Blog

Here at Melbec, we like to stay up to date with current industry news as well as keep you up to date with our company updates, scroll down to have a look!

  • Meet Melbec: George

    Published On: December 6, 2024

    Meet Melbec: George Next in our ‘Meet Melbec’ series we would like to introduce our Senior Full Stack Engineer, George!   How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology? I originally joined Melbec during [...]

  • Regulatory Updates: Dihydroxyacetone, Benzophenone-3 and Octocrylene in cosmetic products

    Published On: November 6, 2024

    The Scientific Advisory Group on Chemical Safety in Consumer Products (SAG-CS) has recently published opinions on the safety of Dihydroxyacetone, Benzophenone-3 and Octocrylene in cosmetic products. It is expected that changes to the United Kingdom [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Helen

    Published On: October 21, 2024

    For our next 'Meet Melbec' post, please say hello to the lovely Helen!   How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology? I was looking for a change of career, saw the job/role at [...]

  • WHO Declares Mpox a Public Health Emergency

    Published On: August 15, 2024

    Mpox (previously known as Monkeypox) has been declared by the WHO as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in response to the upsurge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Chris D

    Published On: August 1, 2024

    In our next ‘Meet Melbec’ entry, we’re highlighting the wonderful Chris D! How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology? After 12 years working as a baker, at age 29, I decided I wanted [...]

  • Biocidal Efficacy Testing Against Biofilms!

    Published On: June 25, 2024

    Bacteria, fungi and yeast can exist as independent or planktonic entities, or they can attach to surfaces to form a biofilm. Biofilms are usually much harder to eradicate than their corresponding planktonic forms. At Melbec [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Chris Lord

    Published On: June 21, 2024

    In the next instalment of our ‘Meet Melbec’ series, we would love to introduce one of our hard-working technical administrators, Chris!   How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology?  After my previous company [...]

  • Melbec Now Offers Water Activity Testing

    Published On: June 13, 2024

    We are very proud to announce our new Water Activity Testing service. The purpose of the testing service is to detect the amount of unbound water in a sample. Water that is not bound to [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Amy

    Published On: June 7, 2024

    In the next in our 'Meet Melbec' series, get to know our talented Technical Administrator, Amy! How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology?  While we were locked down during the Covid-19 pandemic, I [...]

  • World Environment Day 2024!

    Published On: June 5, 2024

    From purchasing some land in the rainforests and donating it to a conservation charity, to switching to 100% renewable energy, we are proud of the efforts we’ve made over the last few years to reduce [...]

  • The CDC Confirms Two Humans Infected with H5N1 in the USA

    Published On: May 23, 2024

    The CDC has confirmed that two humans have been infected with H5N1 in the USA. Throughout April and May, two cases of mammal to human transmission of the HPAI A (H5N1) bird flu were confirmed [...]

  • Melbec Now Offer Technical Training Courses

    Published On: May 17, 2024

    Melbec Microbiology’s range of Technical Training Courses are an excellent way for customers to increase their understanding of different microbiological topics. Our courses can help your staff drive new development, research and sales, and improve [...]

  • Melbec To Offer New Hygienic Handrub Virucidal Testing Standard

    Published On: May 9, 2024

    We are proud to announce that we are offering testing to the BS EN 17430:2024 standard. This is a phase 2/step 2 test newly introduced in Europe and is notable in that the effectiveness of [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Gemma Morgan

    Published On: May 3, 2024

    In the next instalment of our ‘Meet Melbec’ series, say hello to our fantastic Technical Manager – Training and Quality, Gemma!   How did you come to work at Melbec Microbiology? I had been working [...]

  • ISS Bacteria Adapts to Thrive in Extreme Conditions

    Published On: April 26, 2024

    During the 2-year Microbial Tracking 1 mission, thirteen strains of Enterobacter bugandensis were isolated from various locations inside the International Space Station. Senior Research Scientist Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory studied how [...]

  • Sale of Wipes Containing Plastic To Be Banned Across UK

    Published On: April 23, 2024

    In response to the Defra consultation first published in October 2023 proposing the UK-wide ban of manufacturing and selling wipes containing plastic, the Government has now published an update. The press release confirms that the [...]

  • Customer Satisfaction Survey Results 2023

    Published On: April 22, 2024

    We're very happy to share with you the results of our Customer Satisfaction Survey! A huge thank you to our clients for another year of support!   Q1: How well do you feel that our company [...]

  • Melbec is UKAS Accredited For Virology Testing

    Published On: April 16, 2024

    Melbec Microbiology are proud to announce that we now offer UKAS accredited virology testing for a range of standards. Since our creation in 2013 we have continued to expand our scope of accreditations to offer [...]

  • Update on BS EN 13697:2023

    Published On: April 12, 2024

    With the ever-increasing need for effective disinfection and hygiene practices, it is crucial to stay up-to-date with the latest testing standards for disinfectants and antiseptics. At Melbec, we hold accreditation to BS EN 13697:2015+A1:2019 test [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Natalie Callaghan

    Published On: March 27, 2024

    As we mentioned early in the year we are working to highlight a member of the Melbec Team every so often in a blog post. For this 'Meet Melbec' post, we are focusing on our [...]

