Ensuring Product Hygiene: Key Antimicrobial Testing Methods

An antimicrobial test is designed to evaluate the antimicrobial performance of a product. Antimicrobial tests are broadly divided into antibacterial tests and antifungal tests, and a product must exhibit excellent performance in both tests to be considered to have antimicrobial performance. These antimicrobial tests vary depending on the type of product being tested, so without expert assistance, one might choose an inappropriate test and obtain incorrect results.

This test method can be applied to products with hard, non-porous surfaces such as plastics and rubber. A 5cm x 5cm sample is inoculated with a bacterial solution, covered with a thin film, and bacterial growth is assessed after 24 hours. This test provides a quantitative assessment of antibacterial properties, specifically targeting bacteria responsible for discoloration or odor in products. It is highly applicable for use on a wide range of non-porous materials.

This is an antifungal test used for products with hard, non-porous surfaces such as plastics and rubber. A 5cm x 5cm specimen is placed on an agar plate, and a mixed fungal suspension containing five types of fungi is sprayed onto it. The fungal growth is evaluated after 28 days. Although it cannot be quantitatively evaluated, the area of fungal growth on the specimen surface is measured, and the results are reported from Lv.0 to Lv.4.