Abstract
Ozone (O-3) was reacted with unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils to yield products with antibacterial activity. In this paper, olive oil, containing large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, was ozonated and characterized with gas chromatography (GC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses. The ozonated oils were sequestered in beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) inclusion complexes and applied onto 100% cotton fabric. The inclusion complex was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, and TGA, and treated fabric with FTIR and SEM. The antibacterial activity of the ozonated oil and treated fabric was assessed using ASTM E2149-01. The results showed that the ozonated oil had high antibacterial activity and the resulting beta-CD/ozonated olive oil inclusion complex also had antibacterial activity when applied to cotton fabric.