ZBS - Article - Probiotic Cleaners - Redefining Clean - Brand Focus - V2.0 - 111915

“Probiotic Cleaners – Redefining Clean” Z BioScience Inc. © November 2015 Page 1

PROBIOTIC CLEANERS - REDEFINING “CLEAN” A Breakthrough Technology Transforming the Cleaning Industry

November 18, 2015

The daily news is a constant reminder that we are at “war” with harmful pathogen bacteria

that can threaten our health. Stories of previously unheard of “Super Bugs” such as MRSA,

VRE and CRE, along with new outbreaks of diseases caused by pathogen bacteria such as

salmonella, E.coli are like bulletins from the “front line” that remind us of the need to be

ever more vigilant in our efforts to clean better.

But what is “clean”? How do we measure “clean”? How do we know that we have cleaned to

a level that assures us that we are likely to be “safe”?

WHAT IS “CLEAN” & HOW DO WE MEASURE IT?

The famous management consultant Peter Drucker is often remembered for this statement:

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” Cleaning is a critical component of our lives, be it at home, work, school, gyms, restaurants; virtually everywhere we go we are relying on the location to be “clean”. But what is “clean”? What is the definition of “clean” and how is it objectively and scientifically measured and evaluated? Definitions of “clean” include:

Free from dirt, marks or stains through washing, wiping or brushing Free from foreign or extraneous matter

But implicit in our expectations of what is “clean” are that it also be

“safe” and “hygienic”! The term "clean" is like that of "fitness”; it’s a description that is thrown around a lot, but try and find an acceptable, comprehensive, objective and scientific definition of it! More importantly how do we measure “clean” so that we can “manage it”?


For many "clean" is the smell; such as a fragrance used to cover up odors or the heavy scent of bleach. For others it’s the look; is the appearance "bright and shiny"? For others it’s the passing of a "white glove" test, or a "black light" test. More recently though monitoring of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) levels on surfaces has been adopted as an objective and scientific means of measuring “clean”.

USE OF ADENOSINE TRI-PHOSPHATE (ATP) TO MEASURE CLEAN

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is an energy molecule that is present in all living cells. If it is alive or was once alive, it contains ATP. This includes animal cells (dust, oils), plant cells (soils, oils), and bacterial cells (bacteria, viruses). For this reason, a measurement of ATP correlates to a measurement of how clean a surface is. The less ATP, the less soil and contaminants, and the cleaner the surface is. ATP is the only method that combines qualitative data collection with scientific measurement and still delivers speedy onsite results at an affordable cost point. It is for these reasons that the USDA has adopted use of ATP monitoring as the means by which the levels of “clean” on equipment and surfaces used in food processing facilities are objectively and scientifically measured. More recently ISSA has embraced the use of ATP as the means of measuring “clean” in it’s K-12 Clean Schools Standard, which represents a critical development in the commercial cleaning sector.

BIOFLIM & ATP

Why did the USDA choose ATP as a measure for clean? Well it comes down to the

relationship between ATP levels and biofilm.

Biofilm is the best friend of harmful pathogen bacteria – it is their fortified castle that is

virtually impregnable to most everything on the market – bleaches, quaternary ammonia,

oxidizers, and very low and high pH corrosive cleaners.

Biofilms are made up of any group of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other on a surface. These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS).


Figure 1: Microscopic Photo of Biofilm

Biofilm is a thin layer, often undetectable to the naked eye, containing microorganisms

such as pathogen bacteria. It is found on virtually all surfaces – floors, walls, kitchen and

bathroom sinks and counters, door handles, light switches, tables, chairs, desks, cell phones

and computers. The surfaces can be stainless steel, tile, granite, plastic, glass, wood, rubber,

Teflon and even fabrics. Biofilm can form on all of these materials!

According to the CDC and NIH 90% of harmful pathogen bacteria live in biofilm. Viruses can

live in biofilm without the presence of a host.

