Paper in npj Heritage Science quantifies how Penicillium and Aspergillus mildew degrades analog tape audio quality by altering surface morphology and magnetic layer chemistry.
Key Takeaways
ATR-FTIR and SEM characterized chemical and physical changes to magnetic tape caused by mildew growth on adhesive layers.
Controlled mildew samples (Penicillium, Aspergillus) at varying coverage levels were analyzed with Praat to extract acoustic and spectral parameters.
Laser microscopy revealed surface roughness increases correlated with mildew coverage, linking physical degradation to measurable audio quality loss.
Findings provide a mechanistic basis for better preservation strategies for analog tape archives dating to 1947.