I suspect, from having seen this kind of binding intact on very old instruments, that bacteria reach some sort of homeostatic stage where the resident flora , established earlier on, acts as a barrier for any other bacteria. I have never seen consistent amounts of mould despite the fact that moisture is there all the time.
True, part of the secret might be the different waxes and tallow which people were using on this instruments ( although finding an old vial of tallow in a 100 year old flute, been there done that several times, generally makes your stomach turn) which, in itself, might have some disinfectant properties.
I was very cautious in introducing this topic because of the possible vibrationalist ramifications which is not my intention to hint, propagate or explore!
In my case ( like many other people) If I feel that I have reached a point where I am never going to change my mouthpiece or main saxophones. This solution could be, I think, a nice alternative to cork.