Cleaning Fungal Stains on Cotton and Wood-containing Paper Using Protease

Authors

  • Mohamed Zidan Mohamed Salem Forestry and Wood Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3961-7935
  • Wael S. Mohamed Polymer Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5246-7620
  • Olfat Ahmad Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt
  • Rawan Ahmed Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt
  • Naglaa Khaled Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt
  • Nada Abo El-Makarem Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt
  • Nora Fawzy Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt
  • Rasha Sadek Textile Metrology, National Institute of Standards (NIS), Cairo, Egypt
  • Rushdya R. A. Hassan Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1767-8291
  • Maximilian Lackner Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Hoechstaedtplatz 6, 1200 Vienna, Austria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2673-7495

Keywords:

Fungal stains, Cotton paper, Wood pulp paper, Protease enzyme, Cellulose

Abstract

Protease enzyme at concentrations of 50, 75, and 100 U (μmol/min), in both solution and paste form, was evaluated for cleaning stains caused by Aspergillus flavus. This applied study was conducted on paper sheets that had been formed from either cotton or wood-derived cellulose fibers. After cleaning, the infected samples were examined and analyzed to identify any changes and assess the effectiveness of the cleaning process. Color change, digital microscopy, ATR-FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, and pH measurement were employed. The results confirmed that the most effective treatment was the enzyme paste form at 50 and 75 U, as this was able to remove existing fungus spots on the surface or permeate within the fibers. IR spectroscopy confirmed that the chemical composition of both cotton and wood paper remained unchanged. Conversely, there was a significant increase in the characteristic vibrations of water and the crystallization sites of cellulose at the wavenumber of 1300 cm-1.

Downloads

Published

2025-07-22

How to Cite

Salem, M. Z. M., Mohamed, W. S., Ahmad , O., Ahmed , R., Khaled, N., Abo El-Makarem , N., … Lackner, M. (2025). Cleaning Fungal Stains on Cotton and Wood-containing Paper Using Protease. BioResources, 20(3), 7435–7462. Retrieved from https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24801

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Research Article or Brief Communication