Today’s modern society is highly conscious about hygiene and cleanliness, with a fastidious awareness of the potential for ‘smelly socks’, ‘sweaty shirts’ and unpleasant odours from undergarments. Textile technology has addressed the consumer’s concern with the development of a range of antibacterial textile finishes that prevent the growth of odour-generating bacteria and can be applied to a range of fabrics.
A growing call to address this in a way that does not negatively impact on the environment has propelled the advancement of antibacterial textile finishes. Here we outline the development of a series of green-fit antibacterial finishes that meet consumers’ environmental concerns and demand for effective longevity.
LJ Specialities offers three different antibacterial products derived from natural sources, all of which are completely safe environmentally.
The first product available is Itofinish LJGF, an antibacterial agent based on grapefruit seed and Citrus grandis extracts.
These extracts are already extensively used in the cosmetics industry as preservatives for creams and lotions. Itofinish LJGF not only shows strong antibacterial properties; it has also been shown to have antifungal properties, making it of great interest for a range of products designed to help prevent problems such as athlete’s foot and other common fungal ailments.
These extracts have good sustainability, being derived from fruits that are grown readily. They also do not have negative health and environmental impacts associated with the ‘nano’ type products. An example of the results possible with Itofinish LJGF is given in Table 1.
Alternative products, Itofinish LJSYF New and Itofinish ALO200, both are based on chitosan as an active ingredient. The main difference is that Itofinish ALO200 also contains Aloe vera to utilise its skin-friendly properties.
Obtained from chitin, chitosan is one of the most naturally abundant biodegradable materials in the world, being the structural element in the exoskeleton of crustaceans. The chitin used to make chitosan for the Itofinish products has little to no negative environmental impact, being obtained from crustacean shells discarded as waste in large volumes by the food industry.
Chitosan-based antibacterial products show excellent bacteriostatic properties, giving rise to an antibacterial effect that has been shown to be effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and has even been shown to be effective against MRSA.
Unlike nanosilver-based antibacterial products, there are no health concerns surrounding chitosan-based products, as chitosan is completely natural, completely safe and biodegradable. Chitosan-based antibacterial agents can be applied safely and the wash liquors have no negative environmental impacts. Chitosan is so safe it has even been evaluated as a dietary supplement in weight-loss studies.
Chitosan has other positive qualities, enhancing its use as a natural antibacterial agent. It is moisture-retaining and thus has beneficial moisturising effects on the skin, as treated fabrics help to keep moisture close to the skin.
Chitosan has also been shown to aid blood clotting. This, coupled with its antibacterial properties and the fact it is hypoallergenic, has seen it evaluated for use in wound dressing and other haemostatic agents, where it was shown to quickly stop bleeding.
In short, chitosan antibacterial agents such as Itofinish LJSYF New and Itofinish ALO200 have little environmental impact, are extremely safe, have a range of beneficial effects beyond antibacterial properties and are incredibly sustainable being produced from one of the worlds most abundant elements.
Application of all three products is straightforward, as they can either be pad or exhaust applied with no special application requirements.
Examples of recipes and the antibacterial results obtained can be seen below:
The samples were washed 50 times using a standard 40oC wash cycle and then tested for antibacterial performance to the JIS L 1902 standard against staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
The samples were washed 50 times using a standard 40oC wash cycle and then tested for antibacterial performance to the JIS L 1902 standard against staphylococcus aureus bacteria.