Antimicrobial Testing

Antimicrobial Testing Services

Lucideon's extensive analytical capabilities and expertise help you assess the antimicrobial efficacy of your products for a broad range of applications. Our comprehensive services ensure your products meet performance expectations and regulatory standards.

Whether you need to verify the effectiveness of your product's antimicrobial properties or evaluate its response to antimicrobial resistance, our team provides reliable data to support your claims and safeguard your brand reputation.

Antimicrobial testing is the process of evaluating the effectiveness of substances such as antibiotics and disinfectants in their ability to kill microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Antimicrobial testing includes methods such as minimum inhibitory concentration testing and time-kill studies and is essential for regulatory standards and validating marketing claims.

Our microbiology team analyze a wide range of products, including, but not limited to, textiles, ceramics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, parenteral drugs, health supplements, cleaning products, cosmetics, plastics, and coatings.

Antimicrobial testing: evaluating product efficacy

Lucideon can determine the effectiveness of substances, such as antibiotics, disinfectants, and preservatives, in their ability to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes. Standard methods include quantitative measurements using plate count and spread plate methodologies, as well as preservative efficacy testing.

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing determines the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent required to prevent the visible growth of a specific microorganism. This method is essential for evaluating the potency of antibiotics and other antimicrobial substances, providing critical data on the effectiveness of your products.

Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) testing

Lucideon offers minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) testing, a series of microbiological assays to establish the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent needed to kill a specified bacterial/fungal species. MBC & MFC testing is a valuable tool for understanding the bactericidal & fungicidal properties of antimicrobial agents and supports product development and validation in industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to personal care.

Time-kill studies

Lucideon performs time-kill studies to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents, such as cleaning products, over specific time intervals, such as 0hr, 1hr, 4hr, and 24hr. This method quantifies the contact time required for a product to exhibit bactericidal or bacteriostatic effects.

Standards that we can test to include, but are not limited to:

ISO 22196: 2011(E) – ISO 22196 specifies a method of evaluating the antibacterial activity of anti-bacterially treated plastics and other non-porous surfaces (including intermediate products).
BS EN ISO 20743:2013 – this standard relates to assessing the antibacterial activity of textile products. ISO 20743 is the standard that specifies the antibacterial activity of all antibacterial textile products, including non-wovens.
ASTM D2574-16 – ASTM D2574 is the standard antimicrobial test method for evaluating the resistance of emulsion paints in a can or container to antibacterial growth.
ASTM E3031-20 - this method details a quantitative evaluation of the antibacterial activity of glazed ceramic surfaces that have been specifically designed to hold an antibacterial treatment.
USP 51 - this U.S. Pharmacopeia standard assesses the effectiveness of antimicrobial preservatives in various products
EP Section 5.1.3 - this European Pharmacopeia standard evaluates the efficacy of antimicrobial preservatives in pharmaceutical products

Solutions beyond testing

At Lucideon, we don't just provide testing data - we offer solutions to your material challenges throughout the entire product lifecycle. Whether you’re developing a new product or optimizing an existing one, we provide expert guidance and technical support to enhance product performance and compliance.
Partner with Lucideon to ensure your antimicrobial products are effective, compliant, and ready for market.

Contact us to discover how we can help