Abstract
Only few solvents and chemical compounds are employable for the reduction of acidity and fungi in aged paper documents. In this study, we tested the fungistatic properties of calcium propionate (already proposed as deacidificant) either in aqueous or ethanolic solution. Further, we compared the effect of this treatment with that of a commercially available fungistatic spray based on 4-hydroxybenzoate and propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate. One set of tests was performed on fungi isolated from foxed old paper samples. Another was performed on a sheet of glass that had recently covered a cardboard backing in a frame and that showed a one-to-one correspondence between the spawn on the glass and the foxing stains on cardboard. Ten species representative of filamentous fungi genera and one yeast form were identified. Of the fungal species, the one most frequently represented was Penicillium, with 5 different strains, while for each of the other genera there was only one species. The antifungal chemicals investigated presented different levels of effectiveness in inhibiting micro-organism growth: the results of a number of tests carried out on strains cultured in suitable media demonstrate that saturated solutions (3.5 g/L) of calcium propionate in ethanol significantly inhibit the fungal growing.
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