‘Probiotic’ cleaning supplies: a growing business
Beintema, Nienke
A Belgian company named Chrisal, working closely together with the University of Gent, is producing cleaning supplies that contain Bacillus-strains. These bacteria fight off harmful bacteria, for instance in hospitals.Hospitals are never entirely bacteria-free. Even a carefully cleaned floor usually houses a thin film of bacteria. This presents a risk to patients with reduced immune function – particularly when the notorious MRSA is involved: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This ‘hospital bacterium’ annually causes some four thousand deaths in Dutch hospitals alone.
Research shows that chemical cleaning agents are unable to tackle the bacterial film effectively. Moreover, harmful bacteria may become resistant to these chemicals. The Belgian company Chrisal has developed a series of cleaning products that offer a solution for both problems. In addition to biodegradable detergent and enzymes, the Chrisal products contain five Bacillus strains that compete with harmful bacteria. "In short, the Bacillus strains take up space and food," says Dr. Robin Temmerman, R&D Manager at Chrisal. "As a result, the harmful bacteria no longer have sufficient space and food to multiply. In other words, stabilize the environment at a microbial level." The Bacillus strains survive in the cleaning products as spores. Contact with water ‘wakens’ the bacteria, which allows them to start competing with their harmful counterparts.
Chrisal works closely together with LabMET, the microbial research laboratory of Ghent University. "Chrisal has been running its tests at LabMET since 2005, because this lab has significant experience with probiotic bacteria in the environmental sector," says Temmerman. Avecom, a spin-off company of Ghent University, examined the effectiveness of the cleaning supplies. The total number of bacteria remained roughly the same after cleaning, but the number of hospital bacteria such as MRSA dropped by 80 to 90%. There was also a decrease in the number of hospital infections in patients. In risk areas, such as geriatrics and intensive care, the infection rate was reduced by as much as 60%.
Private consumers
Chrisal and LabMET have been working on this concept since 2003. They call it PIP: Probiotics in Progress. The term ‘probiotics’ is normally used for bacteria in our digestive system that have a beneficial effect on our health. However, Temmerman thinks the term is also applicable to the cleaning industry. "We use the term ‘probiotic’ because the same bacteria are used as food supplements," he says. "Although in this case they are not ingested by humans or animals, they have a strong health-promoting effect, because they significantly reduce the risk of infections. The concept is the same: the pathogens in the environment are replaced by good bacteria."
Chrisal currently produces around 20 different probiotic cleaning products for different business sectors in thirty countries. Sales started in 2006 and new products are being developed. "The only product currently available for private consumers is a bacterial spray against house dust mites," says Temmerman. "This product, called Paradust, is marketed in Europe by Omega Pharma. In the future however we intend to further increase our focus on consumer products."