BIOINOCULANTS FOR COIR RETTING
Abstract
The mesocarp of the coconut or its husk is the source of coir. Coir fibre has several potential end uses like for the manufacture of various coir products predominantly coir floor coverings, yarn, rope, rubberized coir and latest as geotextile material. Coir is extracted from the coconut husk which is subjected to steeping in saline backwaters for six to nine months. This prolonged period of steeping is disadvantageous on economic considerations and also deprives the coir industry of sufficient raw material for the product sector. The treatment of selected strains of phenol degrading bacterial cultures on to husks immersed for retting is reported to reduce the period of retting to some extent 3. This paper reports the findings of a field study on the treatment of selected strains of bacteria on one lakh husks steeped for retting. Samples of husks drawn out after three months of steeping were observed to be fully retted and yielded fibre suitable for spinning superior quality coir yarn.
References
BHAT,J.V. and NAMBUTHIRI.1971.The Uniquity of Coir Retting. J. Scient. Ind. Res. Vol. 30 17 28
ANITA DAS RAVINDRANATH, 1991. Processing of Coir A Bio¬logical Approach to Retting of Coconut husks. CORD Vol. VII NO. 2 July 1991
ANITA DAS RAVINDRANATH, 1992. Application of Biotechnol¬ogy in the Extraction of 'Golden Coir'. Paper presented at India's Third International Exhibition and Conference on Bio¬technology 28 31st October 1992, Bangalore, India.
