US firm BioLargo has developed new technology to enable the food industry to use controlled doses of iodine - the most potent known antimicrobial agent - to tackle pathogens such as E.coli.
A potent natural disinfectant found in seawater and some minerals and soils, Iodine has been largely overlooked as a disinfectant because there are technical difficulties in creating it in controlled doses.
But BioLargo has overcome these problems by developing technology that enables the generation of free molecular iodine in water. It can be used in sprays, packaging and washes.
The company has spent more than three years and $3M on developing technology to deliver small quantities of iodine in liquid, solid, and gas phase systems with incredibly high potency, making it more cost effective and better for the environment than chlorine and bromine, claimed chief executive Dennis Calvert.
“Iodine is the most potent antimicrobial agent there is. It also has no known microbial acquired resistance. However, historically, it has been delivered in a high dose and complex molecule set, which is potentially pretty toxic.”
BioLargo’s process generates iodine using chemical reagents, which react to create a flash of biocidal iodine that can be used in sprays, washes and other liquids.
It can also be delivered in a gas phase system as a fumigant, for dosing a flow of water, or a body of water or soil, said Calvert.
“We are now talking to large companies about licensing our technology. We’re not selling cleaning products ourselves - that’s not where our expertise lies.”