Being open with product testing methods is not a process many companies typically choose to disclose. At Unique Services we are different, we fully disclose our product testing and… our results.
Being open with product testing methods is not a process many companies typically choose to disclose. The reason for this may vary from poor results and questionable testing methods, to name a few.
At Unique Services we partner with a sister company Sanitas Technologies Ltd to produce and market Sanitas Q-Bond and MicroClear Plus. Both products utilize an amino functional silane as the active ingredient. And as producers we are very much proud of what we have developed and are more than happy to disclose the recent testing process (and results) with Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
As part of the development program Sanitas worked with the Applied Science Department of AUT to demonstrate the efficacy of this new type of antimicrobial.
In the name of transparency and pride in production, we would like to share with you those test results, the method used and what it means in terms of antimicrobial cleaning.
The microbiology laboratory of AUT carried out tests using two well known and notorious organisms: Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus).
There are four main stages to this internationally recognized testing method:
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Preparation of test inoculum
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Inoculation of treated samples
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Incubation for 24 hours
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Assessment of growth against untreated samples
The following outlines the test method and as such contains a high degree of technical and scientific terminology.
How the testing played out
Both test organisms are grown in nutrient broth and diluted to get the desired cell count of between 250,000 and 1,000,000.
Two types of coupons one treated and one completely aluminum were used for the experiment. Both test organisms had the following set up for the tests, one coupon as the blank that contained no Q-Bond and no inoculum, three coupons used as negatives that contained only the test inoculum and three coupons used as positives that were first treated with Q-Bond sanitizer and then inoculated with the test organism.
After incubating for 24 hours at 320C all the coupons were washed with Letheen Broth by the stomaching method. Serial dilutions between 100 and 10-4 were done on the Letheen Broth and plated onto agar for colony/plate count.
The final stage called the detergent test was performed only on the positive samples treated with Q-Bond.
These were dipped in detergent and hot water, dried then inoculated again with the test organisms and incubated for 24 hours at 320C. The washing of coupons with Letheen Broth via stomaching was performed as before. Serial dilutions between 100 and 10-4 was done on the Letheen Broth and plated onto agar for colony/plate count.
Visual inspection for colonies of both test organisms (CFU) showed that all the samples treated with Q-Bond had very good results compared to the untreated samples. This was also the case with the samples that had been washed and then re-inoculated.
The results from the detergent test demonstrated that Q-Bond was not removed after washing with detergent and remained active.
And the results
AUT concluded that the chemical structure and functionality of the Q-bond makes it a highly effective antimicrobial surface treatment and as a result of these tests further work will be done for efficacy against biofilm growth.
What that means from a consumer perspective is that the microbial benefits present in Q-bond has potential to be equally effective against biofilm. The growth and development potential here is exciting and the takeaway point would be…watch this space.
It is undeniable that this product has great cleaning power and delivers enviable results when pitted against two of the most fear inducing and commonly know health risks: Ecoli and Staphylococcus. The question then becomes:
What type of company would benefit from Q-bond?
The answer is fairly straight forward – due to its effective antimicrobial treatment, Q-bond is ideal for use in the food processing and healthcare industries, or any situation/industry where antimicrobial cleanliness is essential.
Surfaces can become contaminated with common bacteria, so if you have an area like this that requires regular sanitization, then Q-bond is right for you and your businesses needs.
Why Q-bond?
Aside form excellent testing methods and results, the fact that Q-bond forms co-valent bonds on the treated surface and continues to function after regular cleaning, sets it apart from other products on the market. For its accumulation of positive effects, our pride in this product continues to elevate.
To find out more about how Q-bond can work with your businesses cleaning processes, call our team today.
We are undoubtedly proud of the results this product delivers and are unquestionably excited to present them to industry. For health, safety and overall excellent results in your food production area, Q-bond is worth its weight and is already pushing above that.
We see only more great things to come from further product development projects with Sanitas.