The ITMF International Committee on Cotton Testing Methods (ICCTM) met in Bremen, Germany, on March 15. Four companies, one each from Germany, India, Italy and Switzerland, and a research organization in Australia made presentations on developments in instruments to assess cotton quality parameters for “Recognition” by ICCTM.
Textechno of Germany demonstrated the capabilities of a new instrument for detecting, counting and classifying neps and trash in samples of cotton and cotton sliver. The Indian firm MAG discussed the recent engineering advances in trash-testing technology. Mesdan of Italy and Loepfe of Switzerland explained the engineering principles behind the new instruments developed jointly by the two companies to test cotton and cotton sliver for stickiness and other parameters.
CSIRO, an Australian research organization, sought “Recognition” for an instrument to test cotton fibers for maturity. Cottonscope has been developed over several years by engineers at CSIRO to make direct measurements of fiber maturity using image analysis of cross-sections of fibers.
Advances in the basic science of measuring cotton fiber maturity are yielding the potential for creating better calibration materials for commercial measurement. Improvements in maturity measurements have produced relatively slow methods that are still very useful as tools for cotton breeders as they move forward with creating the cotton fibers of the future. However, faster maturity measurements currently in use in mill laboratories will benefit from these improved maturity reference measurements as the existing instrumentation is upgraded.
A core function of ICCTM is to review applications from instrument manufacturers for “Recognition” of instruments as being sufficiently accurate, precise, and with results that are sufficiently repeatable so as to be commercially relevant to the cotton and cotton textile industries.
The ICCTM members include engineers and scientists from around the world conducting research on cotton quality evaluation in six task force groups: HVI, elongation, stickiness, maturity, neps/trash, and color.
ICCTM meets every two years at the beginning of each International Cotton Conference Bremen.