Effectiveness of flavourzyme treatment on polyamide fabric

We characterized the effectiveness of Flavourzyme treatment in the hydrolysis of amide bonds in polyamide fabric by quantitating the ionic groups released into the treatment liquid and those formed on the fabric surface. On the basis of hydrolytic activity, we demonstrated that Flavourzyme effectively hydrolyzed amide bonds in polyamide (PA) fabric. The optimal treatment conditions were found to be pH 7.0, temperature 40 °C, treatment time 120 min, and Flavourzyme concentration 10 % based on weight of fiber. PA fabric treated with Flavourzyme exhibited increased numbers of amino and carboxyl groups, as evaluated by zeta potential and color strength. As the amounts of ionic groups formed by Flavourzyme hydrolysis increased, the water contact angle and water absorbency time decreased.