Antimicrobial Composition Using Hydrotropes for Rapid Disinfection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current antimicrobial compositions requiring long contact times for effective action are inadequate for quick disinfection, particularly for users like children, leading to potential skin contamination and disease spread, and high concentrations of essential oil actives like thymol and terpineol are expensive and sensorially negative.
Innovation Solution
An antimicrobial composition combining 0.02-0.2% thymol and 0.05-0.5% terpineol with hydrotropes such as sodium benzoate or sodium acetate, used in low concentrations, provides rapid antimicrobial efficacy within 15 seconds when applied as a soap bar or in personal care products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If high concentrations of essential oil actives (thymol and terpineol) are used, then fast antimicrobial action is achieved, but cost increases and sensorial quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Hydrotropes (sodium benzoate, sodium toluene sulphonate, sodium cumene sulphonate, sodium xylene sulphonate, sodium salicylate, or sodium acetate) are introduced as intermediary substances that enhance the antimicrobial efficacy of thymol and terpineol. These hydrotropes facilitate better interaction between the essential oil actives and microbial targets, enabling fast antimicrobial action at lower concentrations of the essential oil components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical environment by introducing specific hydrotropic substances that alter the solubility, stability, and bioavailability parameters of thymol and terpineol. This parameter modification allows the essential oil actives to achieve higher effectiveness at reduced concentrations, resolving the contradiction between speed of action and quantity required.
2Reliability
If long contact time is used for antimicrobial action, then effective disinfection is achieved, but user compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Hydrotropes serve as mediators that accelerate the antimicrobial mechanism, reducing the contact time required from several minutes to just 30 seconds or less. The hydrotropes enhance the reactivity and penetration of thymol and terpineol, enabling rapid microbial inactivation that maintains disinfection efficacy while dramatically reducing the time users must spend on the cleaning process.
3Reliability
If chlorine and nascent oxygen based bleaching agents are used, then antimicrobial action is achieved, but contact time requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from using strong oxidizing agents (chlorine, nascent oxygen) to a different chemical mechanism based on essential oil actives enhanced by hydrotropes. This parameter change in the chemical approach allows for rapid antimicrobial action within 30 seconds, eliminating the long contact time requirement associated with bleaching agents while maintaining or improving disinfection reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves high antimicrobial efficacy at low concentrations of essential oil actives, ensuring effective disinfection in short contact times while minimizing cost and sensory impact, suitable for various applications including skin and surface cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a combination of essential oil actives thymol and terpineol that interact synergistically to provide anti-microbial activity in very fast times
Implementation Method 2
a combination of essential oil actives thymol and terpineol when used in the presence of specific hydrotropes are able to achieve the high antimicrobial efficacy at low concentration of the actives
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of disinfecting a surface and to an antimicrobial composition. Essential oils, which are used as antimicrobial actives, are also known for their strong odour; using high amounts of these gives a strong smell to the product that is not always appreciated by the consumer. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an antimicrobial composition, having good anti-microbial properties, at very low levels of essential oil actives. The present inventors have achieved this using a synergistic combination of select anti-microbial actives and select hydrotropes.