Biodeterioration of fabric paints by fungal species and their control using antifungal agent

Abstract

Paintings are essential components of culture heritage all over the world. Paints consist of organic and inorganic nutrients that can stimulate the growth of the microorganism. Many of the components present in paint are biodegradable. Paint is used for the protection of the substrate materials. The purpose of paint is to provide good appearance. Paint is a surface coating polymer based products. It is often discoloured by mould and blue stain, this leads to loss of paints. Biodeterioration arise from interaction among substrate, environment and organisms. The fungi degrade the paint film by producing extracellular enzymes such as ligninase, cellulose and organic acids. The most commonly used method is the addition of antifungal agent in the paint composition, which may acts as a biocide and inhibits the mould growth on paint and painted surface. Therefore the present study was aimed to isolate and identified the mouldy growth on fabric paints especially in green and red colors. The effective control of fungi in the paints was controlled using appropriate antifungal agent. Silver nitrate is very effective in killing fungal species that causes decay and deterioration of paint or paint film even at low concentration.