Algae-Based Material as Deodorant
A team of Swedish researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology has found a way to eliminate the growth of smell-inducing bacteria using algae. They have created an algae-based material that can prevent both body odour and the bacteria that cause it.
The material is made of tiny threads which are created by using a process called electro spinning. The threads are about one-hundredth the width of a human hair which can increase the overall contact between the material’s fibres and the wearer’s skin.
The threads are coated with lanasol, a naturally occurring antibacterial compound commonly found in red algae, and maximum bacteria destruction is reached. The algae substance does not fade away when washed. The anti-bacterial substance is dissolved evenly inside the fibre.
Even if the fibres would wear down and become thinner during washing, then the new material that is uncovered would still contain the substance.
Along with eliminating body odour, the material was found to kill up to 99.99% of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
