Malic and fumaric acid formulations to stop COVID-19 persistence, and supply novel and safe sanitizers and disinfectants

COVID-19大流行为共用空间的清洁及消毒带来广泛挑战。Bartek Ingredients Inc是一家加拿大公司，也是世界上最大的苹果酸生产商。Bartek希望测试苹果酸和富马酸对人类冠状病毒的影响。目标是开发工业清洁和消毒剂，这些清洁和消毒剂在与洗涤或漂白不相容的环境和工业环境中有效。健康专家一致认为，用肥皂和水清洗是最好的清洁方法，而漂白剂是最好的消毒解决方案。但是，有些区域/物品不能洗涤或漂白。具有大量纺织品的共享空间，例如剧院和公共交通，很难清洁。漂白剂会损坏不锈钢表面，导致表面可能捕获病毒（例如在肉类包装厂，工业食品制备区等）。为COVID-19量身定制的有机酸消毒剂对织物的消毒效果比漂白剂更好，不会使不锈钢点蚀，并且是无法用肥皂和水洗涤时的一种选择。然而，对于这些措施是否有效的了解有限。柠檬酸是某些清洁剂中的一种成分;苹果酸和富马酸已被探索用于组织中鼻病毒的灭活。我们与Bartek的合作将探索有机酸对人类冠状病毒的影响。我们想知道苹果酸和富马酸是否能杀死病毒，以及病毒是如何被破坏的。我们测试各种酸的组合，并开发专有技术的清洁解决方案。这是一个重要的机会，可以将我们的模型和工具应用于一个重要的工业挑战，以推进全球安全生活的社会目标。苹果酸的使用预计将在未来十年增加，我们期待与Bartek Ingredients Inc合作，以防止COVID-19从表面传播，并直接研究可能在以后的浪潮或未来的大流行中增加选择。

The COVID-19 pandemic presents extensive challenges in cleaning and sanitizing shared spaces. Bartek Ingredients Inc. is a Canadian company and the largest manufacturer of malic acid in the world. Bartek would like to test malic and fumaric acid effects on human coronavirus. The goal is to develop industrial cleaning and sanitizing agents that are effective in environmental and industrial settings that are not compatible with washing or bleaching. Health experts agree that washing with soap and water is the best cleaning method, while bleach is the best sanitization solution. However, there are areas/items that cannot be washed or bleached. Shared spaces with extensive textiles, such as theatres and public transit, are difficult to clean. Bleach damages stainless steel surfaces, causing surfaces that may trap virus (e.g. in meat packaging plants, industrial food preparation areas, etc.). Organic acid disinfectants tailored for COVID-19 are better for fabrics than bleach, do not pit stainless steel, and are an option for when soap and water washing is not possible. However, there is limited knowledge of whether these would be effective. Citric acid is a component in some cleaners; malic and fumaric acids, have been explored for rhinovirus inactivation in tissues. Our collaboration with Bartek will explore the effect(s) of organic acids on human coronaviruses. We ask whether malic and fumaric acids kill virus, and how virus disruption happens. We test combinations of acids, and develop proprietary technology for cleaning solutions. This is an important opportunity to apply our models and tools in an important industrial challenge that advances societal goals of living safely with COVID-19 globally. The uses of malic acid are expected to increase for the next decade, and we look forward to working with Bartek Ingredients Inc to prevent COVID-19 spread from surfaces and direct research that could increase options in later waves or a future pandemic.