Gelest Launches Two New BIOSAFE® Antimicrobials
Gelest, Inc., a leading innovator in materials science, announced today its new BIOSAFE® HE4005 and HE4001 Antimicrobial products have been approved for use as antimicrobial preservatives under U.S. EPA and FDA regulations to preserve articles including those in direct contact with finished food. BIOSAFE HE4005 and HE4001 are the only registered silane quaternary ammonium salt (silane quat) antimicrobials manufactured using a methanol-free process.
Like traditional quaternary ammonium salts (quats), silane quats are effective against an extensive variety of microorganisms by physically rupturing the microbe’s cell membrane and destroying the microbes on contact. Unlike traditional quats, silane quats can bind to a wide range of surfaces and therefore provide long-lasting protection against microorganism colonization.
There are several EPA-approved silane quat antimicrobial products in the market and all of them are manufactured from raw materials that contain methanol. As a result, the finished products can contain up to 0.5 parts of methanol for one part of silane quats. Suppliers are not required to report methanol levels on a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) if they fall below 1%.
“Due to the rapidly increasing use of silane quats in a variety of applications, it becomes critical to make methanol-free silane quat antimicrobials available to the market,” said Shiming Wo, Gelest Vice President and General Manager Life Sciences. “At Gelest, we have successfully developed BIOSAFE HE4005 and HE4001 Antimicrobials using methanol-free processes and obtained the regulatory approvals as antimicrobial preservatives for a broad range of applications including surfaces and materials that come into direct contact with food.”
BIOSAFE Antimicrobial HE4005 and HE4001 are 5wt% and 0.75wt% active in water, respectively. BIOSAFE Antimicrobials are found in a wide range of EPA-approved applications including Careismatic Certainty® SmartBoost™ Laundry Additive for healthcare uniforms, and National Wiper Alliance Quat Keeper® Foodservice Towels for restaurants and cafeterias. BIOSAFE Antimicrobials are used to preserve treated articles by preventing the growth of stain- and odor- causing bacteria, fungi, mold, and mildew.
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