CELLULASE TREATMENT OF COTTON FABRICS

We have investigated the rate of catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose fab rics by a cellulase enzyme in the presence of dyes on a cotton substra te. We found that both direct and reactive dyes on the substrate appar ently inhibited the enzyme catalytic reaction, whereas a vat dye did n ot. The enzyme was more active for mercerized than for nonmercerized c otton. The enzyme treatment significantly reduced both tear strength a nd dye uptake of the fabrics. Enzyme-treated and successively dyed fab rics showed different color fading profiles compared to untreated fabr ics after laundering.