2008

Odour research in the development

of detergents and cleaning agents

Victoria Zavras

It is not enough to simply formulate according to what is available on

the market today. All Anotec formulations are based on extensive
research, thorough independent testing and, of course, the response
from the client. Of utmost importance is the understanding of the
application of the product and its suitability in any given area (e.g.
hospital, sewage treatment plants etc.). This booklet will briefly
outline the key areas of Anotec research that is instrumental in our
supplying you the best product available today. Anotec is one of a
few commercial companies in the world to formulate and develop
cleaning and air quality products using state-of-the-art technology
enabling Anotec to scientifically prove that their products work!

Anotec Pty Ltd

30-32 Chegwyn St
Botany NSW 2019
Tel: 02 9700 1222
Fax: 02 9700 1771
Email: service@anotec.com.au
Website: www.anotec.com.au
ANOTEC PTY LIMITED
LEADERS IN ODOUR CONTROL SOLUTIONS
At Anotec Pty Ltd we are committed to maintaining and constantly improving
the standards of excellence that we have achieved over the past ten years.
Standards that have brought us distinction as a specialty range chemical
formulator and manufacturer of effective odour control, sanitation and
cleaning products.

Anotec Pty Ltd is proud to have adopted the BATNEEC (Best Available
Technology Not Entailing Excessive Costs) Policy which is applicable for all
industry types including the commercial and domestic sector.

We are dedicated to supplying our customers worldwide with quality products,

competitive prices, total technical support and continuous research &
development ensuring that we and by extension by you, lead the industry with
unique products and innovative solutions.

Anotec ® additionally promotes responsible environmental housekeeping

through careful managing of our manufacturing formulas, practices and
facilities.

It is not enough to simply formulate according to what is available on the

market today. All Anotec formulations are based on extensive research,
thorough independent testing and, of course, the response from the client. Of
utmost importance is the understanding of the application of the product and
its suitability in any given area (e.g. hospital, sewage treatment plants etc.).
This booklet will briefly outline the key areas of Anotec research that is
instrumental in our supplying you the best product available today. Anotec is
one of a few commercial companies in the world to formulate and develop
cleaning and air quality products using state-of-the-art technology enabling
Anotec to scientifically prove that their products work!

Odours

From time to time people detect odours from sources such as industries and
waste dumps. Should they be concerned every time their noses pick up a
scent?

The answer to this question is "probably not". Most of the chemicals causing
odours will not harm you even though you can smell them.

Some chemicals have low "odour thresholds", meaning that your nose can
detect their scent at levels much lower than the levels that can cause adverse
health effects.

One's ability to sense a particular odour also depends on who you are; not
everyone's nose is sensitive to certain odours.

Scientists estimate that most people (about ninety six percent of the
population) have a normal sense of smell, but some are insensitive or
supersensitive to smell.

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Also, people who are exposed to a certain odour frequently may become
extra sensitive, or insensitive, to it. Long-term residents of an area where
there really are odours may be surprised when visitors from other areas smell
odours that they themselves have become insensitive or accustomed to. And
certain chemicals have odours that only a few people can detect.

The acceptable level to which the general population may be exposed should
be much lower than acceptable level for workers, of course, but since there
are no established equivalent limits for public exposure we use worker limits
for comparison.

The abbreviation "ppm", used when talking about levels of chemicals present
in air or water, stands for "parts per million", a way of measuring tiny
concentrations. One part per million of a chemical can mean for example,
that there is one molecule of chemical per one million molecules of air.
Another way to think of 1 ppm is to imagine one drop of sweetener in 178
cups of coffee - enough coffee for one cup a day for about half a year.

Except for benzene, the list herein shows that what you can smell easily will
not necessarily hurt you. Your nose will pick up a scent at low concentrations,
but the chemical will not start to affect your health until the amount present is
much higher.

In some cases, what you cannot smell may hurt you with little warning.
Consider carbon monoxide, a common deadly gas with no odour that can
suffocate unwitting victims.

