The Application of the Essential Oils of Thymus vulgaris L. and Crithmum maritimum L. as Biocidal on Two Tholu Bommalu Indian Leather Puppets

Abstract

The chemical profile of the Thymus vulgaris (Lamiaceae) essential oil (EO) was investigated in order to evaluate its biological properties against microorganisms affecting two Tholu Bommalu, typical Indian leather puppets stored at the International Puppets Museum “Antonio Pasqualino” of Palermo, Italy. A GC–MS analysis, using both polar and apolar columns, was used to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of the Thymus vulgaris and Crithmum maritimum essential oils in vapor phase to disinfect heritage leather puppets. Pieces of leather artifacts that were affected by different bacterial colonies were exposed to EO under vacuum and static evaporation conditions. The results presented showed that the vaporization of essential oil was an efficient method in the disinfection of natural skins, eradicating microorganism in short times. T. vulgaris EO in the 50% solution showed excellent inhibitory activity against isolated bacteria with both methods, but the obtained results suggest that the vacuum method allowed for faster exposition of the artifacts to the biocide. Furthermore, the biocidal properties of the essential oil of a Sicilian accession of Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) aerial parts were compared and investigated. The results of the latter essential oil showed a poor activity against the isolated micro-organisms.

Thymus vulgaris Essential Oil and Hydro-Alcoholic Solutions to Counteract Wooden Artwork Microbial Colonization

“…Aiming to set up specific protocols to increase the efficacy of exposure to EO volatile compounds, in our previous study, the exposition of microbial colonized parchment artworks to Thymus vulgaris L. and Crithmum maritimum L. EOs was performed under vacuum conditions that significantly reduced the exposure time [64].…”

Rock Samphire, a Candidate Crop for Saline Agriculture: Cropping Practices, Chemical Composition and Health Effects

“…The aerial parts of the species contain a great diversity of volatile compounds, including sabinene, α-Terpinene, γ-Terpinene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol, thymyl methyl oxide, p-Cymene, α-Pinene, Z-β-Ocimene, β-Phellandrene, dillapiole and myrcene [1,7,21,23,[82][83][84][85][86].…”

“…Rock samphire or sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) is a perennial halophyte that belongs to the family Apiaceae and is naturally grown in coastal areas of the Mediterranean region and the Atlantic Ocean [1][2][3]. It is highly appreciated for its edible tender leaves (Figure 1), although, apart from culinary uses, several other applications have been recorded such as medicinal, cosmetic and essential oil production [4][5][6][7][8]. Moreover, sea fennel used to be a basic ingredient in folk medicine for scurvy prevention, against parasites or as a diuretic [9].…”

Effect of Germacrene-Rich Essential Oil of Parentucellia latifolia (L.) Caruel Collected in Central Sicily on the Growth of Microorganisms Inhabiting Historical Textiles

“…A method reported by D'Agostino et al 59 was used for the GC-MS analysis. These were performed using a Hewlett-Packard 5890 A, equipped with a fused silica capillary column (HP-5 MS, film thickness 0.25 μm 30 m × 0.25 mm i.d.…”