Antifungal properties of oregano and clove volatile essential oils tested on biodeteriorated archaeological mummified skin

The study of the potential use of essential oils in the field of Cultural Heritage has increased in the last decade due to their demonstrated antimicrobial potential and absence of toxicity. This work aimed at assessing, for the first time, the volatile antifungal activity of two essential oils (EOs) (Origanum vulgare and Syzygium aromaticum) against fungi isolated from biodeteriorated archaeological mummified skin. The object of study was a mummified Mustela frenata from the Tiahuanaco culture of Bolivia. The fungi found on the archaeological animal's skin were preliminarily isolated and identified by DNA-based analy-sis. Subsequently, the volatile essential oil biocidal activity was evaluated on parchments inoculated with the isolated fungi ( Aspergillus tabacinus, Aspegillus tennesseensis, and Trichoderma longibrachiatum). Vapour tests were conducted in Petri dishes and parchment specimens to assess the fungicidal effect of volatile components of EOs. The volatile EOs used in this study showed antifungal activity against the tested fungi. The oregano showed to be the most effective EO in the in vitro and parchment tests for the three fungal strains. The use of EOs, particularly oregano EO, represents a promising green strategy for the sustainable conservation of organic-based cultural assets.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )