Progress on enzymatic preparation of flax and flax/wool blends

Increased interest in flax/wool blends has led to the investigation of scouring and bleaching conditions that are less damaging to protein fibers than conventional flax preparation methods. Enzymatic scouring with pectinases was rather inefficient, probably because flax lignin protects the middle lamella pectins from enzymatic hydrolysis. Degradation of lignin with laccases, or laccase/mediator systems (either alone or in combination with enzymatic scouring) led to good whiteness after a single mild low-temperature bleaching. Unfortunately, the laccase systems were unsuitable for flax/wool blends because they caused irreversible staining of the wool component. These enzymatic preparation routes may, however, be useful for other blends and merit consideration.