Gainesville, Fla.-based Quick-Med Technologies Inc.’s Stay Fresh® antimicrobial technology has
received U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for use in textile applications
such as apparel, automotive upholstery, carpeting and interior furnishings.
The patent-pending technology involves bonding of hydrogen peroxide (H
2O
2) onto fibers or fabrics to provide durable antimicrobial performance. H
2O
2 has been shown to have a high degree of efficacy against a wide range of bacteria,
viruses, fungi, mold, mildew and algae, and Quick-Med reports it helps to preserve the fabric, and
acts against perspiration odor and prevents staining from perspiration even after 75 launderings.
The company also reports Stay Fresh is the first commercially viable technology for bonding
hydrogen peroxide onto a textile, and is the only antimicrobial technology incorporating hydrogen
peroxide that has received EPA approval for antimicrobial preservation of textiles. The treatment,
which can be applied very cost-effectively using conventional textile processes, is non-leaching
and skin-friendly, and kills bacteria by destroying the chemistry of the cell wall and rendering
the cell components inert and nonviable
(See Quality Fabric Of The Month: ”
New
Antimicrobial On The Block,” www.
TextileWorld.com, December 2009).
“Stay Fresh textile treatment locks the power of hydrogen peroxide into fabrics,” said J.
Ladd Greeno, CEO, Quick-Med Technologies. “By incorporating this potent antimicrobial into fabrics,
we bring highly effective antimicrobial activity to a wide range of textile applications where the
durability after repeated laundering has been an unmet challenge. Textiles stay fresher for longer
because the active agent is now held in place on the fabric.”
Treated textiles can be laundered in hot or cold water with or without softeners, chlorine or
color-safe bleaches, or anionic detergents without affecting the antimicrobial function. Quick-Med
notes that laundering does not cause discoloration, as is possible with textiles treated with
certain other antimicrobial additives, and also that the treatment helps preserve a fabric’s
integrity because it facilitates the cleaning process. In addition, the treatment does not restrict
the use of other fabric treatments such as softeners or antistatic or moisture-wicking treatments.
“If it’s a chemistry that mixes with our binder, then it can be added,” said Dr. Jerry Olderman,
Quick-Med’s vice president of research and development.
Olderman said one company is running trials using Stay Fresh on underwear that could be
supplied to the U.S. military. Other companies are running trials using Stay Fresh for sock
applications. “The treatment has met very demanding military specifications for efficacy and
physical properties,” he said.
Quick-Med now plans to apply for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use of Stay
Fresh in certain medical device applications.
February 8, 2011
