Effect of Storage Temperatures on Selected Wood Properties after Caffeine Treatment

Recent studies have shown that caffeine is only suitable as a fungicide for internal applications due to leaching. However, no one has yet tried which indoor temperatures are the most suitable. For this reason, we tested the effect of selected temperatures (-20 degrees C, 0 degrees C, 5 degrees C, 20 degrees C, 40 degrees C) on the retention and color of beech and spruce wood. The wood samples were treated with a caffeine aquatic solution (20 g.L-1) or distilled water (control) and then stored for three months under specific laboratory conditions (dark, selected temperature). The results did not indicate variable caffeine retention in spruce or beech. No effects of various temperatures on the color of both woods were observed. The leaching grade of caffeine from spruce was partially higher for spruce than for beech after three months of storage for all of the tested temperatures.