In previous studies; effects of enzymatic treatments on linen fabrics have been mostly investigated in terms of wettability, sorption properties, whiteness-yellowness index, and K/S values after dyeing. However, surface chemistry and topography of enzyme-treated linen fabrics have not been reported enough. The aim of this work was to examine the effect of pectinase treatments on surface structure and chemical properties of greige linen fabrics by using instrumental techniques. After enzymatic treatment, adequate removal of noncellulosic impurities from the fiber surface has been proved by AFM images and O1/C1 ratio of the treated surface. Water drop test measurement and absorbance spectrographs of FTIR analysis have supported the results. It was observed that achievement in bioscouring is familiar to conventional alkaline scouring. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012