Tannins are well-known to protect plants from bacteria and fungi, but nothing is known about its effects on microorganisms once they are copolymerized. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a tannin−furanic polymer in comparison with industrial mimosa tannin extract on the in vitro growth of two strains of bacteria, Bacillaceae and Pseudomanadaceae, and two white-rot fungi, Trametes versicolor and Agrocybe aegerita. Results have highlighted that the tannin polymer did not inhibit the growth of tested bacteria and even favored the growth of Bacillaceae without extra glucose. The growth of both fungi was enhanced by mimosa tannin and its polymer at low concentrations (<1%), while concentrations above 10% had a growth-inhibiting effect, which was slightly less strong for the polymer compared to the tannin against Trametes versicolor. These findings highlighted that tannin−furanic polymers can be tolerated by certain microorganisms at low concentration and that their inhibitory effect is similar or slightly lower than that of the pristine tannin extract.
Keywords: antimicrobial; bio-plastic; biological resistance; degradation; flavonoid.