Ravindra K B
@bietdvg.edu
Associate Professor, Dept. of Textile Technology
Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology, Davangere
EDUCATION
M.Tech. Textile Tech, PhD
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Weaving, Finishing
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
K. B. Ravindra and K. Murugesh Babu
Informa UK Limited
ABSTRACT The present study was aimed at development of microbial resistant textile product using a natural bioactive agent. Ocimum sanctum leaf extract was applied on cotton and polyester/cotton blended fabrics for imparting antibacterial properties to the textile product for health care applications. The fabrics were treated with herbal extract of different concentrations, along with glutaraldehyde as cross-linking agent and sodium hypophosphite as catalyst by exhaust method. Antimicrobial assessment was performed quantitatively by percentage reduction test (AATCC-147-1998) against test organisms gram-positive bacteria staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 11230). The results provided evidence that the treated fabric inhibited the growth of gram-positive bacteria by more than 92% as compared to the control samples. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of eugenol in Ocimum sanctum extract. Although, the treated fabrics showed enhanced crease recovery property, there was a marginal reduction in tensile properties. Improvement in crease recovery property of treated blended fabric was slightly less as compared to treated cotton fabric. The antimicrobial treatment negatively affects the bending properties and this negative effect was found to be slightly less for blended fabric as compared to pure cotton fabric.
K. Murugesh Babu and K.B. Ravindra
Informa UK Limited
Various antimicrobial textile materials are developed using a variety of active agents which include synthetic antimicrobial agents such as triclosan, metal and their salts, phenols, quaternary ammonium compounds, and organometallics. Although synthetic antimicrobial agents effectively inhibit the growth of microbes, most of them are toxic, can cause adverse effects on human health, and have environmental issues. Present studies prove that several plant extracts could be effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria depending on the type of components present in the plant extract. Hence, the research on eco-friendly antimicrobial agents and their application on various textile products gain worldwide importance. Natural antimicrobial compounds derived from plants such as neem, tea tree, azuki beans, aloe vera, tulsi leaves (Ocimum sanctum), clove oil, pomegranate rind, turmeric, eucalyptus oil, onion skin, and pulp extracts, are being used in the finishing of textiles. This paper highlights the possibilities of using these bioactive substances for imparting antimicrobial property to the textiles for developing health care products.