Antibacterial Hemp for the textile industry: a question mark

Antibacterial Hemp for the textile industry could be something real: at this stage, only questions, experiments and tentative approaches

Hemp for the production of antimicrobial textiles

Hemp fabrics and yarns have been shown – but not confirmed – to reduce the presence of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans.
Processing of hemp from the fiber to the yarn may cause the removal of the phenolic acids and thus cannabinoids, resulting in a reduction of the potential bioactivity and antibacterial properties.

A tentative process to keep the natural oils from the fiber to the fabric

The challenge lies in developing a process that allows the yarn – and consequently, the clothing – to keep the natural oils found in the fiber in the yarn and fabric. This could be the result of bio retting in water, which is the stage of the supply chain that Prototipo Studio is precisely investing in.
Lines appeared on trade publications, reporting a series of experiments to attempt to strengthen the bioactivity of the fabric, also trying to apply and to fix hemp essential oil and micro particles to the textiles at the end of the process.

Editorial team