Antimicrobial and antioxidant functionalization of cellulosic fabric via mushroom and neem oil treatment: A step toward sustainable textiles

Abstract Nowadays, the demand for protective clothing for specific activities has been fueled by consumer's attitudes toward hygiene and their active lifestyles. The aim of the present work is focused on creating protective textiles that are safe for the environment. This study uses mushroom–neem oil and neem oil to test their antioxidant properties to make cotton fabric that resists bacterial growth. Pad dry cure is used to create antimicrobial fabric with mushroom–neem oil and neem oil with citric acid (1%) as a cross‐linking agent. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and antioxidant activity by DPPH assay were assessed by applying mushroom–neem oil and neem oil separately to cotton knitted fabric at 120, 130, 140, and 150°C. FTIR and EDS were used to study the incorporation of mushroom–neem oil and neem oil on cotton fabric surfaces. Both the treated and untreated fabric surface morphology were examined using scanning electron microscopy. An increase in curing temperature was found to change the comfort characteristics of the treated fabric. The analysis also found that antimicrobials reduced thermal conductivity. Most importantly, increasing the curing temperature improved all comfort properties. Notably, fabric treated with mushroom neem oil is more comfortable than fabric treated with neem oil. Highlights Cotton fabrics with mushroom–neem and neem oil showed antibacterial activity. Neem oil‐treated fabrics had better antioxidant properties than mushroom–neem oil. Higher curing temperatures reduced thermal conductivity and improved comfort. Mushroom–neem oil samples have superior physical properties. Bioactive material treatments can reduce chemical and environmental impact.