Some perspectives on preservation and disinfection in the present day

The present day objectives for the use of disinfectants and preservatives are unchanged from those of the immediate and distant past. Major developments in this field reflect a general diversification and broadening of regulatory tests of biocide performance, rather than the introduction of novel chemical entities or new applications. This has increased the reliance put upon in-vitro tests of biocide performance conducted to predict safety and efficacy in the field. The ability of microorganisms to adapt their physiology to that of the growth environment has made them an outstanding success in nature. Equally, it is the failure of many in-vitro experiments to correctly mimic these phenotypes that often makes the results irrelevant. Whilst the tests themselves are designed with reproducibility and predictive efficiency in mind, the procedures deployed often decrease the relevance of the test result. Failure to control factors such as growth rate, nutrient limitation, biofilm development and dormancy within the inocula contribute to this anomaly.