Effects of alkyl chain length of gallates on their antifungal property and potency as an environmentally-benign preservative against wood decay fungi

This study investigated effects of alkyl chain length of eight aliphatic gallates from C1 to C18 on their antifungal activity and free radical scavenging activity, which are two important indicators in developing wood preservatives. Results from the agar plate test showed that the antifungal activity against wood rot fungi of gallates was related to alkyl chain length. It increased with increasing alkyl chain length, reaching to a maximum at octyl gallate (C8), and then decreased as chain length increased. Octyl gallate also exhibited potential antifungal activity against soft rot Chaetomium globosum and copper-tolerant fungi Wolfiporia extensa and Poria placenta, which are difficult to combat with current copper-based wood preservatives. Octyl gallate is a potent antifungal agent with excellent antifungal activity over a broad antifungal spectrum. All of the gallates tested, regardless of their alkyl chain length, showed strong scavenging activity on the DPPH radical with EC50 values around 1~5 μg ml-1, indicating that the alkyl chain length was not directly related to this activity. Results from the soil block test showed that excellent antioxidants like propyl gallate (C3) and octyl gallate impart wood with good resistance against wood decay fungi. This suggests that antioxidants have potential as environmentally-benign wood preservatives.