Abstract:

An extract obtained from Coleus ambonicus was applied on cotton fabric by means of the exhaust, micro encapsulation and nano encapsulation methods, and the antimicrobial activity of the finished fabric assessed quantitatively by the AATCC test method 100 against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Escherichia coli) microbes. The finish applied on the the samples using all three methods exhibit a good bacterial reduction percentage. The finish applied on the samples using all three methods possesses a higher bacterial reduction percentage against gram positive microbes than gram negative, even after washing. The method of washing conforms to ISO method 3. The wash durability of the antimicrobial activity was assessed by the bacterial reduction percentage after washing. The wash durability of the samples using the direct exhaust method was very poor and it lost its antimicrobial activity after 10 wash cycles. The wash durability of the samples using the micro encapsulated method shows antimicrobial activity up to 10 wash cycles, dropping gradually to very low levels at 20 wash cycles. The wash durability of the samples using nano encapsulation shows good antimicrobial activity against both gram positive and gram negative microbes even after 30 washes.