Gelest Expands Organosilane Antimicrobial Manufacturing,

Manufacturer of organo-silicon and metal-organic additives for commercial production and R&D Gelest Inc., has significantly  upgraded and expanded the manufacturing and formulation capabilities for its Biosafe ornanosilane antimicrobial product line. This project is said to have dramatically improved efficiency and enabling supply with greater economies of scale.

Silicon-based antimicrobials perform differently than most other antimicrobials which are metabolized by cells and then poison the cells from the inside via mutating proteins and DNA. By contrast, Biosafe antimicrobial, said to be the only organosilane antimicrobial with EPA/FIFRA-registered uses of food contact substrates and an FDA exemption from tolerance,  imparts bacteriostatic, fungistatic, and algistatic properties and binds to substrates with silanol reactivity, assembling on surfaces into a layer of densely packed molecules with a strong positive charge. This positive charge and its C18 chains are said to physically rupture the cell wall, causing cell lysis, and nothing is transferred or absorbed. With the rise of multi-drug-resistant microbes, this is a preferred mode of action, according to Gelest.  

Said Gelest’s v.p. of consumer care and life sciences Daria Long, “In response to the surging demand, we’ve refocused our efforts to make the synthesis and formulation of organosilane antimicrobials competitive at scale. New efficiencies and the upgraded capabilities put Gelest in a position to supply major users of this long-trusted technology.” The emphasis on scale and economy also prepares the Biosafe organosilane antimicrobial product line for widespread application rather than limiting it to a specialty niche chemistry.