Antifungal Activities of Wood and Non-Wood Kraft Handsheets Treated with Melia azedarach Extract Using SEM and HPLC Analyses

Abstract

The main objective of this work was to evaluate pulp produced by kraft cooking for wood materials (WMT) (Bougainvillea spectabilis, Ficus altissima, and F. elastica) and non-wood materials (NWMT) (Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays stalks) and to study the fungal activity of handsheets treated with Melia azedarach heartwood extract (MAHE) solutions. Through the aforementioned analyses, the ideal cooking conditions were determined for each raw material based on the lignin percentage present. After cooking, pulp showed a decrease in the Kappa number produced from WMT, ranging from 16 to 17. This was in contrast with NWMT, which had Kappa numbers ranging from 31 to 35. A difference in the optical properties of the pulp produced from WMT was also observed (18 to 29%) compared with pulp produced from NWMT (32.66 to 35.35%). As for the evaluation of the mechanical properties, the tensile index of the pulp ranged from 30.5 to 40 N·m/g for WMT and from 44.33 to 47.43 N·m/g for NWMT; the tear index ranged from 1.66 to 2.55 mN·m2/g for WMT and from 4.75 to 5.87 mN·m2/g for NWMT; and the burst index ranged from 2.35 to 2.85 kPa·m2/g for WMT and from 3.92 to 4.76 kPa·m2/g for NWMT. Finally, the double fold number was 3 compared with that of pulp produced from pulp, which showed good values ranging from 36 to 55. In the SEM examination, sheets produced from treated handsheets with extract from MAHE showed no growth of Aspergillus fumigatus over paper discs manufactured from B. speclabilis pulp wood. Pulp paper produced from Z. mays and S. bicolor stalks was treated with 1% MAHE, while pulp paper from F. elastica was treated with 0.50% and 1% MAHE. With the addition of 0.5 or 1% MAHE, Fusarium culmorum showed no increase in growth over the paper manufactured from B. speclabilis, F. altissima, F. elastica and Zea mays pulps with visual inhibition zones found. There was almost no growth of S. solani in paper discs manufactured from pulps treated with 1% MAHE. This is probably due to the phytochemical compounds present in the extract. The HPLC analysis of MAHE identified p-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeine, rutin, chlorogenic acid, benzoic acid, quinol, and quercetin as the main compounds, and these were present in concentrations of 3966.88, 1032.67, 834.13, 767.81, 660.64, 594.86, and 460.36 mg/Kg extract, respectively. Additionally, due to the importance of making paper from agricultural waste (stalks of S. bicolor and Z. mays), the development of sorghum and corn with high biomass is suggested.

Moringa oleifera seeds-removed ripened pods as alternative for papersheet production: antimicrobial activity and their phytoconstituents profile using HPLC

“…While it was lower than those from other non-woody materials, i.e., Sorghum bicolor stalks (71.0%) 56 , Musa sapientum (73.43%), M. paradisiaca (72.60%) and Tithonia diversifolia (71.60%) 57 , bamboo (70.50%) 58 , Tunisian Alfa stems (68.2%) 59 , Date palm rachis (74.8%) 60 , 61 , Hesperaloe funifera (76.5%) 62 , Cotton stalks (72.9%) 63 , Canola straw (77.5%) 64 , Luffa cylindrica (83.0%) 65 , Hibiscus cannabinus (81.1%) 66 , Arundo donax (70.2%) 63 , and flax plant (70%) 46 . While it was higher than those from Zea mays stalks (62.33%) and Sorghum bicolor stalks (63.40%) 67 , lotus leaf stalks (53.8%) 68 , and Posidonia oceanica (61.8%) 60 .…”

“…Comparing to the woody materials, holocellulose content in M. oleifera SRRP was lower than the amount presented in Paulownia elongota wood (75.74%) 69 , Pinus pinaster wood (69.6%) 63 , Albizia lebbeck wood (78.60%) 70 , Eucalyptus globulus wood (80.5%) 63 , Acer rubrum wood (67.4%) 71 , Leucaena diversifolia wood (77.9%) 63 , and depithed Bagasse (72.38%) 72 . While it was higher than from those of Prosopis alba wood (63.6%) 63 , E. camaldulensis wood (56%) and Meryta sinclairii wood-branch (61%) 25 , and woods from Bougainvillea spectabilis (54.56%), Ficus altissima (54.73%), and F. elastica (53.37%) 67 .…”

Natural Plant Extracts and Microbial Antagonists to Control Fungal Pathogens and Improve the Productivity of Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) In Vitro and in Greenhouse

“…Natural plant extracts modulate plant growth and are involved in plant defense responses, including limiting pathogen development [32]. They are used as antimicrobial agents against a broad spectrum of plant pathogenic fungi such as Alternaria solani, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, Bipolaris orzyae, Botrytis cinerea, Curvularia lunata, F. verticilliodies, and F. graminearum [33][34][35][36][37][38][39]. Moreover, these can be used against plant bacterial pathogens such as Pectobacterium carotovorum, Pectobacterium atrosepticum, Dickeya solani, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens [40].…”

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“…On the other hand, plant defense mechanisms, such as restricting the spread of pathogens, are mediated by natural plant extracts, which regulate plant growth, and these are also used as antimicrobial agents against plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria (Salem et al 2021). In addition to killing infections (fungicidal activity) or preventing their growth (fungistatic effect), natural bioactive chemicals utilized in plant protection also activate plant defense responses (Righini et al 2021).…”