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Antimicrobial Additives for paper & board

Build antimicrobial product protection into your paper and board products with Biomaster® from Addmaster. We help paper manufacturers, converters and brands assess how antimicrobial additives can be incorporated into suitable fibre-based materials and surface coatings to inhibit microbial growth on the treated product.

Whether you are developing a carton, a printed paper product or a coated board application, the starting point is the material and how it will be used. Our team can support additive selection, incorporation trials and testing, helping you develop a product that meets its specification and offers a benefit supported by evidence.

Discuss your paper or board application
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What is Antimicrobial Paper and Board

Antimicrobial paper and board are fibre-based materials treated to inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the treated material. The antimicrobial additive may be incorporated during papermaking or introduced through a suitable coating, depending on the product and the surface requiring protection.

Antibacterial paper specifically targets bacteria. Antimicrobial is a broader term that can include activity against fungi, including mould; the organisms controlled depend on the formulation and supporting test evidence. Defining the intended function helps determine the appropriate treatment and testing programme.

For manufacturers, this creates an opportunity to add a measurable feature to a familiar material. Where microbial growth contributes to unwanted odours, staining or deterioration, a suitably selected and tested treatment can help address those particular problems.

The development brief should identify the component being treated and the benefit required. Protection of a packaging surface is a separate objective from preserving the contents, which needs its own assessment and evidence.

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How Biomaster Works in Paper and Board

Biomaster uses silver-ion technology to interfere with essential functions in susceptible microbial cells. Silver ions can disrupt cell membranes, affect enzymes and energy production, and interfere with replication. Together, these actions inhibit microbial growth on the treated material.

In paper and board applications, the location of the treatment matters. An additive incorporated during papermaking and an additive included in a surface coating represent different approaches. The selected route should reflect the paper construction, manufacturing process and surface where antimicrobial activity is needed.

Printing, varnishing, laminating and other finishing steps should be included in the development brief. Test samples should represent the finished product so the surface assessed is the one that will actually be exposed during use.

Biomaster provides product protection. It does not make paper or packaging sterile and does not replace appropriate handling, storage or hygiene practices. Performance claims should describe the material and conditions that have been evaluated.

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Incorporating Antimicrobial Additives into Paper

Biomaster is available in liquid and powder formats for suitable paper applications. Addmaster can advise on the additive format, addition rate and incorporation stage for your process, with recommendations developed around the intended finished material.

During papermaking
One route is addition during the pulping stage. Share the fibre furnish, including recycled content, together with the paper grade and relevant process conditions. Trials should consider dispersion and additive retention, as well as the properties and antimicrobial performance of the finished sheet.

Through a coating
A coating provides another route for introducing antimicrobial functionality to a selected surface. Share the coating chemistry, coat weight, drying or curing conditions and any further finishing steps. The additive should be assessed within the complete coating and substrate combination.

Through trials and converting
Evaluate representative material after printing, cutting, creasing, folding or laminating, as relevant to your product. This helps the development team assess antimicrobial activity alongside appearance, strength and converting performance before progressing towards commercial production.

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Choosing an Additive for Paper or Board

An antimicrobial paper product must still perform its intended job. Its appearance, strength and ability to run through printing and converting equipment remain central to the specification. Defining these requirements early makes trials more useful and results easier to interpret.

Fibre and material construction
Identify the paper or board grade, fibre composition, grammage and thickness. Include recycled content, fillers, sizing agents and any coatings or laminates. For a multilayer product, explain which layer or face is proposed for treatment and where antimicrobial activity is required.

Appearance and printing
Consider colour, brightness, opacity, smoothness and the intended print finish. Include the inks, varnishes and other surface treatments used in production. Trial the complete construction so the printed appearance and antimicrobial performance are evaluated together.

Strength and converting
Define the properties that matter for the finished format, such as stiffness, tear resistance, fold quality and adhesive bonding. Where relevant, include moisture exposure, abrasion during handling and storage conditions. Assess treated samples against the existing specification so the added function supports a usable product.

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Applications for Antimicrobial Paper and Board

Start with a specific product and a clear reason to inhibit microbial growth on its treated surface. Addmaster can discuss the material, manufacturing route and intended use to help establish whether antimicrobial product protection would add value.

Cartons and paperboard packaging
For cartons, sleeves and dispenser packs, identify whether the outside, inside or a particular component needs treatment. Include details of the contents, expected handling and any contact requirements. Focus the development brief on the surface where the function is needed.

Printed paper products
Menus, covers, information cards and other handled printed items are application areas to discuss. Share the paper grade, print process and finishing specification, together with the intended service life. If the item is intended to be wiped clean, include that requirement in the assessment.

