Antibacterial Additives

What are antibacterial additives?

Pathogenic microorganisms are present in many environments and objects we use daily such as surfaces, textiles, trays, etc. Constant exposure to bacteria is a reality that must be controlled.

Antibacterial additives are compounds that have the ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria and are increasingly becoming a new way of ensuring the prevention of bacterial contamination.

Bactiblock offers a portfolio with antimicrobial solutions through its antibacterial additives inhibiting the growth of bacteria and fungi when these are incorporated into different types of products or final materials such as textiles, polymers, ceramics, filters, foams, paints and many others.

Antibacterial additives can be classified into two types depending on the action they exercise over bacteria, i.e. bacteriostatics and bactericides. Bacteriostatic antibacterials are those that prevent bacteria growth, while bactericides remove bacteria.

Antibacterial additives can act in different ways on bacteria: on the cell wall to prevent it from growing, on the cell membrane to make it permeable and to allow access inside, on the bacteria’s DNA to damage its structure or on ribosomes to prevent it from being able to synthesise the proteins that keep them alive.

About antibacterial additives in Bactiblock

Antibacterial additives can be inorganic or organic compounds. Bactiblock manufactures inorganic active raw materials based on silver or copper. Compared to organic antimicrobials, such as bleaches or alcohols, inorganic compounds provide antimicrobial efficacy for longer.

Trials carried out with the products manufactured by Bactiblock allow us to prove that after adding a small concentration of antibacterial additives, the bacteria population is drastically reduced in a compound with an antibacterial additive compared to one without the additive.

In addition, silver-based antimicrobial additives provide antibacterial features as they act against a wide range of fungal bacteria and even viruses. They can be easily added in the manufacturing process of the different materials, to the final material.

Bactiblock has proprietary technology whereby silver is released more slowly, obtaining positive results against bacteria in the long term. The result is a more hygienic environment, allowing the non-proliferation of microbes and therefore the reduction of allergies and infections.