Finished leather and animal skin, from which it is made, are very susceptible to fungal attack. The animal skin contains a great variety of fungal forms which are derived
from air, water, soil manure and extraneous filth, while the animal is still alive; most of these fungi have little effect on the skin. But after the removal of the skin from the dead animal, these fungi find themselves in a perfect medium for the growth and
almost immediately start multiplying at an enormous rate. The present study deals with the collection of various types of finished leather samples. Isolations were made
from such samples using standard methods, to know about the qualitative, quantitative spectrum and relative capacity of fungi to deteriorate the collected samples. The numbers of fungi isolated from finished leather samples exposed to tropical chamber were 47. Out of these fungal species, 26 from vegetable tanned leather (Sheep), 25
each from chrome tanned leather (Sheep) and vegetable tanned leather (Goat), 24 and
23, from vegetable tanned sole leather (Buff) and Zuggrain chrome tanned leather
(Cow), respectively, 22 from Chrome softy leather (Cow), 20 each from chrome retan
leather (Cow) and oil tanned chamois leather ( Goat ) and minimum 18 each from
semi-chrome leather (Buff) and chrome tanned leather (Goat) and relative capacity were recorded for Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. amstelodami, A.sydowii and P.citrinum etc |