissue applications, practical guidance, and related simulators for this material to support low-cost, reproducible surgical simulator development.
Four bottles of liquid food colouring — blue, red, green and yellow — with the coloured liquid visible through the glass
Four bottles of liquid food colouring — blue, red, green and yellow.
License: CC-BY-2.0 by Larry Jacobsen

Ink or dye is a colourant — liquid, gel, powder or paint — used in medical simulation to give a fluid or a model surface a realistic colour; in TissueDB builds, most often red to mimic blood. A dye is mixed into water or saline to make simulated blood, or added to a fluid circuit so that a leak becomes visible. A paint is brushed onto a model to colour anatomy, mark a landmark, or finish a surface. The many named colours, forms and brands are grouped as one material class because the colour is a detail of the same colourant, not a different material.

Tissues

Tissue Visual Tactile Simulator Notes
Blood Peripheral Intravenous Catheterization Trainer, Hemorrhage Control Simulator (Malik), Synthetic Tourniquet Training Model (Souza Lima) Red food colouring mixed into water or saline to make simulated blood. The Souza Lima tourniquet model instead uses red school paint. The build mixes 250 mL with water to a near-blood consistency and holds it in a reservoir. When the air pump runs, it drives the paint through the latex tubing inside the leg. The fluid then gushes at the simulated wound.[1]




Used In Simulators

Simulator Purpose Notes
Grapefruit dACA Bypass Simulator Leak-indicator dye (not a tissue) The water-leak check uses a few drops of food colouring in the ~250 mL water reservoir. The colour makes an anastomotic leak visible.[2]
Bronchoscopy Anatomical Trainer (Di Domenico) Surface finish on a paper-mache model (not a tissue) The build paints the inner surface of the paper-mache airway model with water-based enamel. The exterior follows once the model has dried. The segmental bronchi then carry labels per the international classification.[3]
Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair Simulator (Hanssen) Landmark marking and vessel colour-coding (not a tissue) White paint marks the pork chop's transverse process to represent Cooper's ligament. Blue and red paint on two 30 Fr polyethylene hoses represents the iliac vessels.[4]
Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernioplasty TAPP 3D Simulator (Pires de Melo Filho) Anatomical colouring of a 3D-printed model (not a tissue) Gouache ink in anatomy-book colours covers the 3D-printed male pelvis. Two flat Condor brushes apply the ink, which characterises the anatomical structures.[5]
Abdominal Wall Defect Simulator (Medeiros) Colouring the herniated viscera (not a tissue) About 20 mL of fake blood makeup colours the herniated bowel loops of the gastroschisis model. The source notes the blood can be mistaken for bowel damage and suggests removing it in future versions.[6]
Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Calvo) Simulated blood (not a tissue) Food dye stains a 1 L bag of saline red. The build mounts the bag in an IV pressuriser. The pressuriser pushes the red-stained saline through the tunnelled IV set as the simulated blood.[7]
Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Kei) Simulated blood (not a tissue) The build injects 10 mL of red food colouring into a 1 L bag of normal saline. The red-dyed saline both feeds the subcutaneous weal and serves as the reservoir for the IV-tubing vessel.[8]
Emergency Department Thoracotomy Simulator (Misra) Colouring cast plastisol sheets (not a tissue) The build stirs two 4 oz bottles of plastisol colourant — one skin colour, one fat colour — into medium-density liquid plastisol. It then pours the coloured plastisol into skin and subcutaneous-fat sheets. Brand and colour codes are not stated in the source.[9]
