Catalysts (2021), 11, 84.
Researcher
Description
Scouring is one of the initial steps in the processing of natural textile fibers (e.g., cotton),
performed to remove waxes and pectins, together with spinning oils and other impurities of the plant
cell cuticle. Traditional chemical bleaching with boiling NaOH led to harsh removal of the entire
fabric’s cuticle waxy layer accompanied by an unwanted alkaline waste. Extracellular lytic enzymes
such as lipases, cellulases and pectinases play an essential role in host plant-pathogen interactions.
They degrade the plant cuticle and tissue and enable pathogen invasion. Such enzymes, specifically
cutinase and pectinase, have been considered potential bio-scouring agents to degrade the cotton
fabric cuticle’s outer layer at low temperature and alleviate environmental pollution. In this work, the
combined effect of cutinase, pectin lyase, or polygalacturonase on the scouring of cotton fabrics was
studied using evaporative light-scattering reverse-phase HPLC and GC-MS analysis of the reaction
components, and measuring changes in the cotton fabrics’ properties. The traditional method of
cotton fabrics’ scouring with NaOH resulted in decreased pectin content and increased cellulose
fibers accessibility, evaluated by specific staining. Treating the cotton fibers’ cuticle with cutinase
led to the acidification of the reaction mixture, a decrease in enzyme-specific activity, and elevation
in hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acids in the reaction fluid. These two saturated fatty acids
are the main wax constituents of raw cotton fabrics, identified using GC-MS after dichloromethane
reflux overnight. Treating cotton fabrics with each of the three enzymes, cutinase, pectin lyase,
or polygalacturonase, increased their pectin removal, as measured by high concentrations of Dgalacturonic acid and other pectin constituents in the reaction fluid. A synergistic effect was found in
the combined treatment of cutinase and pectin lyase in the hydrolysis of the cotton fibers’ cuticle.
This effect was expressed in high water absorbency of the treated fibers, increased fabric weight loss
and sharp elevation of a cutin and pectin monomer’s related peaks (retention time [RT] = 4.1 min
and 2.9, 4.5 min, respectively). A model was suggested for the synergistic action between cutinase
and pectin lyase. It assumes that the cuticle’s digestion by cutinase results in the enlargement and
formation of outer layer micropores, which enables the rapid penetration of pectinase into the inner
pectin layer.
performed to remove waxes and pectins, together with spinning oils and other impurities of the plant
cell cuticle. Traditional chemical bleaching with boiling NaOH led to harsh removal of the entire
fabric’s cuticle waxy layer accompanied by an unwanted alkaline waste. Extracellular lytic enzymes
such as lipases, cellulases and pectinases play an essential role in host plant-pathogen interactions.
They degrade the plant cuticle and tissue and enable pathogen invasion. Such enzymes, specifically
cutinase and pectinase, have been considered potential bio-scouring agents to degrade the cotton
fabric cuticle’s outer layer at low temperature and alleviate environmental pollution. In this work, the
combined effect of cutinase, pectin lyase, or polygalacturonase on the scouring of cotton fabrics was
studied using evaporative light-scattering reverse-phase HPLC and GC-MS analysis of the reaction
components, and measuring changes in the cotton fabrics’ properties. The traditional method of
cotton fabrics’ scouring with NaOH resulted in decreased pectin content and increased cellulose
fibers accessibility, evaluated by specific staining. Treating the cotton fibers’ cuticle with cutinase
led to the acidification of the reaction mixture, a decrease in enzyme-specific activity, and elevation
in hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acids in the reaction fluid. These two saturated fatty acids
are the main wax constituents of raw cotton fabrics, identified using GC-MS after dichloromethane
reflux overnight. Treating cotton fabrics with each of the three enzymes, cutinase, pectin lyase,
or polygalacturonase, increased their pectin removal, as measured by high concentrations of Dgalacturonic acid and other pectin constituents in the reaction fluid. A synergistic effect was found in
the combined treatment of cutinase and pectin lyase in the hydrolysis of the cotton fibers’ cuticle.
This effect was expressed in high water absorbency of the treated fibers, increased fabric weight loss
and sharp elevation of a cutin and pectin monomer’s related peaks (retention time [RT] = 4.1 min
and 2.9, 4.5 min, respectively). A model was suggested for the synergistic action between cutinase
and pectin lyase. It assumes that the cuticle’s digestion by cutinase results in the enlargement and
formation of outer layer micropores, which enables the rapid penetration of pectinase into the inner
pectin layer.