HOCl reacts with everything. It's totally non-discriminatory. It doesn't matter what the nature of the structure is. It reacts with biomolecules, lipids, and carbohydrates. So anything you add to it potentially is going to react with it. And that turns out to be the case for a lot of commonplace odors and perfumes and tastes. 

 

It isn't absolute. That is, you can add tiny amounts of some flavors and not have a bad effect on the lifespan of HOCl in the bottle. We've seen that. It's just that you have to find a nice balance.

 

We’ve seen that a tiny amount of menthol or peppermint gives a more pleasant mouth feel, but doesn't end up consuming the HOCl. I think that there are ways to get to just the right amount of some of those flavors that would make it taste better. But it's delicate. 

 

There’s not a lot of HOCl there at 100 parts per million. It's very easily drowned out by a flavor like peppermint, so too much consumes the HOCl and then you're not getting any benefits.

​

-- Jeffrey F. Williams, PhD, BVSc, MRCVS, microbiologist and infectious disease expert, has devoted his career to researching, inventing and bringing to market solutions that have improved the lives and health of people all over the world. 

 

-- Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University (Emeritus)

 

-- Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

 

-- Holder of 30+ patents covering water treatment, disease control, odor control

 

-- Author of 200+ scientific papers and textbook chapters

 

-- Member of the Board of Counselors, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health (1984-88)

 

-- ​Chairman of a World Health Organization research committee on tropical diseases (based in Geneva) (1985-1989)

 

-- Chief Science Officer, HOCL producer that is world leader in hypochlorous acid technology and manufacturing (2014-2024)