Biofilm accumulation reduces efficacy of disinfectants and sanitizers by impairing exposure

of these products to the microbial cell, helping make pathogen bacteria 500 to 1,000 times

more resistant to disinfectants and sanitizers.

The lower the ATP level the lower the probability of the presence of a pathogen biofilm.


Table 1: ATP Levels as a measure of the effectiveness of cleaning and presence of pathogen biofilm

A perfectly clean surface is one that has no biofilm, so cleaning in ways to remove biofilm is

essential to our health.

Biofilm is our #1 Public Health Enemy!

THE PROBLEM WITH HOW WE HAVE BEEN CLEANING The process of cleaning has for centuries been a combination of:

Physics (wiping, sweeping, picking up) and Chemistry (bleaches, ammonias and oxidizers).

Though there have been advances in the formulations of the Chemistry (more concentrated and complex bleaches and quats for instance) and new equipment to improve the Physics component (such as vacuums, pressure washes, auto-scrubbers), the way we clean today is essentially a refinement of this ancient combination.

ATP Scale: Hygiena System SURE Plus

ATP Luminesence

Level (RLUs)

Cleaning

Effectiveness

ATP Reading

(RLUs)

Probability of

Pathogenic

Biofilm

600 or above Ineffective >300 99.90%

300 to 599Needs Major

Improvement200 99.00%

80 to 299Needs Minor

Improvement100 50%

30 to 79 Effective 30 2%

29 or Below Highly Effective 10 0%

(ISSA Clean School Standard Draft 6.5 - March 2013) 0 0.00%


But is this combination of Chemistry and Physics enough to meet the increasing public health challenges that we are facing today, like “Super Bugs” such as MRSA? The issue of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) and the progression of such infections into a broader array of public venues such as schools and colleges suggests not. “Super Bugs” and other pathogen bacteria such as salmonella, E.coli, c.diff, Listeria are a Biological problem, and a direct result of the unceasing capacity for bacteria to adapt and mutate to survive ever stronger (and increasingly toxic) cleaning chemistries. Effectively the cleaning industry has reached a critical point where increasing the strength of conventional chemistries used in cleaning is no longer a viable option because:

1. It risks an increase in toxicity that potentially is more harmful to people 2. Poses the risk of triggering mutation of even more resistant bacteria

Considering these factors there is an urgent need for a whole new approach to cleaning!

AN INCREASING APPRECIATION FOR THE ROLE OF BIOLOGY

Research on many fronts is focusing more and more on the importance Biology plays in our health, from the microbiome of our gut and its role in our immune system, through to the microbial ecosystems in ventilated buildings, our homes and premise water systems and their importance in supporting our health. This has led to an appreciation as to how Biology can play an important role in “cleaning” to enhance the safety and hygiene of our environment:

1. Creation of a balanced and healthy microbial ecosystem within our places of work and our home to improve our overall health.

2. An understanding that the “kill everything” approach (both the good / beneficial bacteria as well as the bad / harmful bacteria), of conventional, aggressive cleaning chemistries maybe more harmful than helpful to our health.

Given conventional cleaning chemistries are increasingly a contributing factor to the ongoing evolution of Super Bugs, as well as not being supportive of producing a balanced bacterial ecosystem that is critical to our overall health, then the need to find alternatives has become imperative.


HOW THE INTERIOR BIOLOGICAL ECO-SYSTEM OF A VENTILATED BUILDING IS DIFFERENT

Mechanically Ventilated buildings have been proven to have a very different biological eco-system (aka “microbiome”) compared to the outside environment and that of the human body:

It is an eco-system that is significantly LESS DIVERSE It is an eco-system with MORE PATHOGENS

The biological eco-system of the interior of a mechanically ventilated facility as a consequence is biologically less healthy.

Chart #1: Lower bacterial diversity and higher potential for pathogens in Ventilated Buildings

Reference: http://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_green_are_we_filtering_the_wrong_microbes?language=en#t-171824

CLEANING WITH Z BIOSCIENCE PROBIOTIC CLEANERS MAKES THE INDOOR ECO-SYSTEM

OF YOUR FACILITY MORE NATURAL, HYGIENIC & SAFE!

