Disinfection is crucial to control and prevent microbial pathogens on surfaces. Nonetheless, disinfectants misuse in routine disinfection has increased the concern on their impact on bacterial resistance and cross-resistance. This work aims to develop a formulation for surface disinfection based on the combination of a natural product, cinnamaldehyde, and a widely used biocide, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The wiping method was based on the Wiperator test (ASTM E2967-15) and the efficacy evaluation of surface disinfection wipes test (EN 16615:2015). After formulation optimization, the wiping of a contaminated surface with 6.24 log10 colony-forming units (CFU) of Escherichia coli or 7.10 log10 CFU of Staphylococcus aureus led to a reduction of 4.35 log10 CFU and 4.27 log10 CFU when the wipe was impregnated with the formulation in comparison with 2.45 log10 CFU and 1.50 log10 CFU as a result of mechanical action only for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Furthermore, the formulation prevented the transfer of bacteria to clean surfaces. The work presented highlights the potential of a combinatorial approach of a classic biocide with a phytochemical for the development of disinfectant formulations, with the advantage of reducing the concentration of synthetic biocides, which reduces the potentially negative environmental and public health impacts from their routine use.
Keywords: bacteria; cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; cinnamaldehyde; formulation; surface disinfection.