We live in a microbial world

There is an increasing amount of data showing that the quality of our indoor environment influences our health and well-being. We are discovering microbial communities inhabiting the air we breathe and the surfaces we touch.

However, due to the fear of undesirable microbes, we strive to keep such surfaces clean and free of disease-causing microbes through use of disinfecting agents. But recent studies have shown that fear of disease-causing microbes has pushed societies’ pendulum of clean and sanitary too far. So far, in fact, that we have created one indoor health problem by trying to remedy another: namely, the disinfectants we use are harmful against all indoor microbes – even those that we want and need to have around us. Thus, we are pushed to move the pendulum of clean back to a more natural center, one that endeavors to reduce exposure of pathogenic microbes and enhance those that will do us no harm and rebalance our own indoor ecosystem.

What role can probiotic cleaners take in today's society and needs?

When it comes to their home environment, many people would agree that cleaner is better. And that’s no surprise, because, for most of human history, we’ve been taught to view the microscopic world – in which germs play a large role – with fear.

In Novozymes, we constantly conduct research of our own, as well as evaluate recent research to see what role probiotic products may play in creating a more diverse microbial state. Below, you can download some of the most recent studies in the area.