Injection Laryngoplasty Simulator (Lee) Pigmenting cast silicone (not a tissue) Silc-Pig pigments (PMS 7421C and 488C) go into Smooth-On Ecoflex 00-20 silicone before injection into the mould. The pigments give the cast endolarynx a pink hue.[10]
Intra-abdominal Bleeding Simulator (Fernandes) Simulated blood (not a tissue) Red dye in the water of the one-litre reservoirs makes the simulated blood that feeds the aorta and vena cava. The source prices five units of food colouring.[11]
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Simulator (Casas-Murillo) Colouring cast silicone (not a tissue) A colorant goes into the P53 silicone rubber before the pour into the ABS negative mould. The colorant colours the cast gallbladder and bile ducts. The source names no brand or colour code. A figure caption shows green dye.[12]
Massive Hemoptysis Simulator (New) Simulated blood (not a tissue) The artificial blood takes 20 mL of red food colouring, a few drops of blue food colouring and corn starch. These go into a 1 L bag of normal saline or water. The build pumps the artificial blood into selected airway segments.[13]
Patent Ductus Arteriosus Ligation Simulator Colouring the cast gelatin block (not a tissue) 0.5 g of powdered red pigment per model spreads over the glycerol with the gelatin powder. The water goes in afterwards, and the pigment colours the set gel.[14]
Pediatric Forearm Fracture Simulator Opacifying a gelatin phantom for blinded training (not a tissue) For blinded training, 40 drops of blue, 20 red and 20 yellow food colouring tint the gelatine phantom opaque. Alternatively, 80 drops of black food colouring tint it opaque. For unblinded training the phantom stays transparent.[15]
Pediatric Inguinal Hernia Repair Simulator (Heo) Tinting cast silicone components (not a tissue) Rit Dye in yellow, tangerine and cherry red tints the silicone components during assembly of the male and female cartridges.[16]
Suction-Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulator (Kumar) Simulated airway contaminant (not a tissue) 10 g of red or green food colouring in two litres of water makes the soiling fluid — blood or vomitus. The garden spray pump drives that fluid into the manikin's airway for SALAD practice.[17]
Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass Trainer Leak indicator and vessel-wall stain (not a tissue) Rifocin (rifampicin) ampoules dye the 1000 mL reservoir water red, so an anastomotic leak is visible. Methylene blue on the vessel ends highlights the vessel wall under the microscope. The source itemises the Rifocin solution at US$2.50.[18]
Trocar Placement Simulator Colouring the bowel stand-in (not a tissue) A small amount of red lipstick finishes both sides of the inflated modeling balloon. The balloon sits beneath the peritoneum as the bowel.[19]
Z-Plasty Simulator Colouring gelatin tissue layers (not a tissue) Each gelatin recipe names its own colourant: red food colouring for muscle, yellow for subcutaneous fat, and pink/white/yellow for skin. Amounts vary with the desired skin tone. The connective-tissue paste is explicitly made with no colouring.[20]
Open Appendectomy Simulator (Matthews) Drawing muscle-fibre striations on the batting muscle layers (not a tissue) A red marker draws the perpendicular fibre striations on the two cotton-batting layers. Those layers simulate the external and internal oblique muscles. A reviewing surgeon asked for more colour and larger colour stripes on the muscle layer, and the red-marker instruction followed.[21]

