Oil
Antimicrobial Testing for Oil
Oil and products derived from petero-chemicals are susceptible to significant microbial challenges. Not only can these materials serve as a food source, but given the extreme environments oil is found and used in, these products may also deteriorate quickly in the presence of microorganisms.
Preservation is key to an optimally performing material. ASTM E1259 is a standard test method for Preservation or Kill Time testing of oil and fuel. Many customers will request ASTM E1259 Preservation testing to determine antimicrobial performance over time and will request Kill Time testing to determine the most effective antimicrobial dosage to use in their formulation against bacteria, fungi, or yeast.
For quick and reliable microbial screening or Quality Control testing, Express Microbial Testing is commonly used as a screen test to detect the presence of microorganisms in oils, solutions and fluids. Unchecked, microbial growth can reduce the shelf life and effectiveness of oil products and may lead to damaged equipment and machinery and a slow down in production.
Biodegradation Testing for Oil
Biodegradation of oil and oil-based products are also frequently requested and may be required for a product to be accepted for use in many markets. Biodegradation requires microbes to consume contents of the material and microbial challenges are found in all stages of extraction, production, storage and distribution for oils and oil-based products.
However, just because a petro-chemical product may be susceptible to microbes in storage and production doesn’t mean it will easily biodegrade in the environment. Biodegradation tests like OECD 301B are used to demonstrate whether an oil will degrade in a natural aqueous environment, and if so, how it may affect the surrounding environment.
Contact our Antimicrobial and Biodegradation test lab at 847-483-9950 or info@situtest.com for more information about antimicrobial and biodegradation testing for oil and oil-based products.