Microbial natural products screening platform for eco-friendly bamboo protection
A research initiative to discover and develop antifungal compounds from microbial natural products as sustainable alternatives to toxic chemical treatments for bamboo preservation. The project isolates bacteria and fungi, screens for anti-fungal activity, and characterizes bioactive compounds for bamboo protection against mold and decay.
Overview
This research addresses the urgent need for safer, environmentally friendly bamboo protection solutions. Traditional preservation methods rely on toxic chemicals that pose risks to human health and ecosystems, while plant-based alternatives suffer from low yields and lengthy production cycles. This project leverages microbial natural products—bioactive compounds derived from bacteria and fungi—as a novel, sustainable pathway to inhibit the fungal organisms responsible for bamboo biodeterioration.
The work targets two key threats to bamboo: mildew fungi and decay fungi. By systematically isolating microbial strains and identifying those that produce potent antifungal metabolites, the research aims to establish a new generation of bio-based bamboo preservatives that are both effective and ecologically responsible.
Technical specifications
Research approach:
- Isolation, purification, and collection of microbial strains from environmental samples
- Bioassay-guided screening of strains capable of inhibiting the growth of bamboo mildew and decay fungi
- Isolation and purification of active antifungal compounds using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography)
- Structural characterization of bioactive molecules using MS (mass spectrometry) and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance)
- Impregnation of identified antifungal compounds into bamboo samples
- Evaluation of mold resistance and decay resistance performance of treated bamboo
Key advantages over existing methods:
- Avoids toxic chemicals commonly used in conventional bamboo preservation
- Bypasses the low-yield, time-intensive limitations of plant extract production
- Uses microbial fermentation as a scalable and potentially renewable production route
Technology readiness level
The project is at an early-stage research and discovery phase (TRL 2–3). Future validation will proceed through strain isolation and library construction, antifungal activity screening, compound purification and structural characterization, and finally impregnation testing on bamboo substrates. The research group is seeking collaboration partners to advance the screening pipeline, support compound characterization, and co-develop downstream applications for the bamboo protection industry.
About ZHEJIANG A & F UNIVERSITY
Zhejiang A&F University is a mid-sized public comprehensive university in Hangzhou, China, with nearly 28,000 students and more than 2,600 faculty and staff. Its applied, regionally engaged character is reinforced by three campuses at the western end of Hangzhou’s Chengxi Sci-Tech Corridor, linking university research with a major innovation and manufacturing region. Co-developed by Zhejiang Province with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, it maintains state- and provincial-level laboratories, engineering platforms, greenhouses, and field facilities for joint R&D and technical demonstration. Research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and relevant agriculture and forestry agencies; a social cooperation function supports technology licensing, transfer approvals, IP review, and external collaboration.
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