The secret formula for creating Roman imperial purple dye has been rediscovered. The lost secret of fomulating Rome's imperial purple dye has been rediscovered, thanks to a bacterium found in supermarket molluscs. Retired engineer John Edmonds was interested in how the Romans achieved the deep purple color favored in their imperial clothing and researched the little that is recorded about the process. Experimentation led Edmonds to a fermentation process from the woad plant and later to Murex molluscs, which he purchased at a local supermarket. The shellfish are thought to contain a bacterium necessary to reduce the dye. Edmonds delivered his findings to the British Association science festival in Salford, Greater Manchester.

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