By adding probiotic bacteria to the cleaning system Z BioScience is mimicking Nature by creating an ecosystem that promotes the kind of microbial community that we need and want indoors to promote good health.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_green_are_we_filtering_the_wrong_microbes?language=en#t-171824


Conventional cleaning protocols that utilize just Physics and Chemistry work on the concept of “killing everything”. When conventional cleaning chemistry kills both the “good” and the “bad” bacteria it creates an artificial vacuum that is un-natural and un-sustainable. Given the higher level of pathogens present in mechanically ventilated buildings, and pathogen biofilms ability to replicate as fast as every 20 minutes, pathogen bacteria have a much greater probability of re-colonizing to fill such a vacuum. Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners “Bio-Engineer” a safer, healthier and longer lasting level of hygienic clean by populating the surfaces with a protective barrier of hygienic, beneficial probiotic bacteria. In this way Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners not only clean better, but uniquely promote a higher level of hygiene and protection, and so facility / occupant health.

PROBIOTIC CLEANERS: A BILOGICAL SOLUTION TO ADDRESS A BIOLOGICAL PROBLEM

Probiotic cleaners are cleaning agents that incorporate safe, healthy probiotic bacteria as a crucial component that dramatically enhances their effectiveness.

Figure 2: Introducing Probiotics to Cleaning Creates a Whole New System

The approach is to fight harmful Biology (pathogen bacteria) with healthy, safe Biology (probiotic bacteria).


In this respect probiotic cleaners are the complete opposite of the “kill everything” approach of conventional cleaning chemistry. Rather than the “kill everything” approach of conventional chemistry, (which leaves an artificial, un-natural and unsustainable void on a surface), probiotic cleaners over populate the surface with safe, healthy probiotic bacteria that out consume the available food source, resulting in the pathogens starving to death and so dying of natural causes rather than through aggressive toxicity. This leaves a self-regulating, protective layer of healthy, safe probiotic bacteria on the surface which prevents the recolonization of pathogens and reformation of dangerous biofilms.

PROBIOTICS PROVIDE A LONGER LASTING “CLEAN”

A benefit of using ATP levels in measuring “clean” is that the longevity of the benefits of cleaning can be monitored. Any cleaning product and protocol should be lowering ATP levels immediately after cleaning, BUT how long is it before ATP levels start increasing? This is a critical question because if pathogen biofilms are not properly addressed in the cleaning process then they will quickly reform. A pathogen biofilm can replicate as quickly as every 20 minutes. Monitoring ATP levels over a 24 hour period after cleaning is a good way to determine the effectiveness of the cleaning process.

Table 2: TURI Labs Comparative Test Data of Probiotic Cleaner vs Conventional Products

This table demonstrates how in independent tests the ability of the Z BioScience’s A1+ All Purpose Probiotic Cleaner to keep ATP levels at a lower, safe level was significantly greater than that of the conventional cleaners.

Products .

ATP Levels

Immediately

After

Cleaning

ATP Levels 4

Hours After

Cleaning

ATP Levels

24 Hours

After

Cleaning

# of Times

ATP

Increased

over 24 hrs

Probability of

Pathogen

Biofilm

Rating

Z BioScience A1+ (with Probiotics) 23 46 60 2.61 > 2% & < 50% SAFE

Clorox Works 29 179 188 6.48 > 50% & < 99% RISKY

409 All Purpose Antibacterial 18 277 286 15.89 > 99% MORE RISKY

Krud Kutter HD Cleaner & Disinfectant 15 246 271 18.07 > 99% MORE RISKY


Within just 4 hours after cleaning the ATP levels for the conventional well known chemistry only products had risen from readings immediately after cleaning that suggested a 2% or less probability of a pathogen biofilm being present to:

between greater than 50% for Clorox Works, and higher than 99% for 409 All Purpose Antibacterial and the combined cleaner /

