Abstract
Modified atmosphere and humidity (MAH) agents were developed to manipulate the gas composition and humidity for controlling the foxing of paper materials during storage. Sodium ascorbate, sodium carbonate decahydrate, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, and silica gel were selected as the basic ingredients to formulate the MAH agents that could effectively remove oxygen, release carbon dioxide, and control the relative humidity (RH). With all the MAH agents developed in our study, RH was reduced and maintained without decreasing the MAH efficiency. To evaluate the inhibition of microorganisms on antique paper by MAH agents, the properties of Wikstroemia papers were measured after accelerated aging and inoculation with Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium citrinum. Under high (90%) or low (50%) RH conditions, as long as MAH agents were used, even after 80 days, the color difference value of Wikstroemia paper was kept below 1.5 and foxing was not found. Paper packaged without MAH agents and under RH as high as 90% showed a substantial color difference in 60 days. Snowflake-like foxing was also found by ultraviolet light inspection. Wikstroemia paper inoculated with P. citrinum without an MAH agent showed a significant color difference in 80 days.
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