Overview
ISO 13629-1:2012 - Textiles - Determination of antifungal activity of textile products - Part 1: Luminescence method - defines a quantitative laboratory test that measures antifungal activity of textile products by detecting intracellular ATP using a luminescence (bioluminescent) assay. The method applies to fibres, yarns, fabrics, clothing, bedclothes, home furnishings and other textile goods, and is intended for use where rapid, quantitative verification of antifungal performance is required.
Key Topics and Requirements
- Test principle: Inoculation of test and control specimens with a fungal spore suspension, incubation, extraction of intracellular ATP and measurement of luminescence to quantify fungal growth (ATP method).
- Evaluation modes: Absorption method (direct inoculation onto specimens) and transfer method (fungus placed on agar then printed onto specimens).
- Conditions: Typical incubation in the standard is at 25 °C for 42 hours (as an example of the prescribed incubation regimen).
- Instrumentation and reagents: Specifies required apparatus (e.g., incubator, centrifuge, luminometer) and analytical reagents such as ATP standard, ATP luminescent reagent, ATP extraction and eliminating reagents, sterile media and anionic surfactant for spore suspensions.
- Analytical sensitivity: Luminometer capability and reagent performance are defined so ATP in low concentrations is measurable and extraction efficiency meets minimum criteria.
- Reference fungi and controls: Lists acceptable reference fungi strains and requires control specimens (e.g., untreated cotton per ISO 105‑F02 after prescribed washing) to validate growth conditions.
- Safety and personnel: Tests involve live fungi and must be performed by trained microbiological personnel following local biosafety rules.
- Data handling: Procedures for calibration (ATP calibration curve), luminescence measurement, calculation of antifungal activity (logarithmic ATP difference vs control) and test reporting are specified.
Applications and Users
- Textile manufacturers and R&D teams evaluating antifungal treatments and finishes.
- Quality control and laboratory testing services verifying product claims (healthcare, sportswear, bedding, home textiles).
- Regulatory bodies and certification schemes assessing treatment efficacy.
- Product development for antimicrobial textiles where rapid, reproducible results are needed.
Practical benefits include faster turnaround and smaller variability compared with colony-count plate methods, enabling quicker product decisions and batch verification.
Related standards
- ISO 13629-2 (Plate count method - under preparation)
- ISO 20743 (antibacterial activity of textiles)
- ISO 105-F02 (specification for cotton adjacent fabrics used as controls)
- ISO 6330 (domestic washing procedures referenced for control preparation)
Keywords: ISO 13629-1, antifungal activity, textiles, ATP luminescence, luminometer, antifungal textile testing, absorption method, transfer method.