Edmonton, Alberta, June 3, 2011 – Innovotech Inc. (TSX-V: IOT), a pioneer in the field of biofilm product development, today announced that its proprietary light-activated product, Sani-Lux™, has been approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as a natural hard surface sanitizer for use in the food industry.
Sani-Lux™ has proven to be effective against a broad range of both bacteria and fungi found on hard surfaces, including bacteria listed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as common causes of foodborne illnesses, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
“According to a recent report issued by the CDC, it is estimated that each year approximately 1 out of 6 Americans (or 48 million people) become ill, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses. Canada has had recent experience with the tragic effects of Listeria contamination in a meat plant. Today we read of deaths caused by an E. coli outbreak in Europe that has killed 15 people so far in Germany,” said Ken Boutilier, President and CEO of Innovotech. “The approval of Sani-Lux™ opens up the door for a new wave of antimicrobials within the food industry that are both natural and demonstrate anti-biofilm activity, paving the way for a reduction in the number of illnesses and deaths that occur due to food contamination.”
Sani-Lux™ has the potential to be the sanitizer of choice in a wide variety of applications, from plastic trays in mall food courts or handles on supermarket shopping carts to stainless steel surfaces in restaurants and food processing plants. The approval of Sani-Lux™ by the CFIA as a hard surface sanitizer is the initial step in a process to explore the full potential of the product’s antimicrobial and anti-biofilm capacity in a variety of applications in the hands of industry partners. Several food industry suppliers and manufacturers have already signed agreements to test Sani-Lux™ in their applications.
A light-activated technology is one which uses a combination of light, oxygen in the air, and an agent that is sensitive to the light, designed with a specific target in mind. In the case of Sani-Lux™, which is continually active when a light source is present, the light-sensitive agent is a natural compound that has already been approved by the CFIA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a food additive.
Biofilms are organized communities of microorganisms that exist in virtually every natural environment. Biofilms can be up to 1000 times more resistant to treatment than the same organism in a free-floating state Organisations interested in Innovotech’s hard surface disinfectant technology for application in a variety of industries are welcome to contact Innovotech at info@innovotech.ca
About Innovotech Inc.
Innovotech Inc. is a pioneer in the field of biofilm product development, focused on providing innovative and practical solutions to medical, agricultural and industrial problems caused by microbial biofilms. Biofilms are responsible for a host of diseases both in human health and agriculture due to their inherent resistance to existing antibiotics and disinfectants. Aside from Innovotech’s products there are no antibiotics, disinfectants, diagnostics or regulatory standards designed specifically for biofilm-forming organisms.
Innovotech has a broad range of products that address the issue of biofilms within a number of different industries, including three commercial products, the MBEC Assay™, bioFILM PA™ and InnovoSCEPT™ veterinary kits. The MBEC Assay™ is a high throughput biofilm growth device that was recently approved as an ASTM International standard. bioFILM PA™ is the first diagnostic kit to assist physicians in the selection of the most effective combination antibiotic treatment of patients with biofilm-based chronic lung infections, while the InnovoSCEPT™ veterinary kits are designed to determine the most effective antibiotic treatment for infections in both large and small animals.
Innovotech also has two products in advanced stages of development; Agress® is a unique, environmentally friendly seed treatment and plant spray designed to protect crops against both bacterial and fungal infections and Sani-Lux™ is a light-activated, natural hard surface sanitizer.
