Eco-friendly approach for control of fungal deterioration of archaeological skeleton dated back to the Greco-Roman period

The deterioration aspects of Papio Hamadryas skeleton dating back to the Greco-Roman period, and its associated fungal strains were investigated. Also, the efficacy of two green synthesized nanoparticles to suppress fungal growth was assessed. The results stated that the accumulated dust, erosion, holes, and colour change were the most significant deterioration aspects. The digital light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed some micro-cracks and the presence of fauna identified as woodlice. Attenuated total reflection – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR/FTIR) proved that the archaeological bone suffered from deterioration since the wavenumber of most bands and their intensities were lower compared to the control. The most common fungal strains associated with deteriorated bones were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus delicatus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium oxalicum, Penicillium digitatum, Cladosporium sp., and Paecilomyces sp. These strains exhibited varied enzymatic activity, including protease, pectinase, cellulase, and gelatinase. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and magnesium nanoparticles MgO-NPs showed sufficient tools to suppress radial fungal growth. The growth inhibition percentages of Ag-NPs (69.1 ± 1.3–81.5 ± 2.01%) were more efficient than those recorded by MgO-NPs (59.5 ± 0.9 – 74.3 ± 2.8%) at a concentration of 300 ppm. The inhibition percentages were decreased at low NPs (200 and 100 ppm) concentrations, but it is still a promising tool to suppress fungal growth. This study recommended that Ag-NPs at 300 ppm may be used in the disinfection of the archaeological skeleton studied.