Studies of Medicinal Herb Extracts for Controlling the Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei (Fungi) on Organic Cotton and Bamboo Knitted Fabric for Health Care Textiles

Aims: This study investigates the antifungal activity of green tea, neem leaf and aero root medicinal herbal extracts on organic cotton and bamboo knitted fabrics against Aspergillus and Trichoderma reesei.
Study Design: To evaluate the antifungal activity of treated fabric using AATCC test method. To develop an end products using the microencapsulated fabrics for health care textiles.
Place and Duration of Study: Research and development centre, Coimbatore, tamilnadu, india between august 2014 and January 2015.
Methodology: Agar well diffusion test, exhaust method, AATCC-30.
Results: The zone of inhibition of the herbal extracts of green tea, neem leaf and aero root is 24, 26,28 mm for Aspergillus niger (ATCC 6538) and 42, 41, 43 mm for Trichoderma reesei (ATCC 8739) by well diffusion method. The antifungal assessment of finished organic cotton and bamboo fabric is 69, 67 mm for A. niger and 83, 80 mm for T. reesei. antifungal activity of the finished organic cotton fabric after 10th and 20th washes are 75, 71 mm for A. niger and 82, 80 mm for T. reesei and for bamboo fabric 68, 63 mm for A. niger and 80, 76 mm for T. reesei.
Conclusion: The results show promising use of these herbal extracts as source of antifungal finishing of organic cotton and bamboo natural fabric. Finished fabric shows excellent activity against A. niger and T. reesei. Durability of the herbal finishing is increased by microencapsulation methods. The outcome showed that maximum anti fungal effect even for the washed fabrics.