Antimicrobial Label & Flexible Packaging Printing
Some struggle to pronounce it, others simply aren’t aware that you can use it to make almost any product or surface resistant to the growth of microbes. So just what is an antimicrobial additive? And more importantly, what are the benefits?
Antimicrobial : adjective | an·ti·mi·cro·bi·al | ˌan-ti-mī-ˈkrō-bē-əl – Destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and especially pathogenic microorganisms.
Antimicrobial technology can be defined as a substance that works to destroy or inhibit the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria, mold and mildew.
What Is an Antimicrobial Additive?
An antimicrobial additive is a substance that acts against antimicrobial agent.
Integrated at the stage of manufacture, an antimicrobial additive will provide around-the-clock product protection from the growth of microbes including bacteria, fungi and algae.
The risk of contracting an infection from paper and packaging is an everyday reality. Microorganisms utilise any surface to transfer from one host to another, and surfaces with high person-to-person use have been identified as a major contributor to infections.
OPM offers antimicrobial additives in either the ink or varnish at printing stage.
Working with Zeller & Gmelin who are providing antimicrobial additives to their coatings OPM can offer printed products with excellent protection against bacteria, biofilm, fungi and mould, have no adverse effect on physical properties and require no processing changes.
How it actually works: Active antimicrobial components added to the coatings applied to labels and packaging at printing stage are released via ambient moisture and enter the cell membrane. The technology destabilises the cell, stop respiration and inhibit cell division, whilst blocking the replication of DNA, killing the cell.
One of the active components, the additive chosen by Z&G uses is ionic silver, which is non-leaching and non-sensitising. Silver has been used for centuries for its natural sterilising properties. Around 400BC, Hippocrates taught that silver healed wounds and controlled disease, while the American Pioneers would often put a silver dollar into containers of milk to keep it fresh without refrigeration.
Once an antimicrobial additive has been incorporated into a coating, it is essentially there to stay. Silver-based additives will not lose efficacy due to leaching or migration, and since they are evenly dispersed throughout the coating, even scratches and abrasion do not affect performance.
Importantly, additives are unaffected by cleaning chemicals such as chlorine bleach, disinfectants and alcohol. Even harsh industrial products like MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) do not diminish the antimicrobial properties of products that have been protected.
Antimicrobial printing has many uses including medical, hospital, healthcare & pharmaceutical printing.Adding an Antimicrobial coating helps to improve consumer confidence in your brand whilst increasing the perceived value of your products. It provides a competitive advantage, increases your exposure in the marketplace and enables you to respond to growing concern over antibiotic-resistant infections.
Our chosen Antimicrobial coatings are from the highest quality antimicrobial products, manufactured in the UK and rigorously tested in independent laboratories. Antimicrobial technology is not only here to stay, but is ever changing, growing and improving in order to keep you safe for longer. To find out more about the OPM’s Antimicrobial coating technology and how it can be of benefit, please contact the Sales Team at OPM
