Increasing the active anti-bacterial properties of wood material with laurel and thyme extracts

Wooden products come into our lives more and more day by day, but they also bring some question marks about whether the wooden surfaces that are in contact with are hygienically safe. Two different anti-bacterial properties of wood material, passive and active, can be mentioned. The passive antibacterial property is due to the inherent porosity and hygroscopicity of the wood. However, the active anti-bacterial property of wood is related to the extractive substances in the wood. The aim of this study is to investigate the antibacterial properties of woods treated with laurel (Laurus nobilis) and thyme (Origanum onites) extracts for use in hygienically sensitive areas by direct diffusion method. Ten different bacterial strains were used to perform the experiments. The wooden discs used in the experiments were sterilized by autoclave after they were prepared from poplar (Populus tremula) wood with low active anti-bacterial properties. Bacterial strains prepared with 0.5 McFarland concentration were inoculated on Mueller-Hinton agar Petri dishes by swabbing method. The wood discs were then placed directly on the inoculated agar surface. After 24 hours of incubation at 37 °C, the zone of inhibition on the agar around the discs was measured in mm. As a result, it was determined that thyme extracts applied to poplar wood reduced bacterial growth. Thus, it has been determined that the use of wood species with low antibacterial properties by treating them with thyme extracts will give positive results in hygienically sensitive areas.