Pages 449–453
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
Leather is a natural and premium material used in the manufacture of fashionable commodities and lifestyle accessories. The care and maintenance required for a leather material is higher compared to a synthetic material. Proper conditioning, cleansing and restoration is vital to address the microbial deterioration of leather and to extend its longevity. Traditionally, chemical-based formulations have been employed to cleanse the leather surfaces infected by microbial growth. However, this method poses significant environmental concerns and can disrupt the integrity of leather surface finishes, thereby affecting the aesthetics of the finished material. Biofilm formation on the leather surface by microorganisms is another challenge in leather sector which is restored using chemical-based cleansing agents. These cleansing agents is the temporary solution for a very short time interval. Utilization of bio-catalysts to achieve an effective cleansing method, would be a cleaner and sustainable approach for long-term leather maintenance. Enzyme-based bio-cleansing formulations is composed of multiple carbohydrase enzymes, which are known to effectively cleave the outer cell membranes of microbial species, eradicate microbial growth from the core, and resist the microbial growth and contamination comparatively for a longer period. Hydrolytic enzyme, cellulase was used in the present study to remove the microbial contamination from the vegetable tanned leather. Different concentration of cellulase has been used to optimize the effective removal of microbial contamination. From the results, it has been inferred that 2% cellulase concentration would result in effective leather cleansing.