Study: food coloring can kill covid

A researcher from Purdue University , The United States is researching possible ways of killing airborne COVID-19 with food coloring.

Last month the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 can be transmitted through the air or so-called transmission airborne . This type of transmission becomes difficult to prevent if in a closed room with poor air circulation.

How can food coloring be used to clean the air from the virus that causes COVID-19 floating in the air in the form of airborne?

Food coloring has the potential to kill COVID-19 in the air

From the start, it was stated that COVID-19 could be transmitted through respiratory droplets that come out when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes. Since the splash molecule is quite heavy (> 3 micro), it is able to splash up to about 1 meter and fall directly to the surface. So, one way to prevent transmission is to maintain social distancing (physical distancing) and put on a mask so that it can withstand the droplet splash.

Later, scientists discovered that the droplets of COVID-19 patients can stay in the air and are transmitted when someone inhales them. Route of transmission airborne This is because the droplets can turn into an aerosol form, a liquid suspended in the air like fog.

This type of transmission was initially known to occur when medical personnel put an intubation device into a COVID-19 patient in a room without ventilation. Therefore scientists are looking for how to effectively prevent transmission of COVID-19 through the air.

Kim Young and a team of biomedical scientists at Purdue University developed a way to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the air using food coloring.

Kim uses the photodynamic air purification (PAC) method, which makes food dyes react in the presence of light and form oxygen free radicals that are able to neutralize the virus that causes COVID-19.

According to him, this solution shows how light activation of food coloring can produce oxygen free radicals, one of which is in the form of singlet oxygen which can kill airborne pathogens (viruses).

This singlet oxygen functions to damage the outside covering the virus so that it makes the virus inactive.

“We have identified several FDA-approved food dyes that can be used to generate free radicals in visible light. We use ultrasound to produce small aerosols containing food coloring so the dye can float and stay in the air, "said Kim, associate professor of biomedical engineering and head of the research team, as quoted from the website. Purdue University.

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Much more research remains to be done

Currently, researchers are continuing this research to evaluate the effectiveness of PAC against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Plans for the next phase will involve working with government agencies.

Even though he has used food coloring that is certified for distribution by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Professor Kim will still further test the safety of these food dyes if inhaled or ingested.

So that later this tool can spread this reactive oxygen into the air and safely deactivate the virus in aerosol form.

"I hope this technology can be installed in hospital rooms and prevent transmission of COVID-19 in rooms where people gather with a high risk of transmission," said Kim.

Disinfectant technology that is sprayed into the air is usually made of hydrogen peroxide in the form of an aerosol, ozone, or ultraviolet light disinfectant. These types are dangerous for humans because they are carcinogenic. In addition, this type is more effective in disinfecting the surface of non-floating objects in the air.

Can food coloring agents be used to ward off the virus that causes COVID-19? We are waiting for further research results.