Lignin nanoparticles with entrapped Thymus spp. essential oils for the control of wood-rot fungi

Zikeli, Florian (author), Vettraino, Anna Maria (author), Biscontri, Margherita (author), Bergamasco, Sara (author), Palocci, Cleofe (author), Humar, Miha (author), Romagnoli, Manuela (author)

After decades of utilization of fossil-based and environmentally hazardous compounds for wood preservation against fungal attack, there is a strong need to substitute those compounds with bio-based bioactive solutions, such as essential oils. In this work, lignin nanoparticles containing four essential oils from thyme species (Thymus capitatus, Coridothymus capitatus, T. vulgaris, and T. vulgaris Demeter) were applied as biocides in in vitro experiments to test their anti-fungal effect against two white-rot fungi (Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus ostreatus) and two brown-rot fungi (Poria monticola and Gloeophyllum trabeum). Entrapment of essential oils provided a delayed release over a time frame of 7 days from the lignin carrier matrix and resulted in lower minimum inhibitory concentrations of the essential oils against the brown-rot fungi (0.30–0.60 mg/mL), while for the white-rot fungi, identical concentrations were determined compared with free essential oils (0.05–0.30 mg/mL). Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to assess the fungal cell wall changes in the presence of essential oils in the growth medium. The results regarding brown-rot fungi present a promising approach for a more effective and sustainable utilization of essential oils against this class of wood-rot fungi. In the case of white-rot fungi, lignin nanoparticles, as essential oils delivery vehicles, still need optimization in their efficacy.

• Language: English
• Keywords: wood decay, white-rot fungi, brown-rot fungi, beech, lignin nanoparticles, essential oils
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (19 str.))
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 12
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-153553
• UDC: 630*8
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym15122713
• COBISS.SI-ID: 156214275
• Publication date in RUL: 15.01.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: razkroj lesa, glive bele trohnobe, glive rjave trohnobe, bukovina, lignin, nanodelci, esencialna olja

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: European Cooperation in Science and Technology
• Project number: CA17128
• Name: Establishment of a Pan-European Network on the Sustainable Valorisation of Lignin
• Acronym: LignoCOST