BS EN 1650:2019

BS EN 1650:2019 (Phase 2, Step 1)
General Purpose Disinfection
Hygienic hand wash
Hygienic hand rub/ Sanitisers
Mandatory test Organisms
Candida albicans
Aspergillus brasiliensis
Candida albicans
Candida albicans
Test Temperature
In a range from 4 °C to 40 °C
20 °C
20 °C
Contact time
in a range from 1 min to 60 min (from 1 min to 5 min at intervals of 1 min and from 5 min to 60 min at intervals of 5 min)
30 s or 60 s
30 s or 60 s
Conditions
Clean or Dirty depending on manufacturers usage instructions
Dirty
Clean
Log reduction required to receive a pass
>4 Log
>2 Log
>4 Log

The EN 1650 is probably the second most popular test we carry out after the EN 1276.  It is the Phase 2, step 1 test for surface and hand disinfection for the food, domestic and industrial market.  As the EN 1650 is mandatory for the European market every disinfectant for hands and surfaces should have this before being released into the market.  The only exception to this would be if you are selling into the medical or veterinary market and in which case other suspension tests are required instead.  In the EN 1650 only the candida albicans is an obligatory which will give you the yeasticidal claim.  You can also have the Aspergillus tested in the EN 1650 and in combination with the Candida albicans this will give you a fungicidal claim.  The EN 1650 is very similar to the EN 13624 test so a similar results can usually be expected on these two tests.

The EN 1650 is a suspension test which means it is carried out in a suspension of test organism, interfering substance and test product.  The interfering substance and the organism make up 20% of this mix so even ready to use product are diluted to 80% during the testing.  If the product is prediluted before the testing starts, we increase the percentage of product by 1.25 to account for the 80% dilution.

As with other suspension tests the EN 1650 can have additional organism tested against it.  Some popular organisms that we test against the EN 1650 that aren’t stipulated in the standard are candida aureus and Trichophyton rubrum (the cause of athlete’s foot).  Trichophyton rubrum is often added to disinfectants that are being sold into gyms and places where bare feet may be worn.

For BPR submission the EN 1276 is essential, and 3 concentrations must be tested.  These have to include the final usage concentration, a concentration that fails the test and then any other.  Most commonly people opt for the end concentration, 50% of that and the 10% or 1% of that.

Although the standard has specific requirements as outlines in the table certain other establishments may have more rigorous requirements.  For example, some supermarkets may insist on a shorter contact time before they will sell your product.

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