The book chapter, written by authors Katja Kavkler, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Polona Zalar in Andrej Demšar, deals with the investigations of hystorical textile objects attacked by fungi. Preservation of historical objects is of the outmost importance for future generations, as such objects have great social, historical, cultural and educational value. Fungal contaminations of textile objects in particular can alter the appearance, the structural and mechanical properties of an object, which can consequently prove difficult to conserve or to return to its former state. The present chapter describes an interdisciplinary approach for mycologists, textile scientists, and art restorers to better understand the impact of fungi on historical textile objects. The diversity and frequency of occurrence of different fungal species for each selected material (cotton, linen, silk, wool) is here investigated, and the available literature is reviewed. The impacts of selected fungal species are further examined by inoculation of pure cultures on artificially prepared laboratory samples, with incubation in a controlled environment. Analyses of the fungal impact on hystorical textile objects are presented, with the accent on non-destructive analytical methodologies, including tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
B.06 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 3003504Cultural heritage objects are at risk of microbial deterioration. The material typically of any historical object, but specifically textiles is susceptible to fungi that are the main deteriorative agents. The presented study deals with biodegraded historical and archaeological textiles stored in Slovenian museums. Our tasks focus on conservation problems, material composition analyses, diagnosing decomposition agents and development of suitable approaches to slow down or stop the already long lasting decomposition processes and to repair and conserve the historical materials. Non destructive methods applicable to small textile samples were used. In addition, indoor air, which is the main vector for the transmission of fungi, was monitored. Fungi were isolated and identified from textile objects through classical culturing methods and culture independent approaches were used to identify involved microbes with the help of DNA barcodes using, for example, pyrosequencing. The activity of involved fungal enzymes was determined in vitro by using artificially aged textile specimens.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 3216719This oral presentation (and associated printed Abstract) reflects on the sensitivity of organic materials of cultural heritage (textiles being one of the most prominent) sensitive to the degradation by external influences (abiotic and biotic). Fungi are the most severe decomposers of organic materials, and melanin-producing fungi (fungal melanins are dark-pigmented high-molecular-weight phenolic polymers) may leave behind undesirable stains long after the fungal infestation has been controlled. The ability of the oxidative biomimetic system to bleach melanin stains on various types of melanised model textiles was presented, and relative concentrations of the bleaching reagents and the reaction kinetics for decolourisation of melanin stains ascertained (by 300 µl H2O2 of continuous delivery, all samples were adequately bleached). The effects of decolourisation procedures on physical characteristics of treated textile substrates were tested, as the treatment had various effects on different textiles, from a complete disintegration in case of wool, to minor modifications in case of cellulosic substrates. Further improvement in application methods (spatial specificity of administration) was proposed as the most important step in further research.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 513234219The study of biological damaged historical objects from Slovenian museums, biodegraded due to fungal attack, was presented to Slovene restorers as an example of collaboration among interdisciplinary team, including microbiologists, and their joint contribution to conservation-restoration procedures. We have presented the kingdom of fungi, the representatives of which grow at very low relative humidity, and therefore present the risk group for museum objects. This group is also important because it can cause allergies, asthmatic attacks and other respiratory problems. We have presented the possibility of indirect analysis of the presence of fungi indoor, such as air sampling.
F.18 Transfer of new know-how to direct users (seminars, fora, conferences)
COBISS.SI-ID: 3120719In the context of Slovenian Society for Conservation and Restoration a workshop was organized, within which the lecture entitled Microbiology in Restoration-Conservation was presented. The lecture gave an overview of microbiological research in restoration with examples on Slovenian cases, where applicable. It emphasized the importance of microbiology for conservation- restoration, and gave a special attention on moldy textile and protection of restorers against molds when dealing with such material. This was the first lecture organized by this Society, where direct users were acquainted with the possible danger of molds on their health, as well as on deterioration of material.
F.18 Transfer of new know-how to direct users (seminars, fora, conferences)
COBISS.SI-ID: 3277903