Preventing Fungal Attack of Freshly Sawn Lumber Using Cinnamon Extracts (Technical Note‪)‬

Abstract The potential for using cinnamon oil as an antimold and stain compound was investigated on ponderosa pine sapwood. This material is available as a food grade additive and offers a safe, low cost alternative to conventional biocides for stain prevention. Cinnamon oil was highly effective when used in ethanol, but its activity declined when it was mixed with only water. The addition of 1 percent Tween or 0.5/0.5% NP-7/Tween 80 stabilized 2 percent cinnamon oil/water emulsions; however, the mixtures were not effective against mold or stain fungi. Cinnamon oil/water mixtures at concentrations of 5 percent or greater had high efficacy, but were not stable. The results suggest that surfactants can improve solution stability of cinnamon oil/water solutions, although higher oil concentrations may be needed to retain efficacy