Another common source of undetectable gas comes from burning some

popular non-stick (Teflon ®) kitchen pots or pans with no food or liquid in
them. Undetected gas given off by such pots will kill pet birds within a few
hours.

Obviously, as the table shows, odours can be an important early warning that
a potentially hazardous gas is present.

The table shows how a chemical's odour is linked to its potential to affect
health. The second column tells what a chemical smells like at its lowest
detectable level.

The third column describes the chemical's odour threshold, above which most
people can smell or recognise the odour. The fourth column is the
Permissible Exposure Level (PEL), a safe level set by OSHA to protect
workers exposed to the chemical on a daily basis.

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OSHA
CHEMICAL CHRACTERISTIC ODOUR PERMISSIBLE
ODOUR THRESHOLD EXPOSURE
LEVEL
Cresol Creosote 0.0006 ppm 5 ppm
Naphthalene Mothballs 0.008 ppm 10 ppm
Phenol Medicinal / acid 0.06 ppm 5 ppm
Chlorine Bleach 0.08 ppm 1 ppm
Hydrogen sulfide Rotten eggs 0.094 ppm 20 ppm
(sulfur)
Pyridine Burnt / pungent 0.66-0.74 ppm 5 ppm
Toluene Sweet (like glue) 1.6 ppm 100 ppm
Ammonia Pungent 17 ppm 50 ppm
Xylene Sweet 20 ppm 100 ppm
Benzene Aromatic 61 ppm 1 ppm
Ethyl alcohol Sweet / alcohol 180 ppm 1000ppm

CHEMORECEPTION

Our senses provide us with information about our environment. These

senses respond to a variety of stimuli. The pressure of physical contact with
an object stimulates the sense of touch. Hearing responds to rapid
fluctuations in air pressure. Sight is produced by electromagnetic radiation
falling on the retina of our eyes. Two of our senses respond to the chemical
nature of our surroundings: taste and smell. It is because they depend on
chemical interactions that these two senses are called chemoreception.
Taste is called contact chemoreception because to experience the flavour of
something we must come in contact with it. Smell is remote chemoreception
for we can sense the odour of an object at a distance.

The sense of smell (olfaction) is both a very simple and a very complex
sense. It is simple because relatively few cells are involved in detecting
odours. In humans, the olfactory sensors are located at the top of the nasal
passages, just below and between the eyes. Without getting into too much
detail, the mechanism by which the odour receptor cells interact with odour-
causing molecules is still unknown, but studies of odours and the structure of
the odour-causing molecules has revealed some correlation.

With each breath we take, air is swept over the olfactory senses. These
senses are covered with a coating of mucus. Molecules from the air dissolve
in this mucous and interact with filaments of the olfactory cells. Because
odours are sensed only when gaseous molecules dissolve, all odour-causing
materials must produce vapours. Materials that release virtually no vapour,
such as ionic salts, are odourless. Only volatile materials that are soluble in
the mucous and that interact with the olfactory cells produce odours.

Odours are of a significant commercial concern (think about the food and
beauty industries), the study of odours by Anotec has been quite extensive.

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LEADERS IN ODOUR CONTROL SOLUTIONS
Odours have been classified by a variety of methods, depending on the
application. In the food industry, the odours of chemical compounds are
categorised by the identity of the edible material of which they are suggestive.
This produces odour classes such as caramel, honey, vanilla, citrus, and
butter. In the beauty industry, odours are more likely classified by floral and
herbal groupings, such as jasmine, rose, balsam or pine. For purposes of our
investigation of how odours are perceived, the classification is more precise.

