Abstract
Wood, as a contact surface, has been used for centuries but is usually questioned because of its porosity and organic composition. It has natural antimicrobial properties and, hygienically, can stand the comparison with other materials such as plastic, glass and steel. In this review, we focused on potential microbe-inhibiting properties of wooden surfaces being used in hygienically important places like health institutes and food industries. This article addresses the questionable properties of untreated wood like hygroscopicity, porosity, roughness and chemical composition, and their relation to the hygienic and antimicrobial nature of this material. The other factors linked to the hygienic properties of wood, such as age, species and type of wood, have also been discussed. Our analysis of literature will create better understanding for acceptance of wood as a safety renewable resource. It also provides an outline for future research considering wood material in critical healthcare or food industries.
Highlights
It can be assumed that these bacteria do not contaminate the contact objects like food or hands [3] [5] [27]. This phenomenon was confirmed by Vainio-Kaila et al [28], who observed that Colony Forming Units (CFUs) of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes decreased faster on pine heartwood as compared to glass surface and did not increase on the day, which excluded the possibility that microbial recovery was less because of bacteria hidden in the wood and stay viable
The results showed that wood was more efficiently cleaned with all types of products as compared to glass, plastic and antibacterial plastic surfaces
Al-Qadiri et al [84] reported that C. jejuni, Salmonella Typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus were significantly reduced both on wooden and plastic cutting boards after 1 to 5 minutes of treatment with neutral electrolyzed water, quaternary ammonium, and lactic acid-based solutions
Summary
Healthcare facilities and food industries are confronted daily with the problem of transfer of contamination, especially from the solid surfaces of infra-. Hygienic characteristics of wood are often misunderstood because of its organic, porous and moisture absorbing surface These properties are thanksgiving because the organic nature of wood makes it environment-friendly, the absorption potential of wood can cause desiccation conditions for microbes, and the presence of extractives can kill or inhibit harmful microorganisms [16] [17]. Current review describes the major microbe inhibiting physicochemical strategies of untreated wood material It summarizes the antimicrobial mechanism of wood involving porous structure, moisture content and chemical profile. It does not include the treated wood surfaces for the phytosanitary and esthetic purposes that may interfere with the natural properties of wooden surfaces [20] [21] and cause chemical hazards to the environment and public health [19]
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