Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>

In the present work, the antimicrobial efficacy of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> essential oil (EO) was investigated on <i>Alternaria alternata</i> strain BNR; a paper biodeteriogen was used as a model for a contaminated library. The influence of EO volume and diffusion modality, tr...

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Main Authors: Francesca Bosco, Chiara Mollea, Davide Fissore
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8420
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author Francesca Bosco
Chiara Mollea
Davide Fissore
author_facet Francesca Bosco
Chiara Mollea
Davide Fissore
author_sort Francesca Bosco
collection DOAJ
description In the present work, the antimicrobial efficacy of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> essential oil (EO) was investigated on <i>Alternaria alternata</i> strain BNR; a paper biodeteriogen was used as a model for a contaminated library. The influence of EO volume and diffusion modality, treatment duration, and inoculum age was evaluated in the vapor phase. In Petri dish screening, the influence of different EO volumes (5, 7.5, and 10 μL) on the microbial growth lag phase was investigated, and the growth inhibition period was established. The most effective treatment (10 μL EO) was then scaled up in a glass airtight container of 2650 cm<sup>3</sup>; a cold diffusion method was applied in order to quickly reach the maximum concentration of active compounds in the vapor phase. These tests demonstrated that EO efficacy is affected by the inoculum age and the contact time, and that the treatment should be performed as early as is feasible. A mycostatic effect was confirmed to be proportional to the utilized EO volume and independent from the treatment method. The information obtained in the present work will be applied to the set-up of an EO treatment in a library characterized by different levels of air contamination.
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spelling doaj-art-5826b5e4403f4035b89d3ff943371fe82025-08-20T03:02:48ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011515842010.3390/app15158420Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>Francesca Bosco0Chiara Mollea1Davide Fissore2DISAT-Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, ItalyDISAT-Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, ItalyDISAT-Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, ItalyIn the present work, the antimicrobial efficacy of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> essential oil (EO) was investigated on <i>Alternaria alternata</i> strain BNR; a paper biodeteriogen was used as a model for a contaminated library. The influence of EO volume and diffusion modality, treatment duration, and inoculum age was evaluated in the vapor phase. In Petri dish screening, the influence of different EO volumes (5, 7.5, and 10 μL) on the microbial growth lag phase was investigated, and the growth inhibition period was established. The most effective treatment (10 μL EO) was then scaled up in a glass airtight container of 2650 cm<sup>3</sup>; a cold diffusion method was applied in order to quickly reach the maximum concentration of active compounds in the vapor phase. These tests demonstrated that EO efficacy is affected by the inoculum age and the contact time, and that the treatment should be performed as early as is feasible. A mycostatic effect was confirmed to be proportional to the utilized EO volume and independent from the treatment method. The information obtained in the present work will be applied to the set-up of an EO treatment in a library characterized by different levels of air contamination.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8420essential oilMID and MAMcold diffusion methodnatural biocide
spellingShingle Francesca Bosco
Chiara Mollea
Davide Fissore
Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>
Applied Sciences
essential oil
MID and MAM
cold diffusion method
natural biocide
title Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>
title_full Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>
title_fullStr Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>
title_full_unstemmed Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>
title_short Vapor Phase Application of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Essential Oil to Control the Biodeteriogenic Fungus <i>Alternaria alternata</i>
title_sort vapor phase application of i thymus vulgaris i essential oil to control the biodeteriogenic fungus i alternaria alternata i
topic essential oil
MID and MAM
cold diffusion method
natural biocide
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8420
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AT chiaramollea vaporphaseapplicationofithymusvulgarisiessentialoiltocontrolthebiodeteriogenicfungusialternariaalternatai
AT davidefissore vaporphaseapplicationofithymusvulgarisiessentialoiltocontrolthebiodeteriogenicfungusialternariaalternatai