Disinfectant? Biocide? Sporicide? 

All biocides are disinfectants. All sporicides are biocides. Not all biocides are sporicides. You can also disinfect without biocides. Let’s take a look at this in more detail.


Disinfectants disinfect

To disinfect means to reduce viable contamination to acceptable levels. In cleanrooms this is measured by Log reduction. Not all disinfectants are equal though, and it is therefore essential to select appropriate methods and products to ensure a full kill spectrum. Using the correct equipment, SOPs and, cleanroom consumables to prevent and remove contamination enables you to maintain the required standards in the critical environment. 


What is a biocide?

A biocide is a chemical substance, mixture or microorganism intended to control any harmful organism in a way that is not purely physical or mechanical.


What is a Sporicide?

Sporicides are chemical biocides specifically formulated to eliminate microbial spores, an extremely resilient form of certain microorganisms that can survive exposure to many other biocides e.g bacterial endospores. For more details see importance of sporicide efficacy. 

A sporicide should be part of your routine in order to keep your cleanroom in optimal condition. However, there are several drawbacks to many sporicidal agents. Sporicides are typically oxidising agents, these are chemically unstable and their degradation often means a shorter shelf life; corrosivity of these chemicals can also be a concern, so finding the right sporicide is extremely important. This is why AGMA created Zyceine – an award-winning sporicide, originally conceived to tackle Clostridium difficile (C. diff) whilst tackling corrosivity and increasing shelf life compared to other sporicides. Zyceine has two compartments, which are kept separate and sterile until they’re used, and offers high microbial efficacy once activated. What’s more, it has a proven fungicidal efficacy of greater than a 3-log reduction in 2 minutes, and a yeasticidal efficacy greater than a 4-log reduction in 2 minutes. Zyceine also has 8 hour efficacy once activated, as well as a 2 year unopened shelf life, making it easier and more cost-effective to have within your cleanroom cleaning and disinfecting routine. 

 

Explore what Zyceine has to offer and enquire today.