Volatile Antimicrobial Compositions Without Toxic Biocide Residues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current biocides and pesticides are often toxic to humans and wildlife, leading to environmental and health concerns, and there is a need for natural or biomimetic compositions that are safe for human use while maintaining antimicrobial efficacy.
Innovation Solution
Development of a system using Muscodor crispans and its volatile by-products, absent naphthalene and azulene derivatives, in conjunction with a non-indigenous medium or substrate, to prevent or eradicate microbial infections, along with biomimetic compositions comprising food and flavor compounds recognized as safe for human consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If synthetic biocides and pesticides are used to control microbial infections, then antimicrobial efficacy is improved, but human toxicity and environmental harm worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and utilizes only the beneficial volatile antimicrobial compounds produced by Muscodor crispans, specifically isolating them from the harmful naphthalene and azulene derivatives that are present in other Muscodor species. This selective extraction achieves effective microbial control while eliminating the toxic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the natural metabolic by-products of Muscodor crispans, which would otherwise be waste products, into beneficial antimicrobial agents. The volatile compounds produced during fungal metabolism are harnessed to control plant pathogens and food-borne microbes, transforming a natural process into a useful application.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If natural compositions from Muscodor species are used for antimicrobial control, then safety for human use is improved, but presence of naphthalene and azulene derivatives worsens antimicrobial effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selectively extracts the safe and effective volatile antimicrobial compounds from Muscodor crispans while excluding the harmful naphthalene and azulene derivatives through careful selection of the fungal species and controlled cultivation conditions. This ensures both safety and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different compositional qualities to different applications by formulating products with specific ratios of volatile compounds tailored to target particular pathogens or uses, such as food preservation versus plant disease control, optimizing both safety and effectiveness for each application.
3Reliability
If volatile by-products containing naphthalene and azulene derivatives are used, then broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity is improved, but toxicity to non-target species worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the beneficial volatile antimicrobial components from Muscodor crispans, deliberately excluding naphthalene and azulene derivatives through species selection and controlled production methods, thereby maintaining broad-spectrum activity while eliminating toxicity to non-target species.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses Muscodor crispans as a natural intermediary organism that produces volatile compounds serving as mediators between the application site and target pathogens. These compounds provide broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity while being inherently safe to humans and non-target species, replacing the need for direct application of toxic synthetic biocides.
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 solution effectively inhibits and kills pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and other microbes, demonstrating antimicrobial activity comparable to synthetic biocides without the toxicity concerns, with applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry, as shown by the prevention of fungal growth on various surfaces and the effectiveness against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Implementation Method 1
The volatile by-products of Muscodor crispans are effective against a broad spectrum of plant and human pathogens including fungi, bacteria and viruses
Implementation Method 2
The volatile by-products can be used to treat surfaces, foods, plants, animals or other substrates to prevent or eradicate fungal, bacterial or viral growth or infection
Implementation Method 3
biomimetic compositions comprising food and flavor compounds recognized as safe for human consumption
Data Source
AI summary
Antimicrobial compositions comprising one or more compound components generally recognized as safe for human consumption, and related methods of use, such compositions and methods as can be employed in a wide range of agricultural, industrial, building, pharmaceutical and/or personal care products and applications.