Can plants save art? Potential use of essential oils for conservation of Cultural Heritage

The essential oils are widely used in different fields of pharmaceutical and agricultural industry thanks to their bactericidal, fungicidal, insecticidal properties. Recently, the attention has been also paid in the area of cultural heritage. Fungi and bacteria play an important role in the biodeterioration of historic-artistic manufacts, causing structural and aesthetic damage. Most of controlling methods are often chemicals that have limitations: possible alterations to constitutive materials, limited efficiency, negative impact on the environment and humans. For this reason, our search is based on the implementation of green alternatives to traditional biocides, as the rational use of plants products. In particular, antimicrobial activity of two commercial essential oil, Origanum vulgare and Thymus vulgaris has been evaluated against microbial strains isolated from colonized works of art. Particularly, bacteria such us Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus and fungi as Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, Alternaria spp were tested through agar disc diffusion method. The diameter of the growth inhibition area showed a different bacterial and fungal susceptibility to natural compounds, indicating the efficacy of the plant oil as biocide.