The scientific classification of odours attempts to find so-called primary

odours, in analogy to the primary colours of vision. To do this, scientists have
exploited a common defect in the human sense of smell. In any large group
of people, there are some who cannot detect the odour of a particular
substance or group of substances. These people are "anosmic" toward a
particular odour. This is the olfactory counterpart to colour blindness. Just as
there are different types of colour blindness, there are a variety of anosmias.
Scientists investigate which odiferous substances certain anosmic people
cannot detect. These substances are then classified into a single "primary"
odour category. Originally, eight primary odour categories had been
identified: camphorous, fishy, malty, minty, musky, spermous, sweaty, and
urinous. Now the list has grown considerably to include: alliaceous, animal,
balsamic, chemical, citrus, coffee, earthy, ethereal, fatty, floral, fruity, green,
herbaceous, meaty, medicinal, minty, mossy, musty, nutty, pepper, smoky,
soapy, spicy, sulfurous, vegetable, waxy, wine-like and woody. The odours of
the majority of substances are produced by a combination of these primary
odours, just as colours are produced by a combination of primary colour
responses. Furthermore, many of the odours we easily recognise are
produced by the combination of many compounds. For example, over 80
odoriferous compounds have been identified in the jasmine blossoms.

A comparison of the structures of the molecules of materials in each category

of the primary odour classifications reveals similarities among the molecules
in some types. For example, substances having a fishy odour are generally
amines containing a nitrogen atom bonded to three other atoms and having a
non-bonding pair of electrons. Examples include dimethylamine, H3C-NH-
CH3, and ethylamine, H2N-CH2CH3. The molecular structures of several minty
materials also reveal some similarity.

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LEADERS IN ODOUR CONTROL SOLUTIONS

Fig. 1

Anethole cinnamaldehyde

Benzaldehyde methyl salicylate

However, very subtle differences in structure can produce different odours.

For example, looking at Fig. 2, the difference between R-carvone and S-
carvone is that in R-carvone, the hydrogen near the asterix is below the
double bonded carbon, but in S-carvone, the H is above the C. In all other
respects the structures are identical. Although both are in the minty category,
the odours are distinct.

Fig. 2

R-carvone S-carvone

In some of the categories of odours, especially the musky category, the range
of molecular structures is very broad.

Certain structural features of a molecule can be associated with a particular

type of odour, although that odour may not be one of the primaries. A good
example of such a feature is the mercapto group, -S-H. Most volatile
materials that contain this group have strong odours. The simplest such
molecule is H-S-H, hydrogen sulfide. This gas produces the characteristic
odour of rotten eggs. Allyl mercaptan, H2C=CH-CH2-S-H, produces the
characteristic odour of garlic. Tertiary-butyl mercaptan, (CH3)3C-SH, is one of
the materials (along with dimethyl sulfide, CH3-S-CH3) added to natural gas to
produce the characteristic odour that signals a gas leak. Overseas, some gas
companies distribute cards with micro-encapsulated odourant to teach
customers this characteristic odour; once smelled, never forgotten. An

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LEADERS IN ODOUR CONTROL SOLUTIONS
indication of the intensity of the odour of t-butyl mercaptan is that only 2.5
grams of it are required to produce 1 million of these cards!

Several theories of how molecules interact with the olfactory cells are
currently under investigation. One proposes that odourant molecules vibrate
at characteristic frequencies, and that olfactory cells contain molecules that
vibrate at similar frequencies. When odourant molecules get close to the
olfactory molecules in cells, the odourant molecules stimulate the olfactory
molecules to vibrate at the characteristic frequency, thereby generating a
response. Another theory suggest that odourant molecules penetrate the wall
of the olfactory cells, disturbing the electrolyte balance between the exterior
and interior of the cell and generating nerve pulse. Perhaps the most widely
accepted theory emphasises the importance of size, shape and electronic
arrangement of the odourant molecule. According to this theory, the olfactory
cell responds to the size, shape and electronic arrangement of the odourant
molecule. Whether this response occurs at sites specific to certain
combinations of size and shape, or whether it is a generalised reaction is still
a matter of discussion. However, it is known that olfactory cells are not
specific to a particular primary odour, unlike cells of the retina that respond to
only one of the primary colours. A single olfactory cell responds to molecules
in several of the primary odour categories.

Using most of the above as our basis for the development of quality odour
control, Anotec Pty Limited successfully supply the Anotec range of Odour
Control products worldwide for industrial, commercial and domestic
applications. The latter includes service utilities, agriculture, hospitality,
medical and aged care, childcare facilities - just to name a few.