disinfectant product Krud Kutter. The implications of this are massive. It implies that from a hygiene perspective surfaces cleaned with these conventional chemistry products in the evening after work are almost as unhygienic as they were before cleaning by the time people return to work the next morning. Z BioScience’s A1+ All Purpose Probiotic Cleaner, because it is actively protecting against the reformation of pathogen biofilms is the only product here that even 24 hours later is providing a level of hygienic “clean” that is acceptably safe. Z BioScience’s Probiotic Cleaners, by addressing the presence of biofilm and inhibiting the ability for pathogen biofilms to reform, provide a longer lasting, more hygienic level of clean as measured using ATP than the conventional cleaning chemistries commonly used today.

IN LOWERING ATP LEVELS PATHOGENS CAN ALSO BE IMPACTED

Z BioScience has deployed its Probiotic based products into very difficult conditions, such as in livestock facilities, where it has been demonstrated they produce a better, healthier level of clean.

Chart #2: Bacteria counts at a poultry hatchery before and then after using Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners


This chart displays independently collected data by a poultry hatchery operator, and illustrates how Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners, by lowering ATP, may also impact specific pathogens, (Staph, Salmonella and Coliform in this instance). As this graph shows, after use of Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners:

Staph and Salmonella were almost undetectable Coliform levels were still noted, but at much lower rates

The conditions in a poultry hatchery are much more challenging than those experienced in general commercial cleaning environments. NOTE: Z BioScience makes no biocidal claims.

DON’T CONFUSE ENZYMES WITH PROBIOTICS

There is a significant difference between enzymes and probiotics. Enzymes are merely proteins that act as catalysts and speed up chemical reactions – when they are wet! Probiotic bacteria create enzymes as part of their biological functioning, and continue to operate when dry or wet, and so are perpetually working as long as there is an available food source. A light biofilm may be removed by enzymes but they will only weaken a heavy, well established biofilm. Most importantly enzymes will not prevent a reformation of a biofilm whereas probiotics can.

SOUNDS GREAT BUT DO PROBIOTIC CLEANERS REALLY WORK? Here are two independently conducted field examples using ATP readings to compare the performance of Z BioScience’s Probiotic Cleaner with well known conventional “Chemistry Only” commercial cleaners.

1. A Military Base Dormitory Shower Room 2. The flooring at a national supermarket chain store


In both these field based case studies a Hygiena SurePlus ATP meter was used and the ATP readings utilize the Hygiena calibrated scale. Field Study #1 – Military Dormitory Shower Room:

In this field study cleaning was done on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. ATP levels were taken immediately after cleaning and then again the next day when there was no cleaning. The Ammonium Chloride product had been the standard product used in this environment for many months and was used in accordance with label instructions. The Probiotic Cleaner was first used on Sept 21st, (as per label). ATP levels were taken before and immediately after this cleaning. This is why there are two sets of data for Sept 21st. ATP levels achieved with the Probiotic Cleaner are significantly lower compared to those recorded with use of the Ammonium Chloride. Furthermore ATP levels were the same or lower the day after cleaning with the Probiotic Cleaner, whereas with the Ammonium Chloride they were higher. The ATP readings on the last day recorded (Sept 28

th) are at levels that meet the most stringent

levels set by the USDA for food processing facilities.

Chart #3: Demonstrates the decline in ATP level when using Probiotic Cleaners vs Chemistry Only

cleaners


Field Study #2 – Floor Cleaning at a national supermarket chain store:

In this field trial ATP levels were taken:

At the end of each day before cleaning

At the start of each day before the store opened, (the floors having been cleaned the

previous night).

Both products were applied with an auto scrubber machine, and in accordance with the directions

and dilution rates stated on their respective labels.

A base line was established by taking ATP readings for two days using the conventional

“Chemistry Only” product that had been used for many months, before the switch to the

Probiotic Cleaner.

