Investigating the antioxidant properties of seaweed treated cotton fabrics for hygienic applications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficient exploitation of bioactive compounds present in red, green and brown seaweeds to develop hygienic products. Design/methodology/approach To analyse the antioxidant properties and identification of significant bioactive compounds of green, red and brown seaweed treated cotton fabrics, total antioxidant activity, DPPH Free radical scavenging activity and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis were used. Findings The experimental result specifies that the maximum antioxidant activity of 126.50 µ g/ml and inhibition percentage of 76 ± 0.15 percent was achieved in the seaweed treated cotton fabrics. All six seaweed treated fabrics proved slightly lesser water vapour and air permeability compared with the untreated fabric. Originality/value The seaweed treated cotton materials are suitable for making wound dressing, surgical wear, face mask, sportswear, healthcare and hygienic applications.