Grapeseed oil (Vitis Vinifera L.) treatment on polyester based fabrics to develop antibacterial and physiologically comfortable health-care and hygiene textiles

Abstract

\n Healthcare and hygiene products in the medical sector uphold a prime responsibility to prevent the passage of bacteria or other harmful organisms from non-sterile to sterile areas. This has been currently possible with increased awareness and concern about the healthcare/ hospital textiles. Along with protection, various products are accommodated with several functional properties such as comfort, odor-free, and hygiene aspects. This manuscript presents an insight into the development of such textiles by application of the grapeseed oil (Vitis vinifera L.), a by-product of the winemaking industry. The fabric structures chosen for the study are relevant to the end uses of textile products in the medical applications such as 100% texturized polyester, 100% micro-polyester, polyester/viscose and polyester/cotton woven fabrics. All polyester fabric samples have been pre-treated with an optimized concentration of trichloroacetic acid-methylene chloride (TCA-MC) solvent and further treated with four different grapeseed oil concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). The antibacterial and comfort properties of the treated fabric samples have been evaluated and analysed. The treated fabric samples show the substantial antibacterial activity of 48% and 39% respectively against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria after 50 home laundry washing cycles.