References

[edit source]
  1. ↑ Souza Lima D, Almeida YADS, Cid DMC, Cardoso LC, Braga CS, Regis FGL. Low-cost synthetic tourniquet training model. Rev Col Bras Cir. 2019;46(6):e20192324. DOI 10.1590/0100-6991e-20192324. PMID 31967244.
  2. ↑ Cikla U, Rowley P, Jennings Simoes EL, Ozaydin B, Goodman SL, Avci E, Baskaya MK, Patel NJ. Grapefruit Training Model for Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery Side-to-Side Bypass. World Neurosurgery 2020;138:39–51. DOI 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.02.107. PMID 32109640.
  3. ↑ Di Domenico S, Simonassi C, Chessa L. Inexpensive anatomical trainer for bronchoscopy. Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 2007;6(4):567–569. DOI 10.1510/icvts.2007.153601. PMID 17669940.
  4. ↑ Hanssen A, Hanssen DA, Hanssen RA, Plotnikov S, Haddad J, Daes JE. Implementation and Validation of a Novel and Inexpensive Training Model for Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair. J Abdom Wall Surg 2022;1:10305. DOI 10.3389/jaws.2022.10305. CC BY 4.0.
  5. ↑ Pires de Melo Filho L, Mano Almeida A, Marçal de Barros Filho E, de Oliveira Borges GC. Simulated training model in a low cost for laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty. Acta Cir Bras. 2021;36(1):e360108. doi:10.1590/ACB360108. CC BY 4.0.
  6. ↑ Medeiros GA, Gualberto IJN, da Silva CHND, Diniz AMB, de Santana JBF, Volpe FP, Gadde R, Mazzo A, de Oliveira RC, Sbragia L. Development of a low-cost congenital abdominal wall defect simulator (wall-go) for undergraduate medical education: a validation study. BMC Medical Education. 2023;23(1):966. Open access (CC BY 4.0). DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04929-3. PMID 38102605.
  7. ↑ Calvo A, Ibañez Esteve C, Varela V, Gomez-Lopez L, Perdomo JM, Berge R, Gomar Sancho C. Design, application and evaluation of a cricothyrotomy model for a multidisciplinary simulation. An observational single centre study. Educación Médica 2021;22:305–310. DOI: 10.1016/j.edumed.2020.12.003.
  8. ↑ Kei J, Mebust DP, Duggan LV. The REAL CRIC Trainer: Instructions for Building an Inexpensive, Realistic Cricothyrotomy Simulator with Skin and Tissue, Bleeding, and Flash of Air. Journal of Emergency Medicine 2019;56(4):426–430. DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2018.12.023. PMID: 30685221.
  9. ↑ Misra A, Chapman A, Watson WD, Bach JA, Bonta MJ, Elliott JO, Dominguez EP (2024). "Use of Low-Cost Task Trainer for Emergency Department Thoracotomy Training in General Surgery Residency Program." Journal of Surgical Education 81(1):134–144. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.09.009. PMID: 37926660. © 2023 Association of Program Directors in Surgery, published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
  10. ↑ Lee M, Ang C, Andreadis K, Shin J, Rameau A. An open-source three-dimensionally printed laryngeal model for injection laryngoplasty training. Laryngoscope 2021;131(3):E890–E895. DOI: 10.1002/lary.28952. PMID: 32750164.
  11. ↑ Fernandes CO, Rodrigues LR, Silva do Amaral MLBS, de Morais Rodrigues SJ, Marton-Filho MA. Low-cost simulator for intra-abdominal bleeding. Rev Col Bras Cir 2023;50:e20233512. DOI: 10.1590/0100-6991e-20233512-en. PMID: 37971114. PMC: PMC10618030.
  12. ↑ Casas-Murillo C, Zuñiga-Ruiz A, Lopez-Barron RE, Sanchez-Uresti A, Gogeascoechea-Hernandez A, Muñoz-Maldonado GE, Salinas-Chapa M, Elizondo-Riojas G, Negreros-Osuna AA. 3D-printed anatomical models of the cystic duct and its variants, a low-cost solution for an in-house built simulator for laparoscopic surgery training. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 2021;43(4):537–544. DOI 10.1007/s00276-020-02631-3. PMID 33386458.
  13. ↑ New ML, Amass T, Neumeier A, Jacobson NM, Huie TJ. Creation and validation of a massive hemoptysis simulator. Chest 2024;165(3):636–644. DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.10.014. PMID 37852436.
  14. ↑ Cardiac Surgical Skills Training Module, SELF-Training team / Global Surgical Training Challenge, Appropedia, 2021. Build and operation: Phase 2 (Simulator Setup), Phase 3 (Skills Practice) and Phase 4 (Self-Assessment).
  15. ↑ Pediatric Distal Forearm Fractures/Pediatric Forearm Simulators, Appropedia.
  16. ↑ Heo K, Greaney E, Haehl J, Stunden C, Lindner A, Malik PRA, Rosenbaum DG, Muensterer O, Zakani S, Jacob J, Joharifard S. Iterative Design and Manufacturing of a 3D-Printed Pediatric Open and Laparoscopic Integrated Simulator for Hernia Repair (POLISHeR). Journal of Pediatric Surgery 2025;60:162232. DOI 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2025.162232 PMID 40011165. CC BY-NC 4.0.
  17. ↑ Kumar R, Kumar R. An Indigenous Suction-assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulation System. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine 2024;28(7):702–705. DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-24760. PMID: 38994267. PMC: PMC11234124. License: CC BY-NC 4.0.
  18. ↑ Akdag BA, Akdag B, Ikizoglu E, Husemoglu B, Kizmazoglu C, Aydin HE, Ozer E. "A Novel Training Model for Superficial Temporal Artery- Middle Cerebral Artery Anastomosis Using Microsurgical Techniques." World Neurosurgery. 2024;190:e665–e674. DOI 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.07.200. PMID 39098505.
  19. ↑ ALL-SAFE Consortium. ALL-SAFE Trocar Placement Simulation Build Instructions. Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons, University of Michigan, Southern Illinois University, Soddo Christian Hospital, AIC Kijabe Hospital, Mbingo Baptist Hospital. Available at: PDF.
  20. ↑ AmoSmile Physical Simulator. AmoSmile team, Appropedia.
  21. ↑ Matthews J, Bhatia MB, Thomas C, Okoth P, Martinez CR, Levy JS, Stefanidis D, Hunter-Squires JL, Saruni SI (2022). "AMPATH surgical app: Low-cost simulator for the open appendectomy." Surgery 172(6):1656–1664. DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2022.07.023. PMID: 36123174. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
At a Glance

