Abstract:

Flax fibres are known as favourable to human skin, and linen clothing positively influences  some physiological parameters, guaranteeing optimal comfort for users.  The advantages of linen are not only related to ensuring proper breathability for human skin and to a lack of allergic activity, but also to flax fibre antibacterial properties, whose are not precisely described in available literature. This paper describes the examination of flax fibres extracted from Polish flax varieties: Artemida, Modran, Sara, Nike and Luna in terms of their antibacterial activity. The fibres were extracted from stems with the application of two different methods: dew and water retting. The extraction method had an influence on the chemical composition of the fibres, resulting in different levels of fibre antibacterial properties. The biological activity of the flax fibres was estimated using clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The flax fibres extracted by the dew retting method from the varieties MODRAN, SARA and NIKE showed the highest amount of lignin content in their chemical composition and the strongest antibacterial activity in comparison to other fibres tested.