Frequently Asked Technical/Application Questions
GENERAL
PRODUCT INFORMATION
What are the uses of BacSafe products?
BacSafe products are registered with the
US EPA for the following uses:
• Institutional/Industrial Sanitizer and Disinfectant for previously cleaned
Hard, Non-Porous Food Contact Surfaces in Dairies, Wineries, Food and
Beverage Plants, Poultry Egg Facilities, and Animal Housing.
• Hard, Non-Porous
Surface Disinfection in Hospitals, Dental offices, Schools, Industrial Facilities, Office Buildings, Veterinary Clinics.
• Bacteria, Fungi and Slime Control in Cooling Water and Evaporative Cooling Systems, Reverse Osmosis and Ultra
Filtration Systems.
• Sanitizing seafood products up to 190 ppm without having to be rinsed.
Why
is BacSafe available in several different concentrations?
• The products have almost identical label uses
and can be used interchangeably. BacSafe LP is preferred from a worker exposure issue and food contact for seafood,
poultry, meat and beef, using a smaller amount of peroxides, whereas BacSafe™ HP has a higher concentration of
peroxides and is better for cleaning surfaces , and is more effective for sanitizing equipment.
Do BacSafe products
have an odor?
• BacSafe has a pungent odor of vinegar. The odor is much less intense for BacSafe LP.
Do BacSafe products produce halogenated or toxic by-products?
• Absolutely NOT! In the environment, BacSafe
products degrade to carbon, oxygen and water, and contribute no additional conductivity to the system.
Why are
the storage containers vented?
• BacSafe products have a shelf life of over one year when stored in their
original container. The gradual loss of activity is accompanied by the generation of oxygen gas that would build up in the
headspace and pressurize the container if it was not vented to the atmosphere. The pressure could cause the container to rupture.
Are BacSafe products degraded by ultra violet light?
• Unlike sodium hypochlorite bleach and other
halogenated product, BacSafe does not lose activity on exposure to UV light. However, containers should be shielded from direct
sunlight to avoid build-up of heat. A cool, dry, well ventilated environment is recommended for storage of BacSafe products.
What materials are incompatible with BacSafe products?
• Avoid contacting BacSafe products with strong
alkalis, oxidizable organics, heavy metals, leather, paper and wood.
What containers should be used to store BacSafe
products?
• Storage in the original high-density polyethylene container is recommended. When transfers are
necessary, the transfer containers should be made of the same material or high quality stainless steel. Do not contact with
any other metal (e.g. brass, copper, galvanized, aluminum, mild steel) as these are readily corroded and the metal ions released
can cause accelerated decomposition of BacSafe products.
What kind of personal protective equipment do I need to
wear when handling BacSafe products?
• Chemically resistance gloves such as neoprene or vinyl. Goggles, safety
glasses or face shield will protect from accidental splashing. Most common accidents or problems are eye protection issues.
Always protect your eyes!
What is the impact of BacSafe products on the environment?
• BacSafe
products are environmentally responsible. The short half-life means that BacSafe™ is not persistent and rarely needs
to be neutralized prior to discharge. No additional conductivity is introduced to the receiving waters. The results of a large
aquatic toxic toxicity study (available on request) demonstrate BacSafe is far less toxic to marine and fresh water organisms
than alternative disinfection chemistries. If spilled or applied to soil, BacSafe™ decays in a few minutes with no lasting
impact on the soil quality. The ultimate end result is carbon, oxygen, and
water.
What kind of food industry
approvals have BacSafe products received?
• BacSafe products are Kosher approved (including Passover). The
NSF has approved BacSafe products for washing seafood, fruit and vegetables without a final rinse, and recently has approved
the use of these products with potable water for continuous or intermittent use for pretreatment of RO and UF membranes. The
National Organic Program recognizes BacSafe products as organic. Other uses of BacSafe have been approved by the FDA under
21 CFR 173.315, 21 CFR 173.370 and 21 CFR 178.1010.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
How are BacSafe products
fed?
• Diaphragm pumps with Teflon diaphragms and polypropylene, Teflon or Kynar materials and degassing heads
are recommended for feeding BacSafe products. Only use gaskets and ‘o’ rings made of gore-tex, Teflon or EPDM.
