Anti Odor Test

Anti-odor

Our body regulates its temperature through sweating. But as opposed to the common belief, sweat is completely odorless. The real reason behind the unpleasant smell is the bacteria inhabiting the surface of our skin. Body odor in humans is mediated by the reaction between sweat and bacterial decomposition of fatty acids, branched-chain aliphatic amino acids, glycerol, lactic acid, and more. An anti-odor test is a great way to check the ability of our products to inhibit the growth of such odor-producing bacteria on the skin.
We test all our formulations on Staphylococcus hominis to check their anti-odor effect.

What Is Staphylococcus hominis & Why We Use It?

Staphylococcus hominis is a gram-positive (bacteria with a thick peptidoglycan layer and no outer lipid membrane) and non-motile bacteria commonly found on the surface of the human skin around the armpits, the groin, and the area around the nipples of the breast. It exists in clusters or groups and forms a commensal relationship with the human body. They serve as an excellent tool for investigating the anti-odor effect of our test products as they are known to produce thioalcohol compounds that react with sweat and lead to body odor.

How We Test The Anti-odor Property Of Our Products?

Step 1

Bacterial Plating

The first step involves introducing an inoculum (bacterial component to initiate infection) of Staphylococcus hominis into a culture plate with solidified agar gel containing a sufficientsupply of nutrients like carbs, amino acids, sulfur, nitrogen, and vitamins to aid growth & replication.

Step 2

Introducing The Test Product & Control

Next, a small well is made in the agar plate containing the bacteria, followed by the addition of the test product. After this, a vancomycin antibiotic disc is placed in a different location on the same plate.It is a small circular piece of filter paper impregnated with the vancomycin antibiotic. Vancomycin inhibits the growth of the multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus hominis by binding to its surface peptides and preventing cell wall synthesis. This antibiotic disc will serve as a control (reference point) for this well-diffusion experiment. Finally, the bacteria begins to grow under appropriate lab conditions.

Step 3

Tracking The Zone Of Inhibition

Post the incubation period, clear zones around the vancomycin antibiotic disc and the test product will be formed reflecting no bacterial growth. This area is known as the zone ofinhibition, where bacterial growth is stunted. The diameter of these zones are calculated and compared to interpret the results.

What's The Final Result?

For a product to have an anti-odor property, the zonal diameter of the test product should be higher than the vancomycin antibiotic disc (control). At Areoveda, the tested products reveal similar results!