Abstract
Volatile fungal metabolites are responsible for various odors and may contribute to a “sick building syndrome” (SBS) with a negative effect on the heath of building. The authors have attempted to fill the research gaps by analyzing microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) originating from representatives of the Basidiomycetes class that grow on wood-polymer composite (WPC) boards. WPCs have been analyzed as a material exposed to biodeterioration. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is affected by the increased use of WPCs inside buildings, and is becoming a highly relevant research issue. The emission profiles of MVOCs at various stages of WPC decay have been demonstrated in detail for Coniophora puteana and Poria placenta, and used to set the European industrial standards for wood-decay fungi. Differences in the production of MVOCs among these species of fungi have been detected using the thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) method. This study identifies the production of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and other compounds during one month of fungal growth. The identified level of metabolites indicates a relation between the level of air pollution and condition of the WPC material, which may become part of IAQ quantification in the future. The study points to the species-specific compounds for representatives of brown and white-rot fungi and the compounds responsible for their odor. In this study, 1-Octen-3-ol was indicated as a marker for their active growth, which is also associated with SBS. The proposed experimental set-up and data analysis are a simple and convenient way to obtain emission profiles of MVOCs from microbes growing on different materials.
Highlights
Biodegradation of wood and polymeric materials involves a series of biological and chemical processes, resulting in the destruction of polymer chains and wood structures when exposed to fungal hyphae
Different types of fungi produce a unique grouping of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), which can be used for species identification
Puteana and Poria placenta growing on the wood-polymer composite (WPC) and agar-based medium
Summary
Biodegradation of wood and polymeric materials involves a series of biological and chemical processes, resulting in the destruction of polymer chains and wood structures when exposed to fungal hyphae. During this process, different types of fungi produce a unique grouping of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), which can be used for species identification. Different types of fungi produce a unique grouping of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), which can be used for species identification This phenomenon indicates the possibility of using MVOCs as detection markers for wood decay fungus [1]. This method is very sensitive in complex environmental matrices where MVOC levels are low [2,3]
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