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Herbal Anti Odor Finishes for Selected Denim Blends

By: M. Sumithra & N. Vasugi Raaja
ABSTRACT
In this study four variant of denim fabrics using three herbal extracts of Ricinus
communis, Senna auriculata and Euphorbia hirta which were screened for their anti
odor efficiency by finishing the methanol extracts of these herbs on the denim fabrics.
Of these extracts and the condition 20kgf/cm2 Pressure, 20m/min rpm were followed by
dip method. To enhance the durability of the finished fabric, wash durability test were
performed and the results showed there was maximum absorbency and retentivity of
anti odor finish in fabric sample D (100% cotton) when compared with other samples.
INTRODUCTION
The textile industry is seeking innovative production techniques to improve the product
quality. Society as well requires new finishing techniques with regard to the
environmental aspect. Eco-friendly products refer to products and services that are
made of chemical-free raw materials; the manufacturing of these products causes
minimal harm to the environment. More and more people are going green and
contributing in their own small ways to preserve nature and the beauty of the earth, as
noted by environmentalleader.com.
Today, denim culture is widely prominent in the tropical and sub tropical world. Denim
does not mean jeans alone; it refers to a multitude of items in apparel accessories and
embellishments. With the development of infinite possibilities of yarns, fabric, finishes,
weaves, dyes, a wide range of denim fabrics can be manufactured to suit the varied taste
of the consumer.
Textiles will have desirable aesthetic qualities if they can suppress odor causing bacteria
and other types of odor causing micro-organisms. The hygiene and medical effectiveness
of textiles is required to prevent the growth of dermatophytic fungi (those that cause
skin diseases), pathogenic and potentially lethal micro-organisms on fibers and to
prevent their infestation by insects.
The investigator considered all the above factors and selected the present study to
satisfy the consumer by producing antiodor finish on denim fabric. With this objective,
the following study was carried out.
To screen for the functional properties such as Anti odor from selected herbs:
To optimize the effective herbal combination of the functional property of the
selected finishes
To finish the optimized herbal combination on the four selected denim fabrics
To evaluate the properties after and before wash of the finished fabrics

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Anti odor evaluation on finished fabric
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
The following samples Sample A-68%cotton+32% Polyester, Sample B-68%cotton+32%
Poly Lycra, Sample C-68%cotton+32% core spun Lycra and Sample D -100% cotton
were sourced from the market, was used for the application of antiodor finish. The
leaves of Ricinus communis, Senna auriculata (leaves) and Euphorbia hirta (leaves
stem and flower) were used for obtaining the antiodor extract. The plants and their
parts were collected from Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, South east coast of India.
Methods
The following was the evaluation of anti odor activity on the finished fabrics which was
compared with the organoleptic evaluation of odor control for accurate value.
Procedure
The selected male panelists wore the control and finished socks daily during the test
period. Each sock was worn on a specific foot. At the end of the stipulated period of
time, panelists had to remove the socks in the lab, and seal it in a plastic bag, and collect
other socks for the next day. Four judges were selected to evaluate the odor finish from
the worn socks. This evaluation was done after 14 hours of wearing of socks. The rating
scale was prepared 0 to 10(10-Ideal, 9-Excellent, 8-Very Good, 7-Good, 6-Fairly Good,
5-Acceptable, 4-Fair, 3-Poorly Fair, 2-Poor, 1- Very Poor and 0 Repulsive) and was
given to the judges for evaluating the effect of odor finish in the socks.
Wash Durability Test
The antiodor finished fabrics were analyzed for wash durability by subjecting the
samples to washing by industrial machines and testing. The washed fabrics were
assessed by ENISO 20645 test methods.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Assessment of anti odor activity on A, B, C and D samples
The following Table 1 and Figure 1 depict the result of the assessment of anti odor
activity on A, B, C and D samples.
From the Table 1 and Figure 1,it is clear that among the samples of A, the unwashed
finished sample FFA1 showed fair rating (4) in anti odor activity which was retained in
sample FFA10 also, but after wash in samples FFA20 and FFA30 the activity slightly
reduced, and was rated as 3.
Among samples of B, samples FFB1 and FFB10 exhibited fair anti odor activity which
was rated as 4, whereas it was reduced drastically to a rating level of 2 in samples FFB20
and FFB30.

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Table 1: Assessment of anti odor activity -dip method
S.No
Fabric Samples
Rating scale*
1
FFA1
4
2
FFA10(after 10 washes)
4
3
FFA20(after 20 washes)
3
4
FFA30(after 30 washes)
3
5
FFB1
4
6
FFB10(after 10 washes)
4
7
FFB20(after 20 washes)
2
8
FFB30(after 30 washes)
2
9
FFC1
6
10
FFC10(after 10 washes)
5
11
FFC20(after 20 washes)
5
12
FFC30(after 30 washes)
4
13
FFD1
8
14
FFD10(after 10 washes)
7
15
FFD20(after 20 washes)
6
16
FFD30(after 30 washes)
5
*Rating scale: 10-Ideal, 9-Excellent, 8-Verygood,
7-Good, 6-Fairlygood, 5-Acceptable, 4-Fair, 3-Poorly
fair, 2-Poor, 1- Very poor and 0 Repulsive

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In case of samples of C, the anti odor activity was noted to be fairly good, which was less
in samples FFC10 and FFC20 whereas it was rated as 5(acceptable), followed by sample
FFC30, which is rated as 4(Fair).
With reference to the samples of D, the highest rating was seen in sample FFD1 which
was rated as 8 (very good), anti odor activity which gradually reduced to 7 (Good) in
sample FFD10, followed by samples FFD20 and FFD30 with rating 6 (Fairly good) and 5
(Acceptable) respectively.
Hence it could be concluded that on washing, the anti odor activity was reduced in all
the fabric samples.
Comparison between the unwashed finished and washed finished samples
A, B, C & D
When comparison was made between the unwashed finished fabric and washed samples
of A, B, C and D, samples of D namely FFD1, FFD10, FFD20 and FFD30 showed the
highest ratings over other respective samples of A, B &, C. This was followed by the
unwashed finished sample and washed samples of C, then by A and B.
Hence it could be concluded that there was maximum absorbency and retentivity of anti
odor finish in fabric sample D when compared with samples A, B, C & D.
Conclusion
In the present study, the antiodor efficiency of three herbal extracts Ricinus communis,
Senna auriculata and Euphorbia hirta were studied. The results showed promising use
of these herbal extracts as source of antiodor finishing on denim fabric. After the
procedure it was identified by the investigator that the fabric sample 100% cotton denim
fabric (sample D) possessed all the expected characters like skin/dermal
irritations/infections, without any bad odor, when compsred to the other samples.
About the Author:
M. Sumithra is an Assistant Professor at the Department of costume design and fashion of the
PSG College of arts and science, Coimbatore.
N. Vasugi Raaja is a Professor and HOD of the Department Of Textiles and Clothing at the
Avinashilingam Deemed University, Coimbatore.