Quality Improvement of Raw Material of Natural Fibre Preparation using Pectinase Enzyme Case Study: The Harvest of Kenaf Fibre in Laren District, Lamongan Regency, East Java

Abstract

This research focuses on the attempt to improve the quality of kenaf  natural fibers grade-c (low quality). The fibers are harvested from kenaf plantation in Laren District, Lamongan Regency, East Java. This attempt is to enable the fibers to have a good standard of quality, so that it can be made as a potential textile raw material. All this time, quality of grade-c has been considered as a bad quality fiber, therefore, the utilization is merely as gunny sacks, which at the other side, the demand of gunny sacks is reducing each day since there are plastic sacks as the competitor. To improve the quality of kenaf fiber, it is required an experiment process where pectinase enzyme is used in the preparation stage. This process will result the fiber to have a quality improvement from low quality to good quality, so that it can be processed to a more advanced production of textile material to be made as raw material of innovative and high-selling-valued textile product.

Keywords: kenaf fiber, pectinase enzyme, fiber preparation, exploration, textiles