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Title: PRELIMINARY EVALUATIONS OF AN ENZYME APPROACH TO REDUCE COTTON LINT STICKINESS

Author
item Henneberry, Thomas
item BLACKLEDGE, BILL - COLLABORATOR
item Steele, Terry
item Hendrix, Donald

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In the laboratory, (average temperature 85-100 deg F, 5 to 25% lint moisture on a wet weight basis) thermodetector counts decreased with increasing moisture percentages. Reduced counts occurred more rapidly when 1% of a proprietary enzyme was included in water solutions and seed cotton moisture percentages were 11% or higher. Significantly higher reductions in lint stickiness as measured by thermodetector counts occurred following incubation periods of 14 or more days as compared with 1 or 3 day incubation periods. In some instances, thermodetector counts increased following enzyme treatment, later decreasing to nonsignificant stickiness levels. Lower thermodetector counts for untreated cotton, water-treated, or water plus 1% enzyme B-treated cottons following commercial ginning suggested that gin processing reduced cotton stickiness. In a simulated spindle picker experiment, increased thermodetector counts occurred when spindle moisture pads were operated with moderately sticky but not lightly sticky cotton. Ginning effects were minimal but reduced amounts of trehalulose and reduced thermodetector counts occurred following each lint process. Leaf trash from ginned seed cotton contained trehalulose and melezitose. Removal of leaf trash in ginning and lint cleaning probably accounts for some reduced lint stickiness

Technical Abstract: In the laboratory, (average temperature 85-100 deg F, 5 to 25% lint moisture on a wet weight basis) thermodetector counts decreased with increasing moisture percentages. Reduced counts occurred more rapidly when 1% of a proprietary enzyme was included in water solutions and seed cotton moisture percentages were 11% or higher. Significantly higher reductions in lint stickiness as measured by thermodetector counts occurred following incubation periods of 14 or more days as compared with 1 or 3 day incubation periods. In some instances, thermodetector counts increased following enzyme treatment, later decreasing to nonsignificant stickiness levels. Lower thermodetector counts for untreated cotton, water-treated, or water plus 1% enzyme B-treated cottons following commercial ginning suggested that gin processing reduced cotton stickiness. In a simulated spindle picker experiment, increased thermodetector counts occurred when spindle moisture pads were operated with moderately sticky but not lightly sticky cotton. Ginning effects were minimal but reduced amounts of trehalulose and reduced thermodetector counts occurred following each lint process. Leaf trash from ginned seed cotton contained trehalulose and melezitose. Removal of leaf trash in ginning and lint cleaning probably accounts for some reduced lint stickiness