Effect of a combined treatment using both direct and alternating electric currents on hide bacteria in hide-soak liquor

Abstract

Inactivation effect of an electric current treatment combining both 188 mu A/m(2) DC and 251 mu A/m(2) AC on Gram negative, Gram positive bacteria and their mixed culture, which were isolated from hides, was separately analyzed. This electric treatment, applied for 16 min was found to be fairly effective in reducing the bacterial cell count (7.10-7.48 log(10) colony forming units/mL) to a relatively low level (4.52-4.90 log(10) colony forming units/mL). At this level bacterial damage to the hides is reduced in soak liquors. Cheap and efficient electric current may be applied to rapidly reduce the destructive bacterial populations in main hide-soak liquors. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.