CLEANERS & DISINFECTANTS

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRINCIPAL HARD SURFACE

DISINFECTANTS

Since Lister, a biochemist/microbiologist showed in 1867 that phenol (carbolic

acid) would kill microorganisms, many chemicals have been tested for this
purpose, and a few have proved to be effective.

These chemicals can be classified relative to our principal area of interest,

that is, hard surface disinfection. The following are undoubtedly the most
important.

1. Quaternary ammonium compounds

2. Phenolic compounds
3. Iodophors
4. Pine oil

The following discussion will examine the relative advantages of each of these
chemicals within the context of their use when formulated with a detergent

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material to form a hard surface detergent/disinfectant. To do this, however, it
is necessary first to consider what we mean by a good disinfectant.

The first criterion obviously is that it kills microorganisms of all kinds,

particularly the pathogens, although destruction of others, which are
considered harmless to humans and animals, is sometimes also important.

Many non-pathogens attack organic matter, producing chemicals that may be

highly odorous, corrosive or staining. Elimination of such organisms is
certainly a plus factor to be desired from any product. Germicidal products
that kill a wide range of microorganisms are said to be broad spectrum.

It must be emphasised that hard surface disinfection can best be achieved

when it is accomplished as part of a one step operation involving a detergent.
If a germicidal agent is applied to a dirty surface, it will kill those organisms
which it contacts, but most of them will probably be surrounded by soil and be
unaffected by the chemical. Thus it is important that the disinfectant chemical
be compatible with the detergent system with which it is to be combined. Of
course, one could always do the job in two steps - first clean the area, then
treat it with a disinfectant. This procedure will be highly effective in terms of
reducing or eliminating the bacterial load on the surface but it has two major
drawbacks. Labour cost is approximately 95% of the cost of maintenance, and
by requiring that an area be treated twice - first for detergence, then for
disinfection - labour cost is doubled. This is an extremely important
consideration, and it explains the almost complete disappearance of single
service disinfectant products. Most products today combine detergence with
disinfectants so that the job can be done in one operation.

Actually, the matter of labour cost is rather minor when compared to the other
drawback. A two step operation of cleaning followed by disinfection greatly
increases the possibility and dangers of cross contamination. Consider what
happens during the cleaning operation. The housekeeper or cleaner applies a
detergent solution on the area to be cleaned, then picks it up with a mop or
wet vacuum, and finally disposes of the solution containing the picked up soil.
The overall effect of this activity has been to concentrate into the dirty water
all the microorganisms that have been picked up in the cleaning process.
Unless handled with great care, this contaminated solution can contribute to
the spread of contamination. Not only is the combination product more cost
effective but it will provide far better overall result.

Most detergent/disinfectant products are produced as liquid concentrates that

must be diluted with water before use. In handling these products, either as
the concentrates or the use dilutions, it is difficult to avoid having them come
into contact with the skin. In an extreme case, an accident may occur in which
some of the product may be splashed into the face, perhaps into the eyes. An
important requirement, therefore, for this type of product is safety -freedom
from irritation if product gets on the skin or in the eyes and freedom from
toxicity if it is ingested.

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LEADERS IN ODOUR CONTROL SOLUTIONS

In the evolution of environmental sanitation, (hard surface cleaning) the

removal of unwanted physical soil was followed by sanitising or disinfection
for the destruction and removal of microorganisms. Eventually, these two
functions were combined so that only one product was needed. However, it
was later recognised that there is a third important dimension to
environmental sanitation - odour control. Unpleasant odours are an
unfortunate fact in most hospitals, nursing homes, mental institutions, schools
and many other facilities. Counteracting these odours required incorporating
an odour control system into the detergent/disinfectant product.

To this end, it is advantageous to begin with a detergent/disinfectant that has

little or no odour. Chemicals like phenol are highly odorous and they are
almost impossible to effectively mask or neutralise. Consequently,
detergent/disinfectant products which incorporate phenol derivatives have that
tell tale "Hospital odour". Quaternaries, on the other hand, have a very low
almost nondescript odour and can thus be readily combined with odour
control ingredients.

