Odour formation on Polyester
Caroline Amberg, Daniel Faeh
Swissatest testmaterials ag, St. Gallen, Schweiz
Fulda, 16. October
Sepawa Congress 2015
October 2015
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Odour formation on textiles: What’s the problem?
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Known problem on synthetic fibers (‘sweat odour’)
•
Washing does not help to remove textile malodour
•
Malodour accumulation ‘ old sweat maldour’ on textiles
Daily life comport is reduced
Lifecycle of the textile is decreased
Higher costs and use of resources
October 2015
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Background: Malodour formation in the Axilla
Source: James, AG et al., 2013, FEMS Microbiol Ecol, 83, 527-540.
Key compounds (short chain and unusual medium
chain Fatty acids, thioalcohols, androstenone):
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October 2015
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Significant relation between
malodour and number of total
aerobes respectively total
aerobic Coryneforms (James,
Casey, Hyliands and Mycock,
2004)
•
Key microorganism is
Corynebacterium sp. subgroup
A, beside Staphylococcus sp.
and Micrococcus sp.
3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid (3M2H)
3-methylobutanoic acid (Isolvaleric acid)
3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid
Thioalcohol
Androstenone
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Sources of Malodour: Sweat and Sebum
Apocrin Sweat and
Sebum:
Primary
odourless and sterile,
contains 1E+07 microorganisms/ml;
is
transformed
into
odorous
substances
mainly
by
some
Staphylococcus
sp.,
aerobic Corynebacteria,
and Micrococci
Other Sources: Dirty
Laundry,
Washing
process,
Detergent,
Softener,
Drying
proczess
October 2015
Microbial
transfer
Adsorption of
volatiles
Microbial transfer from skin /
sweat to textile, attachment /
biofilm formation and growth
on textile, transformation of
sweat / sebum in odorous
substances
Microorganisms on the skin
produce volatile substances those
were adsorbed on the textile fibers
and release
Microbial transfer
and / or adsorption
of volatiles
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Complexity of Odour accumulation
soil
Wear
Wash
Staphylococcus sp. and
Micrococcus sp. transform sweat,
sebum and soil into short chain /
branched chain fatty acids
MALODOUR
soil
fragrances
soil
Microorganisms
from washing
machine / other
laundry items
soil
Removed during
washing process
(pH -, Tdependent)
fragrances
soil
fragrances
Chemical adsorption and
release over time
October 2015
soil
Washing machine
malodour /
detergent
components /
Perfums
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
fragrances
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Complexity of odour accumulation
Wear (second time)
Interaction of microorganisms
originating from sweat, skin,
washing machine, air, dirty and
wet laundry, soil with each other
fragrances
fragrances
soil
fragrances
fragrances
October 2015
Interaction of volatile compounds
from sweat, detergent and
softener residues, fragrance,
washing machine, dirty laundry,
air with each other
Interactions with the fiber, dye,
soil residues
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Microbial attachment and biofilm formation on textiles
Comparable microbial numbers
Higher survival rate on wool
•
Higher adhesion on hydrophobic, non-polar
surfaces (Fletcher, M. (1996) Bacterial adhesion. WileyLiss, USA)
•
Lower growth of Staphylococcus sp. (JIS 1902)
on hydrophilic fibers compared to
hydrophobic fibers (Teufel and Redl, 2006. Lenzinger
Berichte)
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Comparable microbial numbers on wool,
cotton and Polyester (McQueen et al., 2007)
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Higher survival rate of Microorganisms on
wool than on Polyester even though
malodour intensity is lower on wool (McQueen et
Higher odour intensity on Polyester
al., 2007)
Source : McQueen et al. (2007). Odour intensity on apparel Fabrics and the link with bacterial populations. Textile Research Journal, 77, 449-456.
October 2015
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Uptake and release of volatiles by fiber types
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Polyester take up and release more fatty acids and aromatic compounds whereas
Cotton, Viscose and Wool take up more Aldehydes (Prada et al., 2011)
Source: Prada et al.(2011): The Evaluation of Human Hand Odor Volatiles on Various Textiles. Journal of Forensic Science, 56 (4), 866-881.
October 2015
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Impact of washing process on textile malodour
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Fabric softener seems to enhance the odour problem on Polyester (Laitala et al.,2012)
Lipase in detergents may have an impact on odour formation (Munk et al., 2000)
Volatile substances (carboxylic acids) are faster removed in a washing process than
microorganisms (Chung and Seok, 2012)
Volatile substances are easier removed on Cotton than on Polyester (McQueen et al., 2013)
Volatiles from washing machine contribute to laundry malodour (Stapleton at al., 2013)
Source: Laitala et al. (2012). Troubles with the Solution: Fabric softeners and Odour Properties. Tenside Surf. Det. 49 (5), 362-368.
October 2015
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Project: Development of novel non-biocidal textiles coatings reducing sweat odour
accumulation (Cooperation with EMPA and Sanitized)
The aim of the study is, beside the development of new
coatings, to understand the impact of micro-organisms
and adsorption of volatile sweat compounds on textiles
Preliminary Field study:
• 30 Probands wearing a half coated / half uncoated
shirt during a one hour sport session
Coated side
reference
October 2015
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Odour accumulation was investigated over 10
wash&wear cycles
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Odour formation and quality was assessed by a panel
of sniffers before and after washing
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Microbial load and microbial spectrum were
determined before and after washing
Antiadhesive coating has an odour-reducing effect
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Conclusions and open questions
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The relation between odour intensity and microbial numbers / spectrum on
textiles is still unclear
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16s-rDNA Analysis of the microbial community on the textiles would bring a more
comprehensive view than the identification of the culturable microorganisms
Linda Teufel et al. (2010), Rachel McQueen et al (2007, 2012), Xu et al. (2013) stated that
microbial numbers do not necessarily correlate with the odour intensity (still unclear if the
assessment of culturable bacteria is senseful and reliable)
Caellewaert et al. (2014) stated that odour differences my be a result of a selective
enrichment of certain odour forming bacteria
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However, no bacteria in the textile lead to a lower odour intensity
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The coating increases hydrophilicity of the polyester:
• Less microbial adhesion
• Less adsorption of volatile compounds generated in the axilla?
• Less / Higher retention of volatile compounds?
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Remaining open questions:
• Role of microorganisms in odour formation / role of microbial spectrum
• Impact of spinning oil / production residues on odour formation
• Antimicrobial coatings and their correlation with odour prevention
October 2015
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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Thank you for your attention
Meet us on booth No. 352
CTI-Project 16190.1 PFNM-NM, Cooperation with
Laboratory for Biointerfaces,
Swiss Federal Laboratories for
Material Testing and Research,
St. Gallen, Switzerland
Sanitized ag, Burgdorf, Switzerland
Dr. Peter Stutte
Dr. Philipp Stiefel
Dr. David Chaperon
Dr. Sabrina Schmidt-Emmrich
Dr. Roland Harbig
Swissatest Testmaterialien AG, Mövenstrasse 12, CH-9015 St. Gallen, swissatest.ch
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