Background to the Invention Barrier hygiene products, such as single use aprons, gloves, mob caps, chefs' hats, etc. are used in many areas of the food preparation industry to prevent the microbiological and physical contamination of food. These products are typically made of plastics, rubber, paperornon-woven materials, orcombination ofsuch materials, and these materials are either essentially sterile, as in the case of rubber or plastic, or contain very low levels of micro-organisms immediately following manufacture. The conversion of raw materials into finished goods and the packaging of the products are potential sources of microbiological contamination, although steps can be taken in the manufacturing plants to minimise this risk.

The disposable products are normally packed into boxes or bags containing a number of items, and such boxes or bags may be opened several times by operatives, to remove an item or items for use. There is concern that this multiple handling can introduce microbiological contamination to the disposable products, which if left untreated, could then be transferred into the food preparation area. The use of simple dispensers, e. g. of plastic or metal boxes mounted on the wall, will to some extent overcome the issue of contamination of the product by this route. However, these dispensers have to be refilled periodically and this is normally carried out by hand. This therefore, represents another potential source of contamination of the barrier hygiene products.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention, a pack for sanitising a dispenser comprises: a sealed container having a removable cover; within the container, an anti-microbial agent carried on a carrier material ; and an indicator system adapted to indicate the duration of use of the agent.

A pack according to the present invention, when mounted within a dispenser of barrier hygiene products, prevents the dispenser from harbouring harmful bacteria that are transferred from the hands of operatives as they access the dispenser to select a hygiene product.

Description of the Drawings Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sectional and plan views of a pack embodying the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments The anti-microbial agent that is used in this invention may be capable of destroying potentially harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Escherichia coli, within an appropriate time scale, typically, but not limited to, 3-24 hours. The anti-microbial ingredient or ingredients are preferably volatile liquids, so that the antimicrobial ingredient can be introduced to the dispenser as a small, discrete unit, and the volatile active ingredient can then pass into the stored products. The anti- microbial agent may comprise, for example, natural products such as essential oils.

The agent may comprise a solvent, such as an alcohol or glycol, which aids volatility and improves activity. The anti-microbial agent is preferably comprised on an adsorbent material, such as cellulose, which improves dispersion of the vapour, throughout the dispenser. Thus, for example, an essential oil adsorbed onto a cellulose-based non-woven material.

The anti-microbial agent is preferably comprised on a discrete element present in the container. The element preferably comprises an adsorbent material and may be in the form of a pad in or on which the agent is absorbed. The use of such a carrier material allows flexibility in the size and shape of the element. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the element is packaged in a perforated flexible film such as polypropylene or polythene.

The anti-microbial element preferably comprises an indicator system, which shows the operator that the element needs to be replaced. This indicator may comprise, for example, a silica gel-based system, e. g. silica gel or silica crystals, activated by atmospheric moisture, e. g. which changes colour from blue to pink over the specified time period. Indicator systems activated by other conditions such as atmospheric oxygen, or by a slow, visible chemical reaction may also be used.

Preferably, the carrier material and the indicator system are in separate compartments of the container. Preferably, the removable cover is a film of polypropylene or polyethythene. It is typically transparent.

Preferably, the pack of the present invention is included in a dispenser, further comprising a hygiene product (such as gloves) to be dispensed. The dispenser may further comprise a holderfor the hygiene product, having an opening through which the hygiene product is dispensed; and an assembly for mounting the dispenser on a wall ; wherein the pack is disposed within the holder such that, when the cover is removed, the agent is released.

The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a pack 10 which comprises a sealed container 11 closed by a sealing member 17 which are both transparent and coextensive. The container 11 is divided into two distinct sections 12 and 13. The first section 12 accommodates a carrier material 14 into which a volatile agent is adsorbed.

The second section 13 contains an indicator system 15.

In a particular example of the present invention, silica crystals fill the section 13.

The silica crystals change colour from blue to pink as water is absorbed. This gives an indication of the effectiveness of the pack 10. In use, the pack 10 is attached to a dispenser (not shown) using an adhesive strip 16. The pack 10 is then activated by removing the sealing member 17, allowing the volatile agent to evaporate from the carrier material 14 and allowing ambient moisture to come into contact with the indicator system 15. When the silica crystals have absorbed sufficient water from the atmosphere to change colour from blue to pink it is assumed that most of the volatile agent has evaporated and the effectiveness of the pack 10 is reduced. The pack 10 can then be removed and replaced.

Figure 2 is a plan view from beneath of the pack 10 shown in Figure 1. This view shows the configuration of the container 11 and sections 12 and 13.

The utility of an antimicrobial element for use in the present invention is illustrated by the following Examples.

Example 1 Three test organisms, Escherichia coli (NCTC 8196), Staphylococcus aureus (NCTC 11939), and Salmonella typhimurium (bio1) were grown overnight in broth, and the broth was then used to inoculate a number of disposable mob caps. The mob caps were then placed inside sealed containers. An anti-microbial element of the invention was placed in one container, the other received no treatment and was the control. The containers were left at room temperature for 7 days, after which samples were removed and analysed microbiologically.

The results are summarised below. Microbial counts are expressed as total colony forming units recovered from each mob cap. The levels of each microbe were substantially reduced in the presence of the element.

E. coli S. aureus S. typhimurium (NCTC 8196) (NCTC 11939) (bio1) Control 2. 16e9 9.4e7 2.18e9 Anti-microbial element <1e3 <1e3 <1e3 Example 2 An experiment was set up to investigate the efficiency of the anti-microbial element over a shorter time period. Escherichia coli (NCTC 8196) was grown up and used to inoculate disposable mob caps as described in Example 1. These were placed in containers incorporating a control and a treatment, as described in Example 1. The containers were left at room temperature, and samples were removed daily and analysed microbiologically.

The results are summarised below. Microbial counts are expressed as total colony forming units recovered from each mob cap. In the presence of the element, microbial levels were significantly reduced after 24 hours, and by 2 days were undetectable. Control Treated 24 hour contact 1.46e9 1.2e6 2 days contact 1. 68e9 BDL 3 days contact 1. 65e9 BDL Example 3 This experiment investigated the performance of the element over 12 and 24 hours. Tests were set up using the containers employed previously.

Mob caps were inoculated with a test bacteria selected from S. aureus, S. typhimurium and E. coli, and placed in the base of each container. Duplicate samples were removed at various times and analysed microbiologically using standard methods.

One pair of caps was analysed immediately as a time zero control. The results are summarised below.

S. aureus S. typhimurium E coli T = Zero 5.12e8 5.95e8 3.6e8 5.45e8 7. 21 e8 2.94e8 T = 12 hours 9.5e5 BDL BDL 9.75e5 T = 24 hours BDL BDL BDL After 24 hours, all test bacteria were reduced to below detection limits 7-8 log drop. This shows that the insert has activity over a significantly shorter time scale than had previously been tested.

Twelve hour exposure gave results of below detection limits for both S. typhimurium and E. coli. The S. aureus proved slightly more difficult to eliminate, with a 2-3 log drop after 12 hours.

The results show the effectiveness of an element of the invention, over a period of 12 to 24 hours.