Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: July-Sep | Volume: 2 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 29-34
Bioactivity of Textile Fabrics Impregnated with Crude Extract of Biden Pilosa Plant Species
Loum Janani, P.A.G.Wanyama
Department of textile and ginning Engineering, Busitema University, PO Box 236, Tororo
Corresponding author: Loum Janani
ABSTRACT
Aqueous extract of Biden pilosa plant species was obtained by boiling the dried and pulverized leaves in distilled water. The filtered aqueous extract was applied on scoured and bleached cotton and silk fabrics by adopting the procedure for post mordanting dyeing with natural dyes. The fixing agents (mordants) used were alum and ferrous sulphate. Nutrition agar (MHA) was used as culture media for the test microorganisms viz: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and agar diffusion method was adopted for determination of antimicrobial activity. It was established that the impregnated cotton fabrics with the application of fixing agents/mordants inhibited microbial growth both underneath and around with poor growth rate towards the fabrics. However the cotton fabrics impregnated without the aid of mordants registered weak growth towards the fabric, no growth underneath but no growth inhibition towards the fabrics. All the impregnated silk fabrics registered strong growth inhibition underneath and around with weak growth rates towards the fabrics.
Keywords: Bioactivity, fabrics, medical textiles, mordant