IIn the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, key hygiene supplies have become high in demand, one of the most important of these is alcohol-based hand sanitizer. For alcohol-based hand sanitizers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a concentration of 60 to 95 % ethanol or isopropanol. At those concentrations, alcohol immediately denatures proteins, effectively neutralizing coronavirus. Non-alcoholic sanitizers are less preferred by the health organisations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - for fighting CoViD- 19. This is due to their poorer efficacy and narrower spectrum compared to the alcohol-based sanitisation products. The most important factor in determining the efficacy of a hand sanitiser is indeed the alcoholic content. There have been worrying reports of hand sanitizers containing <60% alcohol  being sold during the CoViD-19 outbreak. Consumers must become aware that such products are not recommended by the health organisations and should therefore be avoided. For determination at such concentration very sophisticated instrumentation such as FTIR is necessary, which is not suitable for field work. Till no field method is available anywhere in the world for detection of alcohol in hand sanitizer.

Visual Detection Kit for alcohol content in hand sanitizers is a simple, quick, easy and affordable kit for onsite determination of alcohol content in hand sanitizer as per WHO norms. The testing procedure is as simple as adding specified amounts of reagents to the sample and identifying the color developed. The color develops instantaneously and remains for ~10 minutes and the distinction can be made with the naked eyes. For ease of comparison a color chart is provided with the kit.

 
ADVANTAGES


    Applicable for alcohol detection in liquid and gel type sanitizers
    Onsite detection & Instantaneous results
    Eliminates the use of sophisticated instruments for analysis
    Cost effective, distinct colour formation for 0-100 (±5) % alcohol
    Good accuracy for the intended purpose

INTRODUCTION

In the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak, key hygiene supplies have become high in demand, one of the most important of these is alcohol-based hand sanitizer. For alcohol-based hand sanitizers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a concentration of 60 to 95 % ethanol or isopropanol. At those concentrations, alcohol immediately denatures proteins, effectively neutralizing coronavirus. Non-alcoholic sanitizers are less preferred by the health organisations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - for fighting CoViD- 19. This is due to their poorer efficacy and narrower spectrum compared to the alcohol-based sanitisation products. The most important factor in determining the efficacy of a hand sanitiser is indeed the alcoholic content. There have been worrying reports of hand sanitizers containing <60% alcohol being sold during the CoViD-19 outbreak. Consumers must become aware that such products are not recommended by the health organisations and should therefore be avoided.
Visual Detection Kit for alcohol content in hand sanitizers is a fast, simple and affordable kit for the on-site determination of alcohol content in hand sanitizers which meets the specifications set by WHO.  The reagents used in this kit are user friendly and highly cost effective. The kit works well for any kind (liquid, gel, colour) of alcohol based hand sanitizer.  Presently, no field method is available to check the quality of hand sanitizer with respect to its alcohol content.

APPLICATIONS

   Applicable for On-site detection of alcohol content in hand sanitizers.
   It is useful for detection of alcohol content in any kind of alcohol based liquid and gel type hand sanitizer. 

ADVANTAGES

   Eliminates the use of sophisticated instruments for analysis
   Cost effective, distinct colour formation for 0-100 (±5) % alcohol

DESCRIPTION
    
The testing procedure is as simple as adding a specific amount of reagents to the sanitizer sample and identifying the colour developed. The color develops instantaneously and remains for ~10 minutes and the distinction can be made with the naked eyes. For ease of comparison a color chart is provided with the kit. The Visual Detection Kit for alcohol content in hand sanitizers is consists of:-
a)   Reagents                                           :  2 bottles (100 mL)
b)   Graduated 15 mL polypropylene test-tube       : 5 Nos.
c)   Color Chart                                            : 1 No.

REQUIREMENTS
a. Infrastructure Requirements
A laboratory room (3m X 3m) with the following equipment:
Electronic weighing balance (1 mg precision), Standard Measuring Flask (SMF) -100 mL (2 nos.), Beaker 250 mL (2 nos.).

b. Statutory Requirements
Statutory clearances for safe handling of various acids, chemicals and a small-scale industrial registration is required.

c. Raw materials
All the raw materials required to utilize the technology for making the alcohol detection kits are freely available in the Indian market.

d. Manpower requirements
One technician for preparing the reagents, one chemist for carrying out the reagent quality assessment by checking with standards.