Polysaccharides textile fibers from

Cotton is the most common cultivated fiber. The world s textile fiber consumption in 1998 was approximately 45 million tons. Of this total, cotton represented approximately 20 milhon tons. The earliest evidenee of cotton use is from India in 3,000 B.C. Cotton cultivation spread from India to Egypt, China and the South Pacific. Cotton is made from cellulose (a polysaccharide) Figure 5.11 shows a cotton flower and the chemical stmcture of cotton, including H-bonding. 

We extended the methodology developed for molecular characterization of cotton fiber to analysis of other polysaccharides. In this report, we present the results obtained from MWDs determined by SEC for various complex carbohydrate samples dissolved in DMAC-LiCl. Applications include cotton fiber, corn and wheat starch flours, and avocado cell walls. Relationships are evaluated between the respective MWDs and cotton fiber development, variety, inheritance, textile processing, and strength starch extrusion conditions and stage of ripening in avocado. 

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