The detection method for malodor in cotton fabrics and the impact of disinfection on malodor suppression

In this study, the malodor detection method was constructed in our laboratory using bacteria isolated from washed fabrics and some effective disinfection techniques for suppressing malodor emitted by the isolates were evaluated. Bacterial isolates from a previous study (Okuda et al. 2025) were incubated on cotton fabric in basal salt medium containing glucose, casamino acids and squalene (BSM+C) . The intensity of malodor from the incubated fabric was evaluated by a sensory method on a six-point odor intensity scale. Fabric cultivated with each isolate emitted noticeable malodor. Sulfur compounds, short-chain alcohols and short-chain ketones were detected in cultivated fabrics using GC/MS analysis. Pretreatment before cultivation with heat or benzalkonium chloride reduced odor intensities, whereas those using ultrasonication or didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride sustained high odor intensities. These results indicate that not only bacterial cell death but also enzyme denaturation or inactivation derived from them may be important to suppress malodor emission.