Abstract
The present study is aimed at evaluating the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of bael fruit shell (BFS) extract. Hot water extraction (HWE) and ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE) techniques have been used to understand the effectiveness of the extraction process and its relation to impart enhanced functional property of cotton fabric. The cotton fabric has been treated with BFS extract by using padding mangle. The effectiveness of antibacterial activity against both the Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and antioxidant property has been evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results reveal that UAE-BFS treated fabric shows 93% reduction for E coli and 82% for S aureus, which is higher as compared to HWE-BFS treated fabric (91% for E coli and 61 % for S aureus). This trend has also been observed in qualitative zone of inhibition method. Antioxidant efficacy of UAE treated fabric is 86%, whereas HWE treated fabric registers 80% activity.