Biochemical Investigations on the Formation Mechanisms of Foxing

Arai, Hideo; Matsui, N.; Matsumura, Noboru; Murakita, Hiroyuki

doi:10.1179/sic.1988.33.s1.003

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Arai et al report that fungal amino acids, metabolic acids and sugars are present in extracts of fox spots [18]. They hypothesize that the colour in fox spots might be caused by red-yellow to red-brown melanoidin which could be formed in the paper by the interaction of the amino acids and sugars.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of the Conidia of Fungi in Fox Spots

Florian¹

1996

Studies in Conservation

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Summary-The rusty-red, irregularly shaped areas known as foxing or fox spots are prevalent on rag paper used in books from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Foxing may vary in size from just visible spots to large areas covering most of a page, and in some cases the stain migrates through successive pages. The present study investigated the role of fungi in foxing, and the location and cause of the discoloration in these spots. Using light microscopy and staining with aqueous aniline blue, it was observed that the initial cause of the foxing was a group of separated conidia (spores) which had been deposited on the surface of the paper prior to printing and had germinated in situ during the slow drying of the paper. The colour in the foxed areas is due to an alkaline-soluble rusty-red material and an insoluble straw-coloured stain in the paper fibres. Observations of migrated stains support the theory that fox spots are part of three-dimensional stain structures which are generated in stacks of paper either during the manufacturing process or after binding. Papermakers' felts are suggested as the source of contamination, and autoxidation of lipids from the conidia is a possible cause of the discoloration of the fungal material and paper fibres.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of the Conidia of Fungi in Fox Spots

Florian¹

1996

Studies in Conservation

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“…Consequently, no single definition has been formulated as to what foxing stains are. The most significant research findings on the biological origin of foxing and fungi-causative association were reported by Arai (Arai et al 1988; Arai 2000).…”

Section: Foxing Stainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodeterioration of Cultural Heritage

2023

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Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND), which allows users to download, copy and build upon published work non-commercially, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited. If the material is transformed or built upon, the resulting work may not be distributed. DedicationThis book is dedicated to Rafal Szczepanowski, who contributed over the years with creative visualizations of intricate fungal structures.

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