Effects of agitation and endoglucanase pretreatment on the hydrolysis of cotton fabrics by a total cellulase

We have attempted to clarify the effects of low and high levels of mechanical agitation on the cellulolytic activity of a pure endoglucanase (EG) and a total cellulase mixture (TC) on scoured and bleached cotton fabric, along with the effect of EG pretreatment on subsequent treatments with TC. Methods used to follow the progress of fabric treatments include weight loss, breaking load loss, bending hysteresis, and the production of soluble reducing sugars and reducing end groups in the fibers. The results show that agitation rate affects the mechanism of cellulolytic attack, and that this has implications for delivering desired finishing effects.