Data from: Assessing the anti-fungal efficiency of filters coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles

Air filters support fungal growth, leading to generation of conidia and volatile organic compounds, causing allergies, infections and food spoilage. Filters that inhibit fungi are therefore necessary. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have antifungal properties and therefore are good candidates for inhibiting growth. Two concentrations (0.012M and 0.12M) were used to coat two types of filters (meltblown and needlepunched) for three different periods (between 0.5, 5 and 50 minutes). Rhizopus stolonifer and Penicillium expansum isolated from spoiled pears were used as test organisms. Conidial suspensions of 105 to 103 spores/mL were prepared in Sabouraud Dextrose agar at 50oC, and a modified slide-culture technique was used to test the antifungal properties of the filters. Penicillium expansum was more sensitive organism, with inhibition at 0.012M at only 0.5 minutes coating time on the needlepunched filter. The longer the coating time, the more effective inhibition was for both organisms. Furthermore, it was also determined that the coating process had only a slight effect on the Young’s Moduli of the needlepunched filters, whilst the Young’s Moduli of the meltblown filters is more susceptible to the coating method. This work contributes to the assessment of the efficacy of filter coating with ZnO nanopaticles aimed at inhibiting fungal growth.