Enzymatic easing of adhesion in honeydew-contaminated cotton for textile applications

Purpose The textile sector struggles with cotton stickiness from honeydew contamination. It hurts agriculture and marketability. This study aims to examine how bacterial enzymes could reduce honeydew-contaminated cotton adherence in textile businesses sustainably. Design/methodology/approach Enzyme was extracted from bacteria isolated from the fermented bamboo shoots “Lung siej”. The enzyme was tested for α-glucosidase using p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside as a substrate. Design of experiments determined enzyme activity temperature and reaction time. Laboratory-prepared artificial honeydew was added to ginning mill cotton to show honeydew contamination. After enzyme treatment, sticky cotton was tested for microscopic examination, ultraviolet (UV), Benedict’s, Elsner colorimetric, high volume instrument (HVI) and viscosity tests. Findings The bacterial isolate is characterized as Lysinibacillus sp. as confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The enzyme extracted was identified as α-glucosidase. The ideal temperature and reaction time for enzymatic activity were 32 °C and 35 min, respectively, using central composite design. The microscopic examination, UV test, Benedict’s test, Elsner colorimetric test, HVI test and viscosity test showed that bacterial enzyme treatment reduced cotton fiber adherence. Originality/value Although few patents have examined the effect of yeast enzymes, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, a bacterial enzyme is investigated for the first time to reduce the adhesion of honeydew-contaminated cotton.