Abstract:

Nowadays, antimicrobial finishing is a primary requirement for cotton apparel products. Many synthetic antimicrobial agents were used previously, but due to the non-ecofriendly nature of synthetic antimicrobial agents, natural herbal based antimicrobial agents are used these days. The various herbs used in Indian ayurveda medicines, which possess antimicrobial properties, are often applied to textile materials to impart functional properties required for microbicidal effects. In this work, Gloriosa superba, Cyperus rotundus and Pithecellobium dulce were used as antimicrobial agents. The herbs were extracted with different solvent sincluding methanol, ethanol, benzene and water to analyse the influence of these solvents on the efficacy of antimicrobial activity. These extracts were applied on cotton fabrics by the exhaust method and the degree of antimicrobial activity analysed by the zone inhibition method. All the herbs listed in this paper showed good antimicrobial properties against various microbes. However, not all the solvents used in the extraction showed good results in antimicrobial activity against all the microbes. Methanol extracts showed better antimicrobial activity in all three herbs due to their inherent antimicrobial properties. Thus, it is proposed to use methanol as a solvent for the extraction of these herbs to obtain concentrates suitable for antimicrobial activity in cotton fabrics.