Investigation and comparison of antibacterial property of bamboo plants, natural bamboo fibers and commercial bamboo viscose textiles

This study was conducted with 12 commercial bamboo viscose, conventional rayon, cotton fibers, 4 bamboo species and 12 natural bamboo fiber (NBF) samples to test antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The accuracy and efficacy of test methods were investigated and modified for antibacterial assessment. While the spectrophotometric method was found to be less effective due to low bacterial reduction, the revised viable plate counting technique was consistent and effective for samples in fabric, fiber or powder form. Results revealed that only one viscose product showed antibacterial activity but the majority of the specimens from bamboo plant species and NBFs showed a quantifiable percentage reduction of bacteria against K. pneumoniae (8–95%) but had more modest results against S. aureus (3–50%). As the quantity of bacteria promoting compounds is lower than bacteria-killing compounds due to processing; NBFs showed higher reductions of bacteria than raw bamboo specimens.