Antimicrobial Textile Testing

At Melbec, we offer a comprehensive range of microbiology efficacy testing options in line with international standards to assist with antimicrobial assessment of textiles.

Antimicrobial Textile Testing

Antimicrobial textiles have been used for centuries, with the Egyptians using spices and herbal coatings to prepare mummy wrap.

In more modern times, there is vast interest in hygienic fabrics that offer an advantage in respect of cleanliness and odour prevention because of their antimicrobial properties or inherent reduced bacterial growth. Typical antimicrobial textiles provide useful solutions to industries where microbes can pose a risk to end users, such as in hospital environments, where there is greater risk of transmission of microbes from one person to another. In addition, they can also be used to fight odours within fabrics typically worn next to the skin, such as t-shirts, socks, and sportswear.

At Melbec, we offer a comprehensive range of microbiology efficacy testing options in line with international standards to assist with antimicrobial assessment of textiles. Testing can be completed using standard organisms or adapted for specific organisms related to product claims. These might include antibiotic resistant strains such as MRSA and VRE, fungal spores or Clostridium difficile.

Antimicrobial textile testing methods include:

Test method to determine the susceptibility of textile materials to mildew and rot and to evaluate the efficacy of fungicides on textile materials.

This antimicrobial test is a quantitative method in which assessment of antibacterial finishes on textile materials (fabric finishes, etc.) is determined by the degree of antibacterial activity intended in the use of such materials.

This is for testing antibacterial, bactericidal, bacteriostatic activity and provides a qualitative zone of inhibition type of result around the treated article.

The Shake Flask Method is a quantitative screening test, generally known as the “Dow Shake Flask

Method”. The Shake Flask Method involves exposure of a fabric sample within buffer solution containing a standardised bacterial concentration, with material exposed for a known time.

This ISO standard is a quantitative test methods to determine the antibacterial activity of all antibacterial textile products including nonwovens.

There are three inoculation methods for the determination of antibacterial activity:

  • absorption method (an evaluation method in which the test bacterial suspension is inoculated directly onto specimens);
  • transfer method (an evaluation method in which test bacteria are placed on an agar plate and transferred onto specimens);
  • printing method (an evaluation method in which test bacteria are placed on a filter and printed onto specimens).

This standard specifies a method for the determination of the effect of antibacterial treatments applied to woven, knitted and other flat textiles. It is applicable to testing hygienic finishes of hydrophilic, air-permeable materials or antibacterial products incorporated in the fibre. A minimum diffusion of the antibacterial treatment into the test agar is necessary with this procedure. If no other methods are applicable, this method can be adapted to other materials too.

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01706 214 492 info@melbecmicrobiology.co.uk