Australian Wool Innovation 2004 Global Survey of Dark and Medullated Fibres

Abstract

This report summarises the results from the Australian Wool Innovation 2004 Global Dark and Medullated Fibre (DMF) Survey. The aims were to:

• Assess levels of DMF contamination in 689 wool consignments processed in 14 collaborating mills (3 in Europe, 9 in Asia and 2 in Australia) over approximately 6 months production during 2004.
• Identify whether there were detectable changes in the levels of dark fibre (DF) contamination in processed Australian wool, for the period 1999 to 2004, using data from 3 mills in Australia, Asia and Europe.

The data included information on batch size, date of processing, raw wool characteristics, origin of raw wool, wool type and top parameters (including DF). Based on results from both the 2004 DMF data and the historical data, it was found that: 

• The majority of consignments of Australian Merino fleece wool are suited to sensitive end uses (both white/pastel and dark coloured end-products). Other Australian Merino wool types can be included in sensitive end-use batches if carefully selected, for example, if Australian Merino Dark and Medullated Fibre Risk (DMFR) Scheme used.
• Although there was variation between countries, the measured levels of DMF contamination generally increased with increasing content of wool from countries/regions other than Australia.
• In 7 of the 14 collaborating mills, DF contamination was due to dyed fibre in the top. In some cases, aspects of mill maintenance and performance may need to be addressed.
• Australian consignments had lower levels of non-wool contamination compared with wool sourced from other countries.
• There was no detectable increase in the levels of DF contamination in processed Australian wool for the period 1999 to 2004 for the three mills that provided historical data. These results suggest that DMF contamination associated with exotic sheep breeds is isolated in occurrence. The use of the DMFR Scheme would assist buyers when sourcing wools for sensitive end-uses.

It was concluded that:

• The Australian Merino clip’s reputation for being well specified and free from DMF is justified.
• The DMFR Scheme (Appendix 1) may assist with the construction of sensitive end use batches.
• The results show that in comparison to wool from other countries, the high reputation of Australian Merino wool is justified.
• It is recommended that Australia continue its efforts to maintain and/or improve this reputation through industry initiatives such as the Dark and Medullated Fibre Risk Scheme, the Dark and Medullated Fibre Test and new research and extension aimed at better understanding issues related to DMF contamination. Further work is required to develop better methods for expressing levels of DMF contamination using descriptive statistics.

This Global Survey provides benchmark data on the current (2004) and past (1999-2004) DMF content of Australian Merino wool. Thus, it will now be possible to monitor any changes to the status of the Australian clip as well as assess the success of initiatives aimed at maintaining Australia’s reputation for clean, white wool. It is recommended that this survey be repeated on an on-going basis.

Citation

"Australian Wool Innovation 2004 Global Survey of Dark and Medullated Fibres", K.A. Hansford and P.G. Swan, Report CTF 02, Technology & Standards Committee, Commercial Technology Forum, IWTO, Biella Meeting, November 2005