The basic technology behind Zoono’s business has been in existence since the 1910’s and was developed further by German scientists in the period between the two World Wars – mainly to prevent the build-up of algae on the hulls of submarines and ships to make them more fuel efficient through the water.
Subsequently, the molecule has been used mainly in the textile industry and some mould remediation; however, inherent problems remained as methanol was used as the stabilising agent.
In 2009, Paul Hyslop incorporated Zoono Group Limited after recognising the opportunity presented by this technology and numerous other areas and fields where this technology would have applications. In or around the time of incorporation, the base technology had several inherent problems, including a very short shelf life and the deactivation/loss of efficacy outside a narrow temperature band. Zoono (under its own means) re-engineered the technology with the assistance of scientists and chemists in both California and New Zealand and as a result of the re-engineering of the technology, the products now sold by Zoono have a shelf life of approximately 3-5 years; maintain efficacy over a wide temperature range; and are water based so that the Company can obtain relevant food safe / food contact and food packaging approvals from key Government agencies, including the New Zealand Ministry of Prime Industries. The Company today has the appropriate approvals and registrations to market Zoono brands in the United States from the United States EPA and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A history of the product and its development can be seen below:
Following the emergence of global threats such as EBOLA, MERS, SARS, Avian flu and H1N1 swine flu, the world has become conscious of the need for microbial protection. This has led to a surge in demand for products in the hand sanitiser, textiles, food packaging and industrial markets. Zoono Group develops, manufactures and distributes antimicrobial products based on its revolutionary Zoono® antimicrobial agent. Zoono today is the 9th generation of this technology and provides the antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-algal protection of a broad-spectrum antimicrobial sanitiser that continuously kills for up to a month. Zoono is safe to use around people, pets and plants alike.
Unlike conventional antimicrobials, Zoono does not kill by chemical poisoning or alcohol dehydration, does not emit gas, leach, diffuse, migrate, evaporate away or otherwise leave the surface to which it has been applied. The result is an extraordinarily long-acting, food safe product unmatched by others. Zoono products have been proven to be highly effective against a wide array of pathogens, including MRSA (Superbug), E. Coli, H1N1 Swine Flu, Listeria, TB, Stachybotrys (black mould) and even the debilitating gastro ailment, Norovirus.
The companion product GermFree24 has also been developed differently for specific markets – for example a high alcohol variant has been approved for hospital environments and an alcohol-free variant has been produced for markets where alcohol is prohibited. In addition, the ZoonoTex textile treatment range includes products for outdoor furniture, sportswear and day to day apparel, and for laundry applications.
Zoono can be applied as a mist, as a spray, even brushed onto a surface or used as a dip. It does not require mixing and is safe to handle / safe to store. When the Zoono application dries, the micro thin coating forms a very strong bond with the treated surface. It can be likened to having millions of sword shaped ‘pins’ on the surface – each of which will attract, pierce and either kill or inactivate the pathogen. Technically, the process is called ‘lysis’ but it’s best described as a ‘pin popping a balloon’.
Because it does not diminish in strength in relation to the number of pathogens killed, the Zoono molecule (the Zoono ‘Sword’) is capable of attacking new bacteria cells again and again – with only a single application. And because it does not kill the pathogen by poisoning with toxic chemicals, they cannot adapt to it so there is no possibility of immunity developing (i.e. no possibility of superbugs). Indeed, due to the combined factors of Zoono not diminishing in strength, not leaching off a surface, not being affected by regular washing and therefore being able to retain a “mechanical” method of kill, Zoono usually remains active for up to a month – with just a single application. Zoono is colourless, odourless, non-leaching, environmentally safe, non-corrosive and whilst completely safe for humans and animals, is deadly for a wide range of bacteria, mould, fungi, yeasts and viruses.
All Zoono products have been extensively tested by numerous reputable laboratories, universities and testing facilities in the USA, UK, Australia, Turkey, Germany, Japan, China and New Zealand. Test Results are available on request.
Zoono has been proven to have a long lasting antimicrobial effect on a variety of pathogens whilst having a similar (LD50) ‘toxicity level’ as Vitamin C. At the same time, Zoono enjoys a New Zealand Ministry of Prime Industries (NZ Food Safety Authority) Approval and is approved for use in extreme hygiene environments including abattoirs, fish processing, poultry processing and pharmaceutical plants.
The following chart is a comparison between Zoono products and traditional products currently sold.
|COMPARISON||ZOONO PRODUCTS||REGULAR PRODUCTS|
|Principle||Physical Disruption||Dehydration or chemical poison|
|Method||Attracts, pierces and kills Pathogens||Chemical infiltration / Dehydration|
|Durability on hands||Proven Effective for up to 24 hours||Short term efficacy – only minutes|
|Durability on surfaces||Proven Effective for up to a month||Effective for up to 4 hours|
|Durability on textiles||Proven Effective for up to 100 washes||Often washes straight out|
|Toxicity||LD50 similar to that of Vitamin C||Usually highly toxic|
|Ease of handling||Ready to use / Easy to use||Require mixing / most contain poisons|
|Mutation /Superbugs||Resistance impossible = NO mutation||Promoted development into superbugs!|
|Environment||Safe to use – no environmental issues||Not good for the environment|
|Testing / Proof of efficacy||100 + Test results from Labs – globally||Usually not available / not published|