In the present scenario, when we are struggling hard against COVID, it has become a compulsion to take good and hygienic care about our health in all respect. Clothing is probably an essential part of our life. A life without a proper outfit is impossible to imagine. And nowadays proper outfit means a perfect textile that passes the antimicrobial textile testing and standard. The word antimicrobial makes one curious as there is not much known about it. Antimicrobial textiles can shut off bacteria’s routes to inhibit germ production on textiles, successfully avoiding pathogen interaction with the human body and lowering the danger to the human pathogens. There are various technologies adopted these days for textile testing. Out of all, aatcc 100 test has been proved to be the best in all methods. It thwarts the growth of any bacteria. It is made just for this sole purpose.
Antimicrobial textiles are gaining popularity. Everyone wants to wear neat and clean clothes which makes them confident to do any work.
Different Methods used in antimicrobial testing
There are primarily two types of testing: routine process testing and quality record testing. The results of routine process testing can be obtained immediately in the field. The outcome of quality record testing is to be recorded for various objects to complete the work. There are few more testing methods available in colorfastness to dry cleaning, frosting, sweat, and sunlight. Aatcc 100 test is popular in the industry’s which are situated in USA. The fashion industry use antimicrobial product which makes their product unique and safe.
Six main key stages of aatcc 100 test
There are main key stages to perform the whole test process irrespective of climate, texture, and color. The aatcc 100 test method is divided into six stages: sample preparation, sterilization, vaccination, incubation, washing/shaking out, and counting. Organisms are cultured in favorable settings to provide a clear indication of the test fabric’s antibacterial qualities.
Process / Methods
The bacterium under test is cultivated in liquid culture. Then the test microorganism concentration is standardized, and a sterile nutritive solution is used to dilute the microbial culture. Microorganisms are introduced into control and test fabric samples. The vaccination is carried out so that the microbial suspension only comes into contact with the cloth.
A control experiment is performed to ensure that the neutralization/elution/ deactivation procedure efficiently neutralizes the antibacterial ingredient in the cloth. Microbial concentrations are determined following incubation. The reduction of bacteria relative to initial concentrations and the control fabric is calculated. Industry uses the raw materials which are antibacterial so that finished product will be made up of good quality.
Strength
Microbiological concentrations are standardized, and bacteria are given nutrients during the incubation period, giving them plenty of room to flourish if the fabrics aren’t antimicrobial enough. This contrasts with other antimicrobial studies in which microorganisms are “incubated” in non-nutritive solutions, which can be stressful over time. The procedure is quantitative, and the results are usually reproducible. Quantitative outcomes can help determine the utility and marketability of the fabrics examined. Bacteriostatic and bactericidal (bacteria-killing) characteristics are tested using this method. This helps to choose which material will be best for production.
Weakness
Though the aatcc 100 test method has very few drawbacks, it can quantify antimicrobial activity. Because the method includes nebulous success criteria, the decision on whether or not a cloth qualifies as “antimicrobial” may ultimately be made by the study’s sponsor. If the test fabric does not readily absorb liquids, the test can become time-consuming (hydrophobic).
United states is taking preventive measures to make the country free from bacteria and make their citizen free from bad elements. Below is a summary of the aatcc 100 test method and some of its merits and weaknesses. The aatcc 100 test method is intended to quantitatively assess the ability of fabrics and textiles to limit the growth of germs or kill them over 24 hours of contact.
Now in this present situation, the companies are taking good care of the customers and their employees. To support COVID’s claim, little extra care is taken.
Minimum requirements: Disinfectants must be verified against the EN 14476:2013+A2:2019 standard using vaccinia virus for claims against enveloped viruses. For contact intervals of less than two minutes for hand hygiene products and less than five minutes for surface disinfection products, a 4-Log reduction is required to pass this test. This test is designed to detect all enveloped viruses, including coronaviruses.
Tests utilizing the vaccinia virus must be done against the EN 16777:2018 standard for disinfection efficacy against encapsulated viruses on a surface. If you pass this test, you will be able to file claims against enveloped viruses, including coronaviruses.
The companies also offer tests against a surrogate virus, human coronavirus 229E, utilized for regulatory claims against coronavirus. In this pandemic period, people are afraid of purchasing any product as it may contain any kind of virus. There are some of the major textile industries who are using the antimicrobial raw material to make safe products. People are ready to spend more on safe products than unhygienic one.
As the time and trends are changing, the quality and the testing method are also improvising. Inorganic nanoparticle coatings on cloth are the present status of UV-protective textile finishing. To achieve realistic UV blocking textiles, future difficulties include reducing or eliminating the photocatalytic potential of inorganic nano UV blockers and improving the wash fastness of organic UV absorbers and inorganic UV blockers.