https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-07433-x
Regular Article
Evaluating the efficiency of plant essential oils against microorganisms found on Feilaifeng limestone, China
1
School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University, 310028, Hangzhou, China
2
Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
3
Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, 310027, Hangzhou, China
a
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b
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Received:
19
November
2025
Accepted:
12
February
2026
Published online:
25
February
2026
Abstract
Feilaifeng is one of the important cultural heritage sites in South China due to its abundant Buddhist statues possibly dating back to the Five Dynasties period (907 AD–960 AD). In the south China, the humid and rainy weather creating good conditions for microorganisms to grow on the stone surface, resulting in physical and chemical damage as well as esthetic alteration. In the past few years, we have used chemical agents to control microbial growth on the surface of stone heritage. However, chemical agents can be potentially harmful to the environment, heritage materials, as well as the people working with it. Therefore, in this study, plant essential oils were selected to inhibit microbial colonization because they are considered safe not only for the environment but also for the stone structure and the operators. Firstly, nine kinds of plant essential oils were used to determine the inhibition zone and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Aspergillus niger and Pseudomonas sp. commonly found in Feilaifeng heritage. It was found that cinnamon essential oil has the best antimicrobial effect, and it was finally selected to explore its effects in the inhibition of the microorganisms in situ. It was proved that 1% cinnamon essential oil had antimicrobial effect on microorganisms in Feilaifeng cultural heritage. Our results provide a green conservation strategy for the stone heritage, such as Feilaifeng limestone, which is vulnerable to the destruction caused by various microorganisms.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
