Essential Oils as Alternative Biocides for the Preservation of Waterlogged Archaeological Wood

Waterlogged archaeological wood is exposed to a high risk of biological degradation during the post-excavation phases of storage and restoration. For this reason, often biocides must be used to preserve wooden remains. In the present work three essential oils (cinnamon, wild thyme, and common thyme)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms (Basel) 2020-12, Vol.8 (12), p.2015
Main Authors: Antonelli, Federica, Bartolini, Marco, Plissonnier, Marie-Laure, Esposito, Alfonso, Galotta, Giulia, Ricci, Sandra, Davidde Petriaggi, Barbara, Pedone, Cristian, Di Giovanni, Antonella, Piazza, Silvano, Guerrieri, Francesca, Romagnoli, Manuela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeology
Archaeology and Prehistory
ATP bioluminescence
Biocides
Biodegradation
Bioluminescence
Chemical composition
Chemical Sciences
Cinnamon
common thyme
cultural analyses
Cultural heritage
Enzymes
Essential oils
Ethanol
Excavation
Flowers & plants
Fungi
Humanities and Social Sciences
Life Sciences
Microbiology and Parasitology
Microbiota
Microorganisms
Minimum inhibitory concentration
Mycelia
Mycology
Natural products
Next-generation sequencing
NGS
Oils & fats
Organic farming
Other
Preservation
Restoration
Textiles
Thyme
wild thyme
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Summary:Waterlogged archaeological wood is exposed to a high risk of biological degradation during the post-excavation phases of storage and restoration. For this reason, often biocides must be used to preserve wooden remains. In the present work three essential oils (cinnamon, wild thyme, and common thyme) were tested as possible alternative biocides to use in the preservation of waterlogged archaeological wood. The oils were first tested in vitro to establish the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and to evaluate the biocidal activity on selected fungal strains. Then, the established MIC was applied on waterlogged archaeological wood samples and during an actual restoration treatment. The effectiveness of the oils was evaluated through cultural analyses, ATP quantification, and next-generation sequencing. The results showed that the oils caused a significant decrease in the vitality of fungal mycelia grown in vitro and of the microbiota present in treated wood and storage water. Furthermore, an influence on the composition of the bacterial communities of treated wood samples was observed. Although further tests are needed to evaluate interferences with the materials used during restoration procedures, essential oils could be considered as a possible alternative to the currently used biocide.
ISSN:2076-2607
2076-2607
DOI:10.3390/microorganisms8122015