An important factor in detergence is pH which is a measure of acidity or

alkalinity. A product with a pH of 7 is neither acid nor alkaline. It is neutral.
Below 7, the product is acid; above 7, it is alkaline. As the pH of a detergent
solution rises, i.e., becomes more alkaline, the cleaning efficiency of the
product increases. There are limits to this, of course, since too high a pH will
frequently result in deleterious effects on the surface being cleaned.

In general, a pH no higher than 10.5 is acceptable. This does not mean that a
product is safe at 10.5 and harmful at 10.6. There is a range in which harmful
activity will begin, and the breadth of this range is dependent on the other
ingredients in the formulation. As a general rule, the use of a pH of 10 gives
us a cut-off point with a built-in measure of safety. Another highly important
factor is the use of inorganic builders and chelating agents to improve
detergence. These agents operate best in an acid medium. Thus, it is
apparent that disinfectant chemicals intended for use in a combination product
should have good activity at an alkaline pH up to 10.

One final factor requires consideration. The activity of all disinfectant

chemicals is affected adversely by organic matter. The degree to which this
occurs varies with the particular chemical and probably with the type of
organic soil present. Therefore it is advantageous to choose as the germicidal
component of the product one which is least affected by organic matter.

Having examined the major characteristics to be evaluated in electing the

proper germicidal chemical for a detergent/disinfectant product, we can now
evaluate the most important available biocidal chemicals. A recap of these
characteristics gives us the following:

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1. Broad spectrum activity

2. Compatibility with effective detergents
3. Low oral toxicity and skin irritation
4. Freedom from odour
5. High activity at same pH as the detergent component
6. Retention of activity in presence of organic matter

QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS

1. Spectrum of Activity
Hundreds of different quaternaries have been prepared and tested. Some are
good clothes softeners. Others are effective antistatic agents for certain
application. A relatively small number have been found to be highly effective
germicidal agents. Of this last group, an even smaller number are bactericidal
and fungicidal against an extremely wide range of microorganisms. This
activity covers the gram positive and gram-negative bacteria, fungi and
viruses. We can say, then, that selection of the proper quaternary will give a
product with a wide spectrum of activity.

2. Detergent Compatibility.
The most effective of the products available for uses as hard surface
detergents are the synthetic nonionics. Properly formulated, the quats are
compatible with these materials.

3. Low Oral Toxicity and Skin Irritation.

All disinfectant chemicals have some degree of toxicity and irritation in
concentrated solution. Many of them carry these properties over into the low
concentrations required for effective disinfection. This is not true of the quats.
Use concentrations of 400-500 ppm of quaternary are normally used for
disinfection. At these concentrations, the product is not irritating and has an
extremely low order of oral toxicity.

4. Freedom From Odour

Quaternary ammonium chlorides are odourless.

5. High Activity at Alkaline pH.

The germicidal activity of quats increases as the pH increases. This means
that optimum germicidal and detergent activity can be obtained from a
quaternary/nonionic combination, since both shows increasing activity with
increasing pH.

6. Retention of Activity of Organic Matter

All disinfectant chemicals are adversely affected to some extent by organic
matter. The effect may be large or small. Quats are among the least affected
in the presence of organic matter.

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PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS

1. Broad Spectrum Activity

Individual phenolics are limited in range with regard to the number of different
types of micro-organisms they will kill. However, the number of available
phenolics is large and combining several different phenolics can produce an
effective formulation.

2. Detergent Compatibility
Phenolics are not compatible with the nonionics, the most effective of the hard
surface detergents. They are compatible with soaps and/or synthetic anionic
detergents. The resulting formulation is, of course, a relatively ineffective
detergent product, and as a result, less effective germicide.

3. Oral Toxicity and Skin irritation

Most phenolics have a relatively high toxicity rating and are usually skin
irritants, especially so in the concentrations in which they are present in the
typical formulation.

