Non-toxic Antimicrobial Composition

Abstract

Disclosed herein are non-toxic antimicrobial compositions for cleaning, reducing the bioburden and substantially killing gram negative and positive bacteria on hard surfaces. The antimicrobial compositions comprise about 0.01% to about 4.0% by weight of one or more oils selected from the group comprising rosemary oil, tea tree oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, clove oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, and cinnamon oil and about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of one or more acids selected from the group comprising carboxylic acids, ascorbic acid, glutamic acid, fumaric acid, oxalic acid and malonic acid. In an embodiment of the invention, an alkali base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is added to the above antimicrobial solution to increase the pH of the antimicrobial solution to a range of about 2.0 to about 4.0 to effect a rapid reduction of the bioburden on the hard surfaces within 5 minutes.

1 . An antimicrobial composition for cleaning, reducing the bioburden and substantially killing the gram positive and gram negative bacteria on hard surfaces, comprising:
 about 0.01% to about 4.0% by weight of one or more oils selected from the group comprising rosemary oil, tea tree oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, clove oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, and cinnamon oil, and   about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of one or more acids selected from the group comprising carboxylic acids, ascorbic acid, glutamic acid, fumaric acid, oxalic acid, and malonic acid.   
   
   
       2 . The antimicrobial composition of  claim 1 , wherein said carboxylic acids comprise acetic acid, citric acid, formic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, glycolic acid and butyric acid. 
   
   
       3 . The antimicrobial composition of  claim 1 , further comprising about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight of an alkali base for increasing the pH of the antimicrobial composition to a range of about 2.0 to about 4.0. 
   
   
       4 . A use of an antimicrobial composition for preparation of a non-toxic antimicrobial solution for cleaning, reducing the bioburden, and substantially killing the gram positive and gram negative bacteria on hard surfaces in about 5 minutes and obviating the acidic smell and feel of the antimicrobial solution, wherein said non-toxic antimicrobial solution comprises:
 about 0.01% to about 4.0% by weight one or more oils selected from the group comprising rosemary oil, tea tree oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, clove oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, and cinnamon oil;   about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of one or more acids selected from the group comprising carboxylic acids, citric acid, ascorbic acid, glutamic acid, fumaric acid, oxalic acid, and malonic acid, and   about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight of an alkali base sufficient to increase the pH of the antimicrobial solution to a range of about 2.0 to about 4.0.   
   
   
       5 . The use of the antimicrobial composition of  claim 4 , wherein said carboxylic acids comprise acetic acid, formic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, glycolic acid and butyric acid. 
   
   
       6 . The use of the antimicrobial composition of  claim 4 , wherein said bioburden comprises microbial flora, molds, bacteria, yeast, viruses and organic matter. 
   
   
       7 . The use of the antimicrobial composition of  claim 4 , wherein said hard surfaces comprise table surfaces, equipment surfaces, cutting boards, food processing equipment, food storage equipment, plastic containers, metal containers, and conveyor belts. 
   
   
       8 . An antimicrobial composition for cleaning, reducing the bioburden, and substantially killing the gram positive and gram negative bacteria on hard surfaces, comprising:
 about 0.01% to about 4.0% by weight of rosemary oil;   about 1.0% to about 4.0% by weight of acetic acid; and   about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide sufficient to increase the pH of the antimicrobial solution to a range of about 2.0 to about 4.0.   
   
   
       9 . An antimicrobial composition for cleaning, reducing the bioburden, and substantially killing the gram negative and gram positive bacteria on hard surfaces, comprising:
 about 0.01% to about 4.0% by weight of rosemary oil;   about 1.0% to about 4.0% by weight of acetic acid;   about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of spearmint oil; and   about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide sufficient to increase the pH of the antimicrobial solution to a range of about 2.0 to about 4.0.   
   
   
       10 . A method of preparing a non-toxic antimicrobial solution for cleaning, reducing the bioburden, and substantially killing the gram positive and gram negative bacteria on hard surfaces, comprising the steps of:
 adding about 0.01% to about 4.0% by weight of rosemary oil, about 1.0% to about 4.0% by weight of acetic acid, and about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of spearmint oil to obtain said non-toxic antimicrobial solution; and   adding about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide sufficient to increase the pH of the antimicrobial solution to a range of about 2.0 to about 4.0   
     whereby the antimicrobial solution substantially reduces the bioburden on said hard surfaces in about 10 minutes.