Organic edible dye mixtures for sterilization under indoor lighting conditions
A photochemistry platform that formulates mixtures of edible organic dyes to harness indoor light for generating singlet oxygen that inactivates viruses and bacteria. Dye photobleaching serves as a built-in indicator of photosensitizing activity, enabling self-monitoring sterilization for indoor environments.
Overview
This solution leverages edible organic dye mixtures as photosensitizers that absorb indoor visible light to generate singlet oxygen, a reactive species capable of inactivating viruses and bacteria. By tailoring dye combinations to match the specific spectral output of modern indoor lighting (including LEDs and light filtered through coated glass windows), the platform maximizes light harvesting and sterilizing performance in environments where UV irradiation is absent. Photobleaching of the dyes provides a visual, built-in indicator of remaining photosensitizing activity, so users can readily assess when a dye mixture needs replacement.
Technical specifications
- Photosensitized singlet oxygen generation: Edible organic dyes absorb visible light and transfer energy to molecular oxygen, producing singlet oxygen for broad-spectrum antimicrobial action.
- Indoor light spectrum optimization: Dye mixtures are formulated against characterized indoor light spectra rather than sunlight, accounting for LED sources and modern window coatings.
- Synergy and antagonism testing: Mixtures are evaluated for cooperative or competing interactions among dye components to identify optimal combinations.
- Self-indicating freshness: Photobleaching serves as a visual marker of dye degradation and remaining bactericidal effectiveness, enabling simple field assessment without specialized instrumentation.
- Edible, safe chemistry: All dyes are food-grade, supporting applications where material safety and regulatory simplicity are priorities.
Technology readiness level
The approach is at an early research stage. Prior published work has demonstrated that individual edible dyes can photosensitize singlet oxygen and exhibit bactericidal effects under visible light, primarily using sunlight as the irradiation source. The current effort extends this foundation by characterizing modern indoor light spectra and systematically formulating and testing multi-dye mixtures for synergistic performance. Planned validation includes measuring singlet oxygen yields across candidate formulations and benchmarking bactericidal efficacy under representative indoor lighting conditions.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a comprehensive public research university with a multi-campus presence across the Phoenix metropolitan area and a scale that supports interdisciplinary, use-inspired discovery. Industry partners access co-located laboratories, a research and technology park, and innovation centers that house corporate teams with faculty to speed prototyping and validation. A formal alliance with a major hospital system and proximity to a fast-growing manufacturing corridor enable clinical translation and pilot-scale testbeds, while applied student engagements create dependable talent pipelines. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD, and NASA. A dedicated technology transfer office supports IP, licensing, and startup formation.
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