AATCC 30 Antifungal Activity, Assessment on Textile Materials: Mildew and Rot Resistance of Textile Materials

Purpose of Test

The AATCC 30 test method evaluates and compares the antifungal activity of textile materials like gauze, cloth, and similar objects.

This test method has two purposes:

Determine textile’s susceptibility to mildew and rot.
Measure the effectiveness of fungicides on textile materials.

Terminology Defined

Antifungal Activity – Evaluates the textile property to protect against fungi growth, like mildew and rot.

Growth Agar – A culture medium used for growing microorganisms.

Spore Suspension – Calibrated suspension of bacterial spores used for inoculation of products or preparation of sterilization process.

Zone of Inhibition – A circular area where the antibiotic agent was placed in which bacteria doesn’t grow.

Zone of Inhibition (Image Source: Labster Theory)

Test Method

Materials Used for Test

Test specimens
Petri dishes
Sealed Jars
Fungi
Carbon source

Sample Growth Agar Medium (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Testing Procedure

The AATCC 30 test method has two different test types available:

Test III – Agar Plate: This similarly works like the Antibacterial test where fungus growth is tested by inoculation and zone of inhibition.
Test IV – Humidity Jar, Mixed Spore Suspension: This test type specializes in hydrophobic textiles.

Test Procedure (Summary)

AATCC 30 Test III – Agar Plate

Part 1: Preparation of fungus: The fungus, Aspergillus niger, is cultured in a medium and left to grow spore suspension at a given time.

Part 2: Preparation of agar medium: Depending on the test level, the agar medium is prepared in a petri dish with or without an additional carbon source.

Part 3: Inoculation of solid agar medium: The solid agar medium is inoculated with the spore suspension.

Part 4: Placement and incubation of test specimen: The test specimen is placed on top of the inoculated agar medium. Then, it will be placed in the inoculated spore suspension. The petri dishes are sealed and incubated for 7 or 14 days.

Part 5: Evaluation of antifungal activity: After the incubation period, the test samples are rated if they have:

Macroscopic growth (visible to the eye)
Microscopic growth (not visible to the eye)
No growth

AATCC 30 IV – Humidity Jar, Mixed Spore Suspension

Part 1: Preparation of fungus: The type of fungi to be used is cultivated. The fungi that can be used include:

Aspergillus niger
Penicillium varians
Trichoderma viride

Part 2: Preparation of spore suspension: The spore suspension is prepared by washing it according to a specified method.

Part 3: Saturation and inoculation of the test specimen: The test specimen and control fabrics are saturated in the fungi growth media. Each side of the saturated test and control fabrics are inoculated with the spore suspension.

Part 4: Incubation: The saturated fabrics are sealed in their individual jars for 14 or 28 days.