Inhibit Coatings: Antimicrobial coatings for food & beverage safety

Listeria monocytogenes is a common strain of pathogenic bacteria that can cause serious and sometimes fatal food-borne illnesses, meaning that it is a major concern for food manufacturers who must keep it under control or risk sick customers and expensive food recalls.

Now, researchers from Victoria University of Wellington have discovered a way to produce high-performance antimicrobial coatings that use a broad-spectrum silver antimicrobial agent to effectively kill over 650 different types of microorganisms, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, Campylobacter—and Listeria monocytogenes.

Forming a spin-out company—Inhibit Coatings Limited—from their research, the first application of the team's technology is focused on providing floor coatings for the food and beverage manufacturing industry. Floors are a common site for harbouring dangerous microorganisms which can survive in the cracks of floors and walls, and can be quickly spread around a plant—often via the soles of workers’ shoes.

The frequent cleaning and sanitisation regimes required in food processing facilities mean that the active ingredients used in traditional, additive-based antimicrobial floor coatings are easily washed out. With Inhibit Coatings' technology, the active ingredient is bound to the polymer resin—which means it won’t wash out, and will retain its antimicrobial effectiveness for the lifetime of the coating, with no adverse effects on the physical properties of the coating system.