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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #143517
Title: Effect of Purified Trichoderma Reesei Cellulases on the Supramolecular Structure of Cotton Cellulose

Author
item Rousselle, Marie
item BERTONIERE, NOELIE - COLLABORATOR
item Howley, Phyllis
item PERE, JAAKKO - Vtt Technical Research Centre Of Finland
item BUCHERT, JOHANNA - Vtt Technical Research Centre Of Finland

Submitted to: Textile Research Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2003
Publication Date: 10/1/2003
Citation: Rousselle, M.A., Bertoniere, N.R., Howley, P.S., Pere, J., Buchert, J. 2003. Effect of Purified Trichoderma Reesei Cellulases on the Supramolecular Structure of Cotton Cellulose. Textile Research Journal. 73(10):921-928.

Interpretive Summary: Enzymes are used in textile processing to improve the appearance of cotton fabrics. Cellulase enzymes, which contain several components, can produce denim with a stone-washed appearance, remove fuzzy fibers to give a smooth surface, or improve color uniformity of dyed fabrics. In this study, we treated cotton fabric with four individual cellulase components, and compared their effect on fabric weight and strength, the size of pores in the cotton fibers, and the hydrogen bonding patterns in the cotton cellulose. Knowledge of the effects of the individual components can help other researchers better understand how cellulase components act on cotton fabrics, and can help the textile industry achieve the desired changes in fabric properties while minimizing damaging side-effects.

Technical Abstract: Commercial cellulases may contain mixtures of different cellulase components; properties of cotton fabrics treated with cellulases vary with the nature of the mixtures. This study reports the effect of treatments with cellulase monocomponents on the molecular and supramolecular structures of cotton cellulose. Desized, scoured, and bleached printcloth fabrics prepared from ring-spun or rotor-spun Deltapine cotton yarns were treated with monocomponent cellulases endoglucanase I and II and cellobiohydrolase I and II from Trichoderma reesei in a 0.05M, pH 4.8, acetate buffer in stainless steel canisters in the presence of stainless steel ball bearings for 30 minutes at 50oC. The effects of the treatments on fabric weight loss, reducing sugar formation, fabric breaking strength and tearing strength, copper number, water of imbibition, cellulose microstructure as revealed by hydrogen bonding patterns, and fiber pore size distribution are reported.