Antimicrobial Properties of Flax Fibers in the Enzyme Retting Process

“GB/T 20944.3-2008--Part 3: Shake flask method” was applied to assess the antimicro bial property of flax fibres. The antimicrobial efficiency of flax fibre was represented as the absolute antimicrobial rate and relative antimicrobial rate. Cotton fibre served as a contrast in relation to the antimicrobial rate. The retted flax fibre showed an absolute anti microbial rate against E.coli and S. aureus, but only presented a relative antimicrobial rate against S. cerevisiae. The contents of pectic substances of flax straw such as cerolipoid, hydrotrope, pectin, hemicellulose and lignin declined during flax retting, especially lignin, whose content declined from 24% to 7.13%, and gaps appeared between the fibre bundles. Consequently the antimicrobial efficiency of flax fibre decreased gradually. This experiment confirmed the existence of antibacterial substances, but exactly what compounds associ ated with flax exhibiting antimicrobial properties is not discussed.