Piping materials for the concentrated product should be Teflon or teflon-lined. Always pump the product from the top of the
container using a dip tube or foot valve. If using totes, never draw product from the drain valve as this could lead to unwanted
siphoning or excessive product loss if leakage occurs. BacSafe products can also be conveniently metered using injectors or
eductors made of compatible materials of construction. Peristaltic pumps are not recommended because of frequent squeeze tube
failure with most elastomers.
We do not recommend PE tubing, as it will crack, split or fail within a few months of
use.
Where should BacSafe products be introduced to the system?
• BacSafe products may be fed to
either the system water or the make-up water at an area of good mixing to promote rapid dispersion. The products may be introduced
continuously or intermittently depending upon the needs of the end user.
How do I measure the amount of BacSafe™
in solution?
• An accurate and reliable test kit is available from Seafood iCe Solutions.com. Be sure to specify
whether you are using BacSafe™ LP or BacSafe HP as the test kit has to be tailored to the actual product. The test kit
will not give reliable results for competitors’ peracetic acid-hydrogen peroxide formulations without a conversion factor.
For low concentrations of BacSafe ™ such as in cooling water, a proprietary modified colorimetric method (patent applied
for) can be used. Refer to the document “Measurement of BacSafe ™ and Hydrogen Peroxide Residuals” soon
to be posted on this web site for more details.
Can ORP (Oxidation-Reduction Potential) analyzers be used with
BacSafe products?
• Yes, BacSafe products are analogous to halogenated compounds in that they will increase
the ORP of the system. Theoretically, an ORP increase of 30 mV corresponds to a 10-fold increase in the BacSafe™ concentration.
However, this is rarely the case in practice, so when using ORP it is recommended that the BacSafe ™ residual is periodically
monitored using one of the test kit methods to establish the ORP correlation.
How does the compatibility of BacSafe
products with scale and corrosion inhibitors compare with that of halogenated products?
• BacSafe products
are far less reactive to common phosphonate and polymeric scale and corrosion inhibitors than halogen chemicals. BacSafe products
have no impact on tolyltriazole and are actually stabilized to chemical degradation by a variety of acrylate and maleate polymer
scale and corrosion inhibitors.
How effective are BacSafe products?
• A vast amount of efficacy
data, much of it soon to be available on this website, has proven BacSafe™ to be a broad-spectrum microbiocide. Efficacy
data soon to be available on this website and new data has been submitted to the EPA in order to support new registrations.
BacSafe products must be used according to label directions for full performance benefits.
Are BacSafe products
suitable for slime control and biofilm removal?
• Most certainly. The organic nature of the BacSafe organic
acid molecule allows it to penetrate the polysaccharide slime layers harboring bacteria to destroy them. Additionally, the
effervescing action of oxygen bubbles released from hydrogen peroxide (scrubbing bubbles) helps to dislodge troublesome slimes
from surfaces.
Can I use an approved non-oxidizing biocide in conjunction with BacSafe products?
•
This is not recommended for economical reasons. BacSafe products were developed to be stand-alone biocontrol agents. Some
other companies advocate using non-oxidizing biocides in conjunction with BacSafe-type products, but the economic benefits
are questionable.
Do BacSafe products remain effective in the presence of ammonia, organic nitrogen and sulfides?
• Unlike chlorinated chemicals, BacSafe ™ does not react with ammonia and is not compromised by organic
nitrogen. The proprietary amounts of hydrogen peroxide in BacSafe products rapidly oxidize sulfides to sulfur or sulfate depending
upon system pH.
What is the half-life of BacSafe ™ in water?
• This is highly dependent on
the water quality of the system. In ordinary tap water of moderate hardness and low chemical demand, the half-life of BacSafe™
has been measured to be between 6-30 hours. For re-circulating cooling water with elevated cycles of concentrations and higher
pH values; half lives of between 5-10 hours have been measured. BacSafe™ is unstable in seawater and has a half
life of 12-30 minutes. However, the peroxides, which retard the growth of bacteria for 16 to 20 hours.
