Ozonized Oils
Ozone
Ozone is a natural gas used as an alternative to chemical sanitizers for water disinfection, room sanitization etc. Ozone kills viruses, bacteria, fungi or spores by a process of oxidation (it is the molecule with the highest Redox index). Its reactivity comes with the downside of a high instability, requiring on-site synthesis for any application. However, production processes able bind ozone to fatty acids in oils have been developed to address the issue. Through these processes we can obtain reactive vegetable oils with similar disinfection properties to gaseous ozone, but much higher stability. This enables their upstream production and their successive large-scale distribution.
Some of the main sectors of ozone application are:
- medical applications in dermatology, surgery, rheumatology, and orthopedics
- beauty and personal care sectors
- agriculture and animal care
- sanitization of wastewater and swimming pools
- cleaning and sterilization of rooms and surfaces
Ozonated oils
The ozonation reaction of an oil is a chemical process involving exposure of the oil to a continuous stream of gaseous ozone by insufflation. It mainly affects the -C=C- double bonds of the unsaturated fatty acids in the oil and produces stable ozone derivatives through a sequence of reactions and the formation of several intermediates called ozonides or Criegee intermediates.
These intermediates can be used for the preparation of creams and other formulations with antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activities, immunostimulants and stimulants for tissue healing as well as in the agricultural and industrial sector.
The advantage of ozonated oils is that of achieving a stable product with all the powers of ozone, making it a product that can be produced upstream, stored, and put into large-scale distribution.
