Potassium Linoleate (Isomerized) Satisfies the United States Environmental Protection Agency MB-05-16 for Hospital Disinfectant on Hard, Non-porous Surfaces

Abstract

Potassium conjugated linoleic acid or potassium linoleate (isomerized), 86 mM, satisfies the United States Environmental Protection Agency protocol hospital disinfectant for non-porous surfaces MB-05-16 with one-minute treatment. This stringent protocol requires separate preparations of Staphylococcus aureus (American Type Culture Collection 6538) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (American Type Culture Collection 15442) unstirred for 48 hours, submerging 10 mm polished cylinders in the culture, and placing for 45 minutes in a 37°C humidified chamber before treating. Since potassium linoleate (isomerized) also satisfies the United States Environmental Protection Agency protocol MB-35-00 for Candida auris , this study establishes potassium linoleate (isomerized) as an effective cross-kingdom antimicrobial plant salt, soap, or cleanser. We affirm the need for formal post-treatment plating on agar to establish efficacy and not rely on OD 600 when testing for antimicrobial capacity. Aqueous dilution of the soap causes variable opalescence making optical density an unreliable marker for antimicrobial efficacy.