CHARACTERIZATION OF WOOD DECAY BY ROT FUNGI USING COLORIMETRY AND INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

<p>Wood samples of marupá (<em>Simarouba amara</em>) and andiroba (<em>Carapa guianenis</em>) were submitted to <em>Trametes versicolor</em> (white rot) and <em>Gloeophylum trabeum</em> (brown rot) fungi attack. Colorimetry was used to determine the color of the wood before and after wood decaying fungi. To evaluate the changes in chemical compounds levels in the wood samples, the diffuse reflectance medium infrared spectroscopy was used. Both wood were non resistant against white rot fungus, while with brown rot attack andiroba was resistant and marupá was not. After<em> Gloeophyllum trabeum</em> attack both woods changed to a darken color, and after <em>Trametes</em><em> versicolor</em> attack andiroba changed to a lighter color and marupá darkened slightly, The analysis showed a reduction in the peak intensity of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, for both species, after <em>Trametes</em><em> versicolor</em> attack and a reduction in the peak intensity of cellulose after <em>Gloeophyllum trabeum </em>attack.