Antibacterial Effect and Color Fastness of Fibers Treated with Extract from Aloe arborescens (Kidachi Aloe) Dry Leaves

Abstract

The eight kinds of standard fabric, cotton, nylon, acetate, wool, rayon, acryl, silk and polyester, were treated with the extract of Aloe arborescens (Kidachi aloe) dry leaves under an alkaline condition, respectively. Among them, the treated silk, wool and rayon fabrics showed deep colors, and moreover, the silk and rayon ones had strong antibacterial activity. They were tested on their color fastness against ultraviolet, washing, water, dry-cleaning or dry-heating, and then, their antibacterial activity was inspected again. As a result, it was cleared that the treated silk fabric keeps more effective antibacterial activity than the rayon one after the color fastness tests. In addition, it was found that its antibacterial activity was more effective on Staphylococcus aureus than on Klebsiella pneumonoiae. For silk, the extract of Aloe arborescens dry leaves was suggestted to have a possibility as a practical antibacterial agent.