5 Benefits of Adding Antimicrobial Additives to Your Product

The pursuit of health and well-being is becoming increasingly prevalent around the world. In addition to providing a sense of protection, antimicrobial additives—when incorporated into products such as:

Foams
Fabrics
Laminates
Polymers
Synthetic fibers
Ceramics and other items

They promote not only benefits for people's health and safety, but also many others.

With that in mind, we’ve listed five of these benefits to help us better understand the advantages of using TNS antimicrobial technology.

*Antimicrobials: The antimicrobial effect refers to the active ingredient’s action against various microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

1. Protection against pathogenic bacteria

Every place we go and where we carry out our daily activities contains bacteria.

Facilities such as health centers, hospitals, and places where food is processed or stored.

They are much more susceptible to risks associated with high bacterial exposure.

For example, cross-contamination, which occurs when a contaminated utensil comes into contact with an uncontaminated one.

Very common on cutting boards or even in clothing fitting rooms at stores.

These pathogenic bacteria can cause various symptoms in people, such as salmonella, which causes diarrhea, vomiting, and other symptoms, or even E. coli, which causes abdominal pain and pain when urinating.

Read more at: Guide to Antimicrobials

2. Prevents the development of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics

Bacteria are becoming increasingly deadly, given their ability to adapt to the antibiotics used today.

However, this does not occur when they encounter certain antimicrobials, due to differences in their mechanism of action, which prevent the bacteria from mutating.

The non-migratory nature of TNS products means that, ultimately, no inhibition halo forms around the active ingredient, which is where a concentration gradient of the active ingredient would otherwise occur.

In other words, it wouldn't actually kill the bacteria that came into contact with that specific area, leading to the development of superbugs.

3. Inhibition of unpleasant odors by antimicrobial additives

One of the main causes of unpleasant odors, especially in fabrics and foam, is bacteria.

This happens because they begin to multiply rapidly and break down sweat into byproducts that eventually cause odor.

The most effective way to combat this is by using antimicrobial additives to inhibit bacterial growth.

4. Prevents inventory loss caused by mold

One of the biggest problems faced by industries located in regions with high relative humidity is the growth of mold on stored products or even during transport (whether for export or not).

Two prime examples of sectors facing these challenges are the synthetic laminate and textile industries, both of which play a significant role in Brazil’s fashion and toy markets.

Investing in antimicrobial technology ultimately proves to be more advantageous because, in addition to ensuring greater safety and protection for consumers, it prevents costs associated with product loss.

See: Antimicrobial properties in bathrooms: learn why they matter

5. Antimicrobial additives extend the product's shelf life

We are living in an era where we are increasingly looking for products that are durable, always striving to do more with less.

In this context, materials that require less frequent cleaning contribute to a better future in two ways:

1. Water conservation: On average, a typical four-person household in São Paulo consumes in one week the same amount of water needed to supply a household of the same size in northeastern Brazil for three months.

This is due, in the vast majority of cases, to how often you wash your clothes.

2. Extended shelf life: Over time, certain products lose their original characteristics, which in some cases is due to degradation caused by microorganisms.

This leads to a loss of the mechanical and visual properties of certain products, such as some polymers or textiles, for example. One way to ensure good quality for a longer period of time is to inhibit the activity of these microorganisms.

TNS Nano

Did you find yourself relating to your clients’ comments and/or concerns? Probably yes, right!?

Please contact our experts at TNS so they can assist you with your antimicrobial needs.

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