SIST EN ISO 20418-1:2018 PDF

Overview

EN ISO 20418-1:2018 specifies a harmonized proteomic method for the qualitative and quantitative identification of certain animal hair fibres - wool, cashmere and yak - in textile materials. The method combines light microscopy for preliminary fibre screening with protein chemistry and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (LC‑ESI‑MS) peptide detection after protein reduction. It is designed for use across production stages (raw material to finished garment) and for different textile forms (staples, tops, yarns, fabrics) when component distribution is homogeneous.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Scope & applicability
  • Detects and quantifies wool (WO), cashmere (WS) and yak (WY) fibres and their blends.
  • Not applicable to blends of fibres from the same animal species (e.g., cashmere + mohair); in such cases microscopy methods (ISO 17751 series) are recommended.
• Sequential workflow
  • Microscopic preliminary identification of fibre morphology (light microscopy).
  • Protein extraction from fibres using a thiourea/urea/dithiothreitol (DTT) solution.
  • Enzymatic digestion of extracted proteins with trypsin to generate peptides.
  • Peptide detection and quantification using LC‑ESI‑MS to identify species‑specific marker peptides and calculate percentage composition.
• Analytical controls
  • Use of reagents and apparatus suitable for LC‑MS (e.g., LC‑MS grade solvents, trypsin).
  • Calculation and expression of results, including test reporting requirements and informative annexes on parameters and markers.
• Combination with other methods
  • Results can be combined with ISO 1833 (chemical analysis) and ISO 17751 (microscopy) series for mixed-fibre samples.

Practical Applications and Users

Who uses EN ISO 20418-1:2018:

• Textile testing laboratories implementing standardized, reproducible fibre-content assays.
• Manufacturers and quality-control teams verifying fibre composition claims for premium fibres (cashmere, wool, yak).
• Certification bodies and compliance teams resolving disputes, preventing fraud, and substantiating labelling.
• Standards developers and research laboratories developing marker libraries and improving proteomic workflows.

Practical benefits:

• Objective, species‑specific identification and quantitative assessment of animal hair fibres.
• Applicable across supply chain stages to support traceability, product labelling and anti‑fraud measures.

Related Standards

• ISO 17751 series - microscopy‑based quantitative analysis of cashmere, wool and other specialty animal fibres.
• ISO 1833 series - quantitative chemical analysis of textile blends.
• ISO 137 - fibre diameter measurement (projection microscope method).

Keywords: EN ISO 20418-1:2018, LC‑ESI‑MS, proteomic analysis, peptide detection, textile testing, wool, cashmere, yak, protein extraction, trypsin digestion.