Microorganisms anti-adhesion process
- How does it work?
- What can it be used for?
- What can it not be used for?
- Related Facilities
- Further Information
|Key words||Microorganism, adhesion, surface, hygiene, polymer layer, hydrophilic|
|Completed by||INRA - IATE|
How does it work?
|Primary objective||efficient and easy-to-implement method for preventing microorganisms’ growth on work surfaces|
|Working principle|| At present time, the cleaning / disinfecting procedures that ensure the hygiene of devices show a variable effectiveness and some disadvantages in their daily use, such as allergic reactions, development of bacterial resistance, and incompatibility with food products.
This technology consists of a hydrophilic polymer layer, which prevents the adhesion and (consequently) the development of microorganisms on a surface. The surface to treat can be any floor, industrial furniture / equipment, piping surface, internal/external surface of a fermenting reactor, etc.
An aqueous hydrophilic suspension of the adequate polymer is applied on the surface by wetting, using a brush or any pulverization system. The treated surface is then dried.
The polymers' layer adheres to the support by a simple non-covalent binding and doesn't imply any chemical reaction between the protective layer and the support. The surface may be treated several times without any alteration or modification. The adhesion of micro-organisms is hence avoided, during the 1 to 7 days of adhesion of the polymers to the support, depending on the mechanic constraints. The polymer concentration, i.e. the layer's thickness, may be adapted to the mechanic constraints.
The hydrophilic polymeric material is selected among celluloses and their derivatives, polyacrylamides and their copolymers, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and its copolymers, vinyl acetate copolymers and vinyl alcohol copolymers, glycol polyethylenes, glycol polypropylenes, hydrophilic polyacrylates, hydrophilic polymethacrylates, polyosides and chitosans.
|Additional effects|| The polymer layer may be applied on different supports: glass, ceramic, porcelain, cement, concrete, metal (steel, aluminum, etc.)
The polymer solution may also be enriched, depending on specific needs, by:
• Additives to improve the laying-out of the anti-adhesion solution
• Adherence's instigator agent
• Antiseptic or preserving agent, to further reduce the bacterial or fungus proliferation
• Hardening agent, able to improve the abrasion resistance of the layer
The method is totally safe for the environment, it is biodegradable and non-toxic on animals.
It can be used for medical applications.
|Important process parameters||polymer concentration in the solution must be between 0.5% and 5% (in weight), preferably between 1% and 3% (depending on mechanic constraints).|
|Important product parameters||the area to be treated must consist of mineral material such as ceramics, porcelain, cement or concrete or metallic material such as steel or aluminum.|
What can it be used for?
|Products||Food contact surfaces|
|Solutions for short comings||Improved hygiene methods|
What can it NOT be used for?
|Products||surfaces not consisting of mineral or metallic material|
|Other limitations||not known|
|Risks or hazards||not known|
|Maturity||The technology is available at lab-scale. A patent has been registered, and licenses are available trhough INRA Transfert; they will lead to industrial scale implementations.|
|Modularity /Implementation||This technology replaces the existing methods|
|Consumer aspects||consumers should be in favour of a technology that improves the safety of their food products|
|Legal aspects||The process is patented with a worldwide application territory, and licenses are available|
|Environmental aspects||The method is totally safe for the environment, is biodegradable and non-toxic on animals.|
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polymer concentration in the solution must be between 0.5% and 5% (in weight), preferably between 1% and 3% (depending on mechanic constraints). the area to be treated must consist of mineral material such as ceramics, porcelain, cement or concrete or metallic material such as steel or aluminum.