The result was that the worst (ie: highest) ATP reading recorded for when the Probiotic Cleaner

was used was at the end of the day, before cleaning.

This level however was better (ie: lower) than the best ATP levels recorded for the “Chemistry

Only” product, which were in the morning, after cleaning, before the store opened.


ENVIRONMENTAL & SAFETY INFORMATION

The Z BioScience range of Probiotic based cleaners are completely safe for custodians, facility

occupants and the surfaces to which they are applied:

Neutral pH

Non Toxic

Generally Non Allergenic (enzyme intolerance may require gloves)

Constituents approved by the National Organics Program for use with Organic Livestock

Every Constituent has GRAS standing with the US FDA

o In keeping with this status not one constituent in Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners requires a

Cautionary Statement from either the US EPA, US FDA and or the USDA

The Probiotic constituents in Z BioScience proprietary blend of probiotics have all been

approved by the US FDA as suitable for human consumption as a dietary supplement.

They have been designed for use around children and adults with chemical sensitivity & pets.

Z BioScience products can make surfaces clean, safe & meet USDA established levels of ATP.

Z BIOSCIENCE PROBIOTIC CLEANERS & APPLICATIONS

Base Product

DescriptionProduct Application Purpose

A2+ Biosurfactant All

Purpose Cleaner*

Clean All Surfaces - Tables,

Desks, Doors, Hand Rails,

Bathrooms, Kitchens

Clean soil to a microscopic level, remove

odors, leave protective bacteria

CS+ Biosurfactant

Carpet & Floor Cleaner*

Clean Carpets & Polished Floors

(including Hardwood) & Groat;

use in "Scrubb & Re-Coat"

Clean soil to a microscopic level, remove

odors, reduce "slip & fall", leave

protective bacteria

C+ Biosurfactant

Cleaner*

Clean Heavily Soiled Surfaces ,

Any Washable Material

Clean heavy soil to a microscopic level

and leave protective bacteria

CO+ Organic Cleaner

& Degreaser

Heavy Organic Build Up,

especially Grease (even Kitchen

Hood & Lithium Grease)

Heavy duty organic cleaner, film free

rinse, ideal for Kitchen Hoods & Industrial

applications, leave protective bacteria

MS+ Microflora Spray

Concentrate*

Mist Offices, Classrooms, Locker

Rooms, Gyms, Bathrooms,

Public Spaces

Provide and maintain a healthy

environment by spraying protective

bacteria, remove odors


SUMMARY

Use of ATP to measure “Clean” objectively and scientifically provides a means by which the efficacy of cleaning products and protocols can be evaluated. The primary challenge facing the cleaning sector from the perspective of public health is biofilm, which is a biology based problem that is best addressed with a biology based solution. Z BioScience’s Probiotic Cleaners represent a major technological breakthrough in cleaning by introducing the natural, probiotic based Biology solution to address the Biology based problem of pathogen biofilm. Z BioScience’s Probiotic Cleaners pose no risk of contributing to the ongoing mutation of pathogen Super Bugs through an antiquated “kill everything” approach to cleaning, and as a result are non-toxic. Z BioScience’s Probiotic Cleaners bio-engineer the surfaces they clean in a process that mimics Mother Nature by leaving a natural, protective layer of healthy, safe probiotic bacteria that inhibit the recolonization of harmful pathogen bacteria and biofilm. Using ATP levels as a measure of “clean” the Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners have been independently demonstrated in laboratory tests to provide more hygienic levels of clean that last longer. For these reasons Z BioScience Probiotic Cleaners offer a safe, effective and unique alternative to the conventional cleaning protocols by adding a “third leg” of Biology to the centuries old combination of just Physics and Chemistry.

Graeme Marsh, Managing Director, Z BioScience Inc. Email: [email protected] Cell Ph: 808-635-5789 (Pasadena CA)

www.zbioscience.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.zbioscience.com/

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ZBS - Article - Probiotic Cleaners - Redefining Clean - Brand Focus - V2.0 - 111915