Overview

Colourants are sold as liquids, gels and powders. The food-grade dyes used in simulation are inexpensive, non-toxic and available worldwide from grocery and craft retailers. Paints belong to this class too, and are bought from stationers, art suppliers and hardware shops. The class is not food-grade throughout. The table above also records plastisol colourant, Silc-Pig silicone pigment, Rit fabric dye, methylene blue, rifampicin (Rifocin) ampoules and lipstick. Follow the manufacturer's handling and disposal instructions for those, and treat the two pharmaceutical agents as medicines rather than craft supplies.

Documented uses in TissueDB builds are: red food colouring stirred into water or saline to make simulated blood; a few drops of food colouring in a water reservoir so that an anastomotic leak shows during a leak check; red school paint mixed with water as a pumped blood substitute; and gouache and water-based enamel brushed onto model surfaces to colour anatomy, mark a landmark or finish a model.

Several sources do state a mixing ratio, and the table above records each one. Kei uses 10 mL of red food colouring in 1 L of normal saline. New uses 20 mL of red plus a few drops of blue in 1 L. Kumar uses 10 g in two litres of water. The Pediatric Forearm phantom uses 40 drops of blue with 20 red and 20 yellow, or 80 drops of black. The Patent Ductus Arteriosus model uses 0.5 g of powdered pigment per model. Souza Lima mixes 250 mL of red school paint with water. Where a row gives no ratio, its source states none.

Talcum powder is not part of this class — it has its own page, Talcum Powder.

Synonyms

Folded child pages (all redirect here): Black Ink, Food Colouring, Food Coloring, Red Dye, Green Dye, Red Food Coloring, Green Food Coloring.

Common names: food colouring, food coloring, food dye, edible dye, edible colouring, colourant, red colorant, green colorant; India ink, Indian ink, Chinese ink, carbon ink, sumi ink; paint, school paint, gouache, gouache ink, water-based enamel.

Forms: liquid, gel, paste, powder, paint and concentrated colourant.

Regional names: colorante alimentario (ES), colorant alimentaire (FR), corante alimentar (PT), Lebensmittelfarbe (DE), 食用色素 (ZH), खाद्य रंग (HI), ملون غذائي (AR).



Page data
Keywords ink, dye, food colouring, food coloring, black ink, red dye, green dye, red food coloring, green food coloring, colourant, simulated blood, leak indicator, TissueDB
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Authors Arturopelayo
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language English (en)
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Redirects TissueDB/Materials/Black Ink, TissueDB/Materials/Food Colouring, TissueDB/Materials/Red Dye, TissueDB/Materials/Green Dye, TissueDB/Materials/Red Food Coloring, TissueDB/Materials/Green Food Coloring, TissueDB/Materials/Food Coloring, TissueDB/Materials/Green dye, TissueDB/Materials/Red dye, TissueDB/Materials/Paint
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Created July 3, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Last edit July 27, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Cite as Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Ink or Dye". Appropedia. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
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