natural cellulose fibres – especially cotton
• It indicates how well-developed the fibres are at
harvest
cellulose in the secondary wall
• It is extremely important in terms of down-
stream processing and yarn/fabric quality
• Maturity and fineness are interrelated although
not in a simple way
 
3
 The fbres collapse when they dry out on harvesting to give a “kidney-bean” shape
Maturity (o Cotton Fibres!
Cross-sectional area changes" but peri#eter re#ains appro$i#ately constant
%n the plant
 Technological i#portance
Maturity largely deter#ines whether a batch o cotton can be spun into a good yarn - or indeed into any yarn
• Mature)%ver-#ature
Maturity (o Cotton Fibres!
/
Cellulose
 
 
 
&ercentage o #ature fbres (PM) 1 (m 5 t) 6 788
where
t 1 total nu#ber o observations
ercentage of mature bres
• Maturity Coe9cient shall be calculated by the ollowing or#ula:
CM = (m; 8<= h ; 8< i)/ 788
 
h 1 percentage o hal #ature fbres" and
i 1 percentage o i##ature fbres<
*aturit+ Coe,cient
Maturity ?atio
•  M 1 8<. ; (4-'!)@88 • Aives M B 7 or a high-grade gyptian cotton
•  M can be greater than 7
•  M less than B 8<2 is not good
•  M less than 8<. is very rare
 
?elation between Maturity ?atio and 'egree o Cell Dall Thickening
θ = 0.577 M
M - maturity ratio
 
'irect #easure#ent #ethods
*ndirect #easure#ent #ethods
• 'ierential dyeing #ethod
• ,* also provides Maturity value
 
• Magnifcation o 88$
Cottonscope
• Cotton fbers assu#e dierent colors according to their wall thickness when they are e$a#ined through a #icroscope ftted with a crossed -olarier 
 
 – Mature Fibres ?ed
• 3 gra# sa#ple taken in a piece o gauEe
• Iath 728g water
• @ grain o Chlorantine ast green
• 'ye or 7J #in
• /dd 7<2 grain o 4aCl" /gain add ater 7J#in"
• Dash twice in cold" then hot and cold
 
&roble#s due to i##ature fbres
• i##ature fbers break easily during processing to generate short fbers and neps (entangle#ent o fbers!<
•  This results in yarn deects and decreased
productivity<
dyeing o abrics
increased abric deects and waste<