Evaluation of Modified Organic Cotton Fibers Based Absorbent Article Applicable to Feminine Hygiene

ABSTRACT

In the present study, an absorbent article from raw organic cotton fibers (ROCFs) as base material was prepared for female hygiene applications. ROCFs were modified employing two different approaches: the conventional NaOH and eco-friendly ethanol/water blend. Chitosan is considered as an eco-friendly agent and hence used in the present study to impart simultaneous antimicrobial, binding, and stabilizing properties to the final product. Two different organic acids, namely acetic acid and citric acid, were used to disperse the chitosan particles in order to balance the pH range of the feminine physiology system, which is normally in the range of 3–4.5 to prevent the undesired growth of microbes. Particle size and SEM analysis confirmed the proper dispersion and attachment of chitosan particles in the modified cotton fibers, respectively. The absorbency test indicated the better holding capacity for the ethanol cotton fibers treated along with chitosan in combination citric acid. Further, this combination was also found to possess better antimicrobial activity against specific microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and others.

摘要

在本研究中, 从有机棉原纤维 (ROCF) 中制备了一种用于女性卫生应用的吸收性物品. ROCFs采用两种不同的方法进行修改:传统的NaOH和生态友好的乙醇/水混合物. 壳聚糖被认为是一种环保剂, 因此在本研究中, 壳聚糖可同时赋予最终产品抗菌, 结合和稳定性能. 使用两种不同的有机酸, 即醋酸和柠檬酸来分散壳聚糖颗粒, 以平衡女性生理系统的pH范围 (通常在3-4.5范围内), 防止微生物的意外生长. 粒径和SEM分析分别证实了壳聚糖颗粒在改性棉纤维中的适当分散和附着. 吸水性测试表明, 壳聚糖与柠檬酸复合处理的乙醇棉纤维具有更好的持水性. 此外, 还发现这种组合对金黄色葡萄球菌, 大肠杆菌等特定微生物具有更好的抗菌活性.

KEYWORDS:

• Cotton
• fibers
• hygiene
• absorbency
• chitosan
• antimicrobial

关键词:

• 棉
• 纤维
• 卫生
• 吸收性
• 壳聚糖
• 抗菌剂

Highlights

• Raw organic cotton fibers were treated via a green and sustainable approach in an ethanol–water mixture with excellent swelling as conventional mercerization methods rely on high salt concentrations and consume large amounts of water.

• Chitosan in combination with aqueous acetic and citric acid was subsequently treated with the modified organic cotton fibers to impart antimicrobial characteristics.

• The high absorbency and antimicrobial characteristics against S. aureus, E. coli, and others indicate its enormous potential toward absorbent core for health and hygiene applications.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Credit authorship contribution statement

S. Rout performed all the experiments and contributed to data interpretation. S. Pradhan designed the entire study, assisted with all the analysis, data analysis, and writing. Author 1 and author 2 have the equal authorship. S. Mohanty supervised the experiments and contributed to the data analysis.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.