Specialist paper and fibre products
For liners, inserts, moulded fibre components or other specialist formats, explain the product construction and the conditions it will encounter. This helps determine whether treatment within the material or in a surface coating is worth exploring, and what the trials need to demonstrate.

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Testing Antimicrobial Performance

Testing should reflect the finished material, including its fibre composition, surface treatment, printing and converting steps. Where practical, include a matching untreated sample so the contribution of the antimicrobial treatment can be assessed.

Paper and board vary in porosity, absorbency and surface finish. Discuss these characteristics with the testing laboratory when selecting a method and preparing specimens. Sample wetting and recovery of microorganisms should be considered so the results can be interpreted appropriately.

ISO 22196 evaluates antibacterial activity on treated plastics and other non-porous product surfaces. It should not automatically be applied to absorbent paper or board. A coated construction may require a different assessment from an uncoated sheet, with the method selected for the actual surface and intended claim.

Where relevant, test after handling, abrasion, storage or cleaning representative of the proposed use. Antimicrobial performance should be assessed alongside the physical properties required for the product.

Antibacterial results do not, by themselves, establish mould resistance, prevention of odour, food preservation or longer service life. Each benefit needs suitable evidence, and laboratory results should be communicated in the context of the test conditions.

Discuss testing for your paper product
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Why Develop your Product with Addmaster

Addmaster supports manufacturers and converters from the initial application discussion through additive selection, manufacturing trials and testing. We bring technical, manufacturing, regulatory and marketing support together to help turn a material-development project into a clear product proposition.

Our starting point is your paper or board product and what it needs to achieve. We can help you consider incorporation within the material or a suitable coating, identify the next trial steps and plan how the finished construction should be evaluated.

That support also extends to product messaging and co-branding. We can help your team explain the role of the treated material and communicate benefits that reflect the evidence available and the intended market.

We provide straightforward advice on suitability. If antimicrobial treatment is unlikely to add value to your application, we will tell you.

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Antimicrobial Paper and Board FAQs

Both routes can be discussed with Addmaster. The recommendation depends on the paper grade, process and required function. Treatment during papermaking and treatment within a coating should each be assessed on representative finished samples, including any subsequent printing or converting.

Share the recycled fibre content and material specification as part of the project brief. Suitability should be assessed for the actual furnish, other additives and manufacturing conditions. Recycled content alone does not establish compatibility or the performance of the finished material.

These properties should be evaluated during trials. Check appearance and print quality alongside the strength, folding, creasing, gluing or other requirements relevant to your product. Include the intended inks, coatings and laminates in the samples used for assessment.

There is no single addition rate for every paper or coating application. Addmaster can recommend a starting point based on the formulation, incorporation route and required performance. The recommendation should be verified in representative trial material before wider production.

A food-contact proposal needs review of the complete material, the intended contact conditions and the destination markets. Include the additive, coatings, inks and other relevant components in that assessment. Antimicrobial test results alone do not establish food-contact suitability.

Reduced microbial growth on a packaging surface does not establish a preservation benefit for the contents. Any freshness or shelf-life claim requires separate evidence for the packaging system, contents and storage conditions, together with assessment of the applicable requirements.

Recyclability and compostability should be assessed separately from antimicrobial activity. They depend on the complete product, including coatings, laminates, adhesives and additives, and the relevant collection and treatment route. Fibre content alone does not demonstrate either outcome.

Claims about duration should be supported by evidence for the finished product and its expected use. Include storage, moisture exposure, handling and any intended cleaning in the assessment where relevant. A result on a new sample does not establish performance after every possible exposure.

Our Paper & Board additive technologies

  • Incorporate antimicrobial functionality into your plastic product during manufacture. Biomaster inhibits the growth of susceptible microorganisms on the treated material, with formulation advice and testing support tailored to your polymer, process and intended application.

    Performance claims should reflect evidence for the finished material. Biomaster complements normal cleaning and hygiene practices.

  • Build a discreet means of identifying genuine products into your plastic material. Verimaster uses covert markers that can be detected with specialist equipment to support product authentication and brand protection.

    Our team can help you assess the marker and detection approach for your product and verification requirements.

  • Develop an additive solution around a specific product requirement. Masterpiece brings together Addmaster’s formulation and manufacturing expertise to explore functions that standard additives may not provide.

    Share your material, production process and performance objectives so we can assess feasibility and define the next development steps.

Addmaster case studies

View our case studies
  • Panter
    • Biomaster
    Panter
    • Polymers and Plastics
    • Textiles & Fabrics
    • Food & Catering
    • Healthcare
    • Manufacturing
  • Cedo Food Preparation
    • Biomaster
    • Verimaster
    • Scentmaster
    Cedo Food Preparation
    • Flexible Films
    • Paper & Board
    • Food & Catering
    • Hospitality
    • Packaging

Find out how Addmaster can add value and performance to your products

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