## 4 Discussion
Byssochlamys, Curvularia, Phomopsis, Coprinellus, and Perenniporia were only found in Muong Cultural Space Museum, while Cladosporium, Humicola, Pithomyces, Neopestalotiopsis, Pleospora, and Trichoderma were only found in Thu Museum. In contrast, Talaromyces was only found in the Museum of Biology. The fungal community involved in the biodeterioration process of binocular eyepieces was more diverse than that of historical church window glasses [4]. The identified fungal species might secrete various organic acids, extracellular enzymes, pigments, and EPSs to colonize on glass materials; consequently, biofilms will be developed on the glass surface, accelerating biodegradation and biocorrosion processes [31; 32; 33]. Fungi are well known for their potential to overproduce and accumulate various organic acids [34; 35]. Intrinsic abilities provide the fungi a competitive advantage over other organisms and the ability to proliferate on inorganic materials such as metal and glass [36]. As for the biodeterioration of glass, organic acids produced by fungi dissolve metal oxides and minerals on the glass surface, thus releasing nutrient ions for growth [19]. Organic acid production recorded here was in agreement with previous studies showing that _Aspergillus_, _Penicillium_, and _Cladosporium_ are organic acid producers commonly found as the primary contaminants causing biocorrosion of glass materials [1; 2; 14]. As documented, the most common acids produced by fungi include formic, citric, acetic, oxalic, gluconic, and itaconic acids [34]. The magnitude of corrosion ranges from 0.27 to 0.03 mA cm\({}^{-2}\) for 1% organic acids [37] and causes significant etching of glasses. Fungi readily digest the organic materials such as oils from fingerprints and lens coatings and produce strong hydrofluoric acid as a waste product, which decreases the glass surface pH to lower than 3.0, causing permanent etching of the glass [38]. Thus, glass damage is even more potent in vivo because of the condensation and accumulation of a mixture of the above-mentioned organic acids. Furthermore, organic acids move through the silica network and continue to dissolve metal oxides, leading to carbonate and sulfate salt production due to the absorption of CO\({}_{2}\) and SO\({}_{2}\) from the atmosphere [39]. [PERSON] et al. demonstrated the formation of carbonate, sulfate, and silicate crystals due to fungal acids excreted during the biocorrosion process [11]. Altogether, these agents, in turn, etch and destroy the antireflective layers and the surface of glass permanently, resulting in a decreased degree of transparency and refractive index and a loss of image brightness and sharpness. Moreover, the acidic environment also favors fungal growth and, together with the hot, moist atmosphere conditions, causes physical-chemical corrosion, which speeds up glass deterioration. In this study, the high level of EPSs recorded for _Aspergillus, Byssochlamys,_ and _Penicillium_ species was consistent with many previous studies [40; 41; 42]. The EPS composition varies depending on producer species. _Aspergillus_ and _Penicillium_ species produce EPSs composed of glucose, mannose, galactose, galactosamine, and acetate [43; 44; 45]. Due to excess sugars in EPSs, organic acid production occurs on glass surfaces, leading to glass corrosion. EPS production by the fungi is usually intracellular and secreted outside the cell to form biofilms, leading to permanent colonization of the fungi on the surface of materials [42]. However, the glass biodeterioration ability might differ between fungal species, and the identification of harmful fungi is crucial to protect glass material. Light scattering and absorption by the fungal mycelia on the glass surface could account for the rapid loss of light transmission and image quality. The etching of the glass by excretion of organic acids and other metabolic products results in grooves formed in the glass surface in contact with the hyphae.