4. Freedom From Odour

All of the phenolics have a noticeable odour and most of them a disagreeable
one.

5. High Activity at Alkaline DH

Phenolics are most effective against microorganisms at a pH 8 or below. This
is usually too low for good detergent action. As the pH increases above 8,
germicidal activity decreases.

6. Retention of Activity in Presence of Organic Matter

The activity of some Phenolic compounds decreases quite rapidly in the
presence of organic matter. The degree will vary with the type of Phenolic, but
as a general rule, the phenolics most effective against microorganisms are
moderately affected by organic matter.

IODOPHORS

The type of iodophor always found in the area of detergent/disinfectants is

one based on a combination of iodine and nonionic synthetic detergent in an
acid medium. The acid is usually phosphoric and the product normally has a
pH of 3-4.

1. Broad Spectrum Activity

Iodophors are excellent in this respect.

2. Detergent Compatibility
As a stated before, the type of iodophor normally encountered is a
combination of iodine and nonionic. Unfortunately, since germicidal activity of
iodine is highest at an acid pH, the detergent activity of the nonionic is very

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sharply reduced.

3. Oral Toxicity and Skin Irritation

Iodophors exhibit relatively low toxicity and skin irritation.

4. Freedom from Odour

Iodophors have a very low odour level and in this respect are not
objectionable. However, they cannot be formulated with odour counteractants
or other materials that would normally leave an air freshened effect, since the
iodine attacks the odour counteractant chemicals, usually creating an
unpleasant odour in the process.

5. High Activity at Alkaline pH

As stated before, these products require an acid pH for germicidal activity.
This, of course, drastically reduces the efficacy of the detergent. It also
eliminates the possibility of using inorganic builders sequestrates and
chelating agents to enhance detergent activity.

6. Retention of Activity in Presence of organic Matter

The presence of organic matter sharply reduces the efficacy of iodophors
against microorganisms.

PINE OIL

This product is obtained by several methods from pinewood. It is a mixture of

several different chemicals that vary in their activity against microorganisms.
The National Formulary specifies that 95% of the product must distil between
200 and 225 C. This specification tends to fix the types and amounts of
chemicals present in the product. A typical pine oil preparation contains 60%
pine oil solubilised with soap. Because of certain limitations, to be discussed,
these products are frequently fortified by the addition of phenolics. However, it
has been found that the phenolics are slowly inactivated over an extended
period of time, so that the presence of Phenolic in a pine oil product does not
necessarily mean it will be active. The unfortified pine oil formulation must be
used in fairly concentrated form, so they are uneconomical for hard surface
cleaning and disinfection where large surfaces are involved.

1. Broad Spectrum Activity

Pine oil is quite active against the gram-negative organisms, but totally
ineffective against many of the gram-positive organisms, such as
Staphylococcus Aureus. The addition of a Phenolic is necessary to give
activity against the gram positives, but, as pointed out previously, there is a
slow inactivation of the Phenolic compound.

2. Detergent Compatibility
Pine oils are compatible with soaps and some anionics. Neither type of
detergent is really effective for hard surface cleaning nor both, particularly the
soaps, will leave a metallic plate if hard water is used.

3. Oral Toxicity and Skin Irritation

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Pine oil itself has low order of toxicity and skin irritation. Combined with
phenolics, both toxicity and skin irritation are definitely increased.

4. Freedom From Odour

Pine oil itself has a very high odour level, which is objectionable to many
people. As an odourant, it is frequently used to mask such malodours as
those commonly encountered in poorly maintained rest rooms.

5. High Activity at Alkaline pH

Activity of these products is good at fairly high pH. When a Phenolic is
present, its activity is, of course, decreased under such conditions.

6. Retention of Activity In Presence of Organic Matter

organic matter causes a moderate reduction in the activity of pine oil. As
stated previously, a fortified product (containing Phenolic) is adversely
affected since organic matter reduces Phenolic activity.

Although the information above is quite brief, it shows how and why Anotec
decided to include the Anotec range of cleaning products to compliment the
odour control range.

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