Effect of volatile organic compounds from Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Abstract

Pine and spruce heartwood and sapwood were milled to wood particles and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the wood particles were tested against four bacterial strains. To study the influence of relative humidity on the antibacterial effect, both dry and wet wood particles were tested. Twenty microliters of the bacterial dilution with a concentration of 1.5×107CFU ml−1was cultured on glass surfaces in the presence of VOCs and the amount of viable bacteria was studied after 2, 4, and 24 h. The volatile emissions were evaluated by GC/MS and the results were compared with the results from the bacterial trial. VOCs had an antibacterial effect onEscherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniaeand slightly onSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium. But the effect onStaphylococcus aureuswas minute even after 3 days’ incubation. The dry wood particles generally had a stronger antibacterial effect, though the amount of VOCs from the wet wood was higher. Pine heartwood had the strongest antibacterial effect and also the highest emissions of VOCs. However, the interaction between different bacterial strains and wood species shows some variations.

Experimental Parameters Influence the Observed Antimicrobial Response of Oak Wood (Quercus petraea)

“…The results of this study regarding the antimicrobial activity of wood material are supported by the previous publications reporting that different woods, including oak [ 15 ], larch [ 1 ], pine [ 2 ], spruce [ 13 ], beech, and fir [ 3 ], have antimicrobial properties against various isolates of S. aureus . In this study, however, the antimicrobial activity of wood material was very low against A. baumannii , as compared to S. aureus .…”

“…The lower antimicrobial activity of autoclaved wood samples, as compared to non-sterilized and gamma sterilized wood, shows the loss of some active compounds. As many of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are responsible for the antimicrobial action of wood [ 13 ], their loss by high temperature treatment [ 10 , 28 ] might have reduced this ability. This finding is important because the loss of VOCs from wood continues throughout the usage life until reaching a minimum level.…”

“…Antimicrobial properties of wood are generally tested via extractive based methods, i.e., various solvents are used to remove compounds naturally found in wood [ 1 , 2 , 10 , 13 ]. The extracted compounds can be used to obtain a quantitative measure of antimicrobial action [ 14 ].…”

The influence of wooden interior materials on indoor environment: a review

“…Terpenes originate from the wood resin (Granström 2005;Widhalm et al 2016), while aldehydes are secondary emissions formed from oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids (Risholm-Sundman et al 1998;Steckel et al 2011;Widhalm et al 2016). Even though the main compounds emitted from pine and spruce are similar, it is important to notice that emitted amounts differ substantially and emissions from pine have been significantly higher compared to spruce (Hyttinen et al 2010;Vainio-Kaila et al 2017b).…”

Comparison of Rosin and Propolis Antimicrobials in Cellulose Acetate Fibers Against Staphylococcus aureus

“…The antibacterial activity in pure rosin has been clearly reported against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia strains. Additionally, it has been reported against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica strains (Söderberg et al 1990;Vainio-Kaila et al 2017a). The low molecular weight solvent components are usually removed to achieve a definite chemical composition (Nirmala et al 2013).…”