Patent ID: 7465469

Claim:
A microbiocidal aqueous formulation, comprising: an aqueous formulation consisting of: (i) at least one essential oil component or derivative thereof present in a microbiocidal effective amount, the derivative thereof being obtained by exposure to light or by oxidation or a mixture thereof; (ii) at least one stabilizer selected from the group consisting of: (a) an antioxidant, selected from the group consisting of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) isoascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, β-carotene, or mixtures thereof; and (b) an encapsulating agent selected from the group consisting of cornstarch, maltodextrin, silica gel, β-cyclodextrin, casein, chitosan and mixtures thereof; (iii) an aqueous solvent; and (iv) optionally an additional biocide, wherein the microbiocidal aqueous formulation does not comprise ethanol; and wherein when the at least one essential oil component or derivative thereof comprises citral, the citral is present at a concentration of from about 0.1% to about 1% v/v.