Author
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Gamble, Gary |
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Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2003 Publication Date: 7/1/2003 Citation: Gamble, G. 2003. Evaluation of cotton stickiness via the thermochemical production of volatile compounds. Journal of Cotton Science 7(2):45-50. Interpretive Summary: STICKY COTTON IS A FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED PHENOMENON AND PRESENTS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY. STICKINESS IS CAUSED PRIMARILY BY THE PRESENCE OF INSECT HONEYDEW CONTAMINATED ON THE COTTON LINT, AND CAUSES PROBLEMS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF PROCESSING INCLUDING GINNING, CARDING, AND YARN SPINNING. DETECTION OF STICKY COTTON IN A RAPID, RELIABLE, AND COST EFFECTIVE MANNER BEFORE IT REACHES THESE PROCESSING STAGES IS THEREFORE A COMMON GOAL OF THE INDUSTRY. THE RESEARCH PRESENTED HERE DEMONSTRATES THAT BY HEATING CONTAMINATED COTTON TO TEMPERATURES REGULARLY ENCOUNTERED IN THE GIN, VOLATILE COMPOUNDS RELEASED AS A RESULT OF HONEYDEW SUGAR DEGRADATION CAN BE MEASURED AND USED TO SCREEN COTTON FOR POTENTIAL STICKINESS. THIS WORK LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID, RELIABLE, AND COST EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF STICKY COTTON BASED ON THE RELEASE AND SUBSEQUENT MEASUREMENT OF THESE VOLATILE COMPOUNDS. Technical Abstract: A SET OF 17 COTTON SAMPLES EXHIBITING VARYING LEVELS OF WHITEFLY HONEYDEW CONTAMINATION WERE SUBJECTED TO 180 DEGREES C TEMPERATURES UNDER A STREAM OF AIR. HONEYDEW PRESENT ON THE COTTON UNDERWENT THERMOCHEMICAL DEGRADATION WITH CONCOMITANT PRODUCTION OF THE COMPOUND 5-HYDROXYMETHYL-2-FURALDEHYDE (HMF). HMF IS VOLATILE AT 180 DEGREES C AND WAS COLLECTED FROM THE GAS PHASE USING A FIBER COATED WITH AN ADSORBENT MATERIAL AND SUBSEQUENTLY QUANTIFIED USING GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY. RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE LEVEL OF HMF PRODUCTION FORM HONEYDEW-CONTAMINATED COTTON IS HIGHLY CORRELATED WITH THE STICKINESS LEVEL AS MEASURED BY THE STICKY COTTON THERMODETECTOR AND WITH SUGAR LEVELS AS MEASURED BY BOTH HPLC AND BY THE GLUCOSE OXIDASE ENZMYE METHOD. THIS STUDY PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID, COST EFFECTIVE, AND PORTABLE METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF STICKY COTTON BASED ON THE RELEASE AND SUBSEQUENT MEASUREMENT OF VOLATILE COMPOUNDS |
