Functionality evaluation: Antifungal test
【Test method for each type】
JIS L 1921 Absorption method
This is the most common method among the antifungal tests for textile products and isapplied to the testing method for SEK mark of Japan Textile Evaluation TechnologyCouncil.
Similar international method: ISO 13629-1【Overview】
1.

Collect spores from pre-cultured fungi test and create spore suspension.

2.

Inoculate the spore suspension on both the finished test sample and control sample(cotton standard cloth) and measure the ATP amount (*) after 42 hours of cultivation, inorder to measure the amount of living fungi remaining on the test sample.

3.

How much of the fungal growth was suppressed can be determined by comparing theamount of fungi on the test sample and the control sample. In other words, the “Antifungal activity value” is calculated.

*ATP：Energy substance existing in a living thing【Evaluation / Reference value】
Evaluate according to anti-fungal activity value
Formula for activity
valueStandard

Referencevalue

Description of the effect (reference) /Objective criterion
1.0＞Aa: No effectAnti-fungal activity
value [Aa](LogCt-LogC0) (LogTt-LogT0)

JIS2.0＞Aa≧1.0: Has a weak effect[Aa]≧2.03.0＞Aa≧2.0: Has an effectAa≧3.0: Has a strong effect

SEK[Aa]≧2.0For items frequently washed[Aa]≧3.0For items washed less frequently

Standard fabric
Activity
value

Finished fabric

Immediately after inoculation

Contact regarding
antifungal testJapan

Bichemical Group.
(Biochemical lab.)Tel: +81-3-5875-7271

After 24 hours ofCulture time

cultivation

Aa：Anti-fungal activity value
LogCo：Common logarithm of the average amount of ATP immediately after inoculation of thecontrol sample
LogCt：Common logarithm of the average amount of ATP after 42 hours of cultivation of thecontrol sample
LogTo：Common logarithm of the average value of ATP immediately after inoculation of thetest sample
LogTt：Common logarithm of the average value of ATP after cultivation for 42 hours of the testsample

【Fungal test type】

The fungus subject to being tested are often present in the living environment such as
Aspergillus niger, Penicillium citrinum, Cladosporium-cladosporioides and Trichophyton
mentagropytes and determined according to the intended use of the product after
consulting with the clients.
In SEK standard, it is necessary to conduct tests on any 2 of the 4 types of fungi.

Aspergillus niger

Trichophyton

Fungi type (common name)

JISSEK standards

Aspergillus niger
Penicillium citrinum
Cladosporium cladosporioides

Select based on
the client’sspecification

Select 2 or more types according
to the usage

Trichophyton mentagrophytes

JIS Z 2911 Mold resistance test
The test is for evaluating the product’s resistance (whether it becomes food for mold) to mold.
A test condition is set for each material (subject to test) such as glass, wood & bamboo,textile, paint and plastic products.
Similar international method: ISO 846【Overview】
1.

Cut the test sample into a specific size.
Put the sample on a petri dish or nutrient agar,
prescribed in the test standard.

2.

Spray the test sample with a mixed spore suspension mixed with test mold spores
determined for each material.

3.

Judge the growth of the mold on the surface of the test sample after inoculation.

【Evaluation reference】
Evaluate how much mold is growing against the surface area of the test sample.
There are 3 or 5 stages for each test object, and it is a semi- quantitative evaluation
standard.
(e.g.) Test for textile products
Mycelium growth
There is no Mycelium growth observed in the inoculated part of thesample or specimen.
The growth part of the Mycelium found in the inoculated part of thesample or specimen does not exceed 1/3 of the entire area.
The growth part of the Mycelium found in the inoculated part of thesample or specimen exceeds 1/3 of the entire area.

Evaluation result012（An example of results）

Result: 1

Result: 2【Test mold type】
The test uses mold that tends to grow during actual use of the item and mold that is prone
to problems and the test is conducted in a state of several types of mold being mixed.
(e.g.)
Test object

Mold name(commonname)

Textile product

Aspergillus niger
Penicillium citrinum
Chaetomium globosum
Myrothecium verrucaria

Paint
Aspergillus niger
Penicillium citrinum
Chaetomium globosum
Trichoderma virens
Aureobasidium pullulans

PlasticAspergillus niger
Penicillium citrinum
Paecilomyces variotti
Trichoderma virens
Chaetomium
globosum

As we correspond to other non-standardized mold tests, please feel free to consult with us.
一般社団法人繊維評価技術協議会の、抗菌加工 SEK マーク
を詳しく知りたい方
はこちらへ

Head office
2-16-11, Kuramae,
Taito-ku, Tokyo,
111-0051 JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-3861-2341