Making the safe choice
08 May 2009
With survival top of the agenda in 2009, many manufacturers are looking to antimicrobial technology to give them an edge, or help them diversify, as BioCote sales manager Graham Harvey explains.
It’s essential to choose the right technology provider to reduce the risks associated with innovation, says Graham Harvey.
If there’s one thing guaranteed to knock news of redundancies off the front page, it’s an outbreak of E.coli or Salmonella. The media has been hugely successful in raising awareness of bacteria and superbugs and levels of fear among the public, who as a result are demanding high standards of cleanliness and hygiene in all public areas.
To survive this recession, it’s essential to recognise business opportunities as well as dangers and it’s clear that many forward-thinking manufacturers are looking to invest in new product development and innovation to ensure they safeguard their brand and expand their appeal to more markets. Adding new product features and diversifying into new markets are both popular strategies for survival. While such investment is important, taking risks can be dangerous and many companies are looking for ‘safe’ options.
High profile food contamination incidents and public demand for improved hygiene standards makes products with ‘bug-busting’ properties an ideal route into the food and catering sector. Cutting edge antimicrobial technology allows manufacturers to offer their customers products that inhibit the growth of bacteria, mould and fungi on their surface, making them cleaner and more hygienic to use. These products are ideal for use in food preparation environments where hygiene is of the utmost importance, such as in restaurants, hotels and schools. The addition of antimicrobial features therefore adds value to a product and differentiates it from the competition.
Sounds convincing, but perhaps the antimicrobial sector should come with its own health warning – as there are so many potential traps and pitfalls when choosing a supplier. Picking the wrong antimicrobial solution could lead to a great deal of wasted time and money.
There are a variety of different antimicrobial technologies available to manufacturers, each with its own characteristics. At BioCote Ltd we specialise in silver ion technology, an established and effective antimicrobial solution. Silver has a history of proven effectiveness and has long been recognised for its ability to aid preservation, dating back to the ancient Greeks, who used silver vessels to keep drinking water fresh. Today, the medical community uses silver in wound dressings and surface-coated catheters to reduce the risk of infection.
Silver ion technology is engineered into our customers’ products at the time of manufacture. These products then provide continuous, built-in protection against bacteria such as MRSA, E.coli and Salmonella. Silver additives can be added to a variety of materials, such as plastics, powder coatings, fabrics and papers at very little additional cost to the manufacturing process and consequently the product margin. These treated materials then work because silver ions are available to act against bacteria contaminating their surface. The silver ions are known to damage bacterial cells in a number of ways, leading to their death.
Antimicrobial silver is a safe, durable technology; it does not break down, which means it will not leach from the surface of treated products, retaining its antimicrobial performance for the lifetime of the product. In contrast, organic antimicrobials, such as Triclosan and Zinc pyrolithione, have to migrate from a product’s surface in order to work. As the active ingredient is lost from the surface, the antimicrobial performance of the product deteriorates.
When choosing an antimicrobial technology it is important to be sure it has a robust evidence base to support your marketing claims. Whilst some technology providers will offer standard additive tests carried out in a laboratory, these do not prove that the antimicrobial technology will also work in practice e.g. once incorporated into a product and used outside a controlled lab environment.
Antimicrobial products must be as effective when they are in situ, as they are in a laboratory test, which is why we’re leading the way in developing a sound evidence base to show how BioCote® protected products can reduce levels of bacterial contamination in real-life environments. We’re investing in many clinical environmental trials, the first of which has been peer-reviewed and published in January’s issue of the Journal for Infection Prevention, proving that BioCote® reduces levels of bacteria by up to 95%.
With so many companies offering technologies and making exaggerated and confusing claims for their effectiveness, deciding on the right provider can be daunting. It’s vital to choose a proven, evidence-based antimicrobial technology that can be trusted to provide effective and continuous protection in situ.
So you choose your trusted supplier, incorporate the proven antimicrobial and move on, right? Wrong. Many manufacturers believe that once their product incorporates an antimicrobial, they can forget about any further obligations. However from an ethical and legal viewpoint, the importance of constant validation and quality control to test the levels and effectiveness of an antimicrobial in a product is extremely important.
At BioCote Ltd we’ve invested in teams of experts to test, trial and validate our customers’ products once they incorporate the antimicrobial additive. Testing should be completed on all components of a product that carry efficacy claims, including any coatings, plastics, papers and fabrics that contain the additive. Our robust test methods ensure that only products that reduce levels of bacteria by over 95% pass validation. But some products on the market are not so vigorously tested, risking the credibility of not only the antimicrobial but also the manufacturer promoting it as a feature of their product.
Whilst many manufacturers will have a vast array of knowledge about their own product and marketplace, they may not be experts in the field of microbiology and material engineering. Therefore when it comes to ensuring the smooth application of their additive into the manufacturing process and then promoting an antimicrobial product in the marketplace, they may require additional support.
We believe it’s vital to offer support services to manufacturers providing expertise that can take products from validation through to market entry, greatly improving the credibility of the product and reducing the risk of failure once it is launched.
Assistance with regulatory aspects concerning antimicrobial technology is a pre-requisite, ensuring all marketing claims made about the technology are compliant. This is particularly important when distributing internationally, where legislation and regulations differ in each local country. For example, under the EU Biocidal Products Directive, all additives used in Europe must be BPD registered and any antimicrobial claims must be supported with evidence.
As with many European Directives, the BPD is going through a succession of changes. We guide our partners through these changes ensuring full compliance to European regulations. In the US the EPA and FIFRA have strict regulations that state what claims can be made about antimicrobial treated products, which in the past have lead to legal disputes when misinterpreted. For companies looking for a safe route to market, specialist advice is essential.
The importance of a reputable brand can never be underestimated and branded antimicrobial technologies are being used in the same way as Intel®, Gore-Tex® and Lycra®: as integral product features. The BioCote® brand has its origins in the healthcare sector and we are striving for it to become the kitemark of proven, evidence-based antimicrobial technology. Using a branded technology not only increases customers’ awareness of the antimicrobial feature but also adds credibility to your product offering.
Antimicrobial protection could prove to be the innovative solution that many product manufacturers are looking for in the current climate, helping them reach new markets, growing share, safeguarding jobs and building brand values for the future. With a clear focus on hygiene standards in the food and catering and hospitality sectors, a company with a proven antimicrobial technology and the right support to market it can steal a march on its competition. So make sure you make a safe choice – safe for the manufacturer, safe for the customer and safe for the end user.
Contact Details and Archive...
Related Articles...
Most Viewed Articles...