  • Melbec Business Case Study

    Published On: September 19, 2023

    Melbec Microbiology was set up in 2013 by Dawn Mellors, an experienced microbiologist who has spent her working life in biocidal, cosmetic, and contract laboratories. Melbec offer a complete range of testing for these markets, [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Grace Mellors

    Published On: August 23, 2023

    As we mentioned early in the year when we posted our first 'Meet Melbec' blog post about our Founder and Technical Director, Dawn Mellors, we are working to highlight a member of the Melbec Team [...]

  • Melbec Sustainability Update: In-House Neutraliser

    Published On: June 20, 2023

    Since November last year we have been on a journey to reduce the waste associated with a key element of our testing process, our in-house neutraliser. We have created this blog post to detail how [...]

  • Avian Flu – What is it and can you test against it?

    Published On: May 31, 2023

    What is Avian Flu? Avian Flu, also known as H5N1, is a type of influenza that causes a highly infectious, severe respiratory disease in birds. Human cases of Avian Flu (H5N1) occur infrequently, and it [...]

  • Candida auris

    Published On: April 13, 2023

    What is Candida auris? Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant yeast. This means that it is resistant to many antifungal antibiotics that are commonly used to treat Candida infections. Some strains are resistant to all 3 (currently [...]

  • The Melbec Difference

    Published On: March 20, 2023

    We have been out visiting clients over the past year, something that we have really missed doing during the lockdowns and restrictions, and we have loved getting to see our clients, both new and old [...]

  • 8th March – International Women’s Day 2023 – Henrietta Lacks

    Published On: March 7, 2023

    This International Women’s Day, we have decided to highlight Henrietta Lacks and the impact she has had on medical science over the past 70+ years. For those of you who might not know who Henrietta [...]

  • Microbiology Advent Calendar 2022

    Published On: February 21, 2023

    We have had a lot of great feedback from our clients about the Microbiology Advent Calendar we ran on social media in December so we have uploaded all of the images and details below for [...]

  • Customer Satisfaction Survey Results 2022

    Published On: February 21, 2023

    It's that time of year again where we have got the results back from our Customer Satisfaction Survey! We have been releasing the results to the questions we asked, one by one on social media [...]

  • Meet Melbec: Dawn Mellors

    Published On: February 6, 2023

    We will be highlighting a member of the Melbec Team every so often in a 'Meet Melbec' blog post. For our first one, we felt it was only right to start with our Founder and [...]

  • Assessment of the Impact of a Cosmetic Product on the Skin Microbiota

    Published On: January 20, 2023

    Melbec Microbiology are excited to announce a new set of testing focused on looking at how personal care and cosmetics products affect the skin microbiome. The human skin microbiota is a complex and evolving area [...]

  • UV Disinfectant Standard – BS 8628:2022

    Published On: December 8, 2022

    For many years Melbec have been testing UV machines, basing testing protocols on similar, relevant standards along with real-life scenarios of how the machine would be used. However, all labs that were testing these UV [...]

  • World Quality Week 2022 (7 – 11 November)

    Published On: November 11, 2022

    It's World Quality Week and this year's theme is "Quality conscience: doing the right thing". Along with improving the quality of our service, something we work on every day, we are keen to look at [...]

  • Our New Solar Panels have been installed!

    Published On: September 7, 2022

    Over the last couple of weeks, we have finally managed to get solar panels installed on the roof of our labs in Rossendale, Lancashire. Although we already used 100% renewable energy for both our labs [...]

  • Vegan Society certified and UKAS accredited QC and Challenge Microbiology Testing

    Published On: August 24, 2022

    Did you know that we were the first laboratory to be UKAS accredited and Vegan Society certified for both our QC / Batch release testing (ISO 21149 / ISO 16212) and our PET / Challenge [...]

  • Flexible UKAS Scope Accreditation

    Published On: August 3, 2022

    Melbec Microbiology are proud to be the only contract testing laboratory to be awarded a flexible scope of UKAS accreditation for Phase 2, Step 1 biocidal suspension tests. This means that, in addition to our [...]

  • Poliovirus: What is it? Why Was It Found in London Sewers?

    Published On: June 24, 2022

    According to several recent news articles, Poliovirus has been found in a higher-than-average number of London sewage samples, but what is it, why is it there and what can we do to be safe? What [...]

  • How Can Climate Change Negatively Impact the Skin Microbiome and Cause Skin Conditions?

    Published On: June 22, 2022

    The many variables of climate change including temperature, humidity, UV radiation, and air pollution, all influence our skin, our outermost protective barrier against such environmental factors. As well as our skin cells, the cutaneous barrier [...]

  • Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC): What is it? Should you be testing for it?

    Published On: June 7, 2022

    Burkholderia cepacia has been in the news recently as it was thought to have contaminated up to 180 bottles of hair product, causing the production company to voluntarily recall the product. What is it? Burkholderia [...]

  • Monkeypox – What is it and how can the spread be minimised?

    Published On: May 23, 2022

    Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can occur in certain animals, including humans. The monkeypox virus is an enveloped virus from the orthopoxvirus genus in the family poxviridae. The orthopoxvirus [...]

  • Antimicrobial Textile Finishes Explained

    Published On: May 10, 2022

    Antimicrobial finished on textiles have generated a lot of interest in recent years in both the medical and textiles clothing industry. Here at Melbec, we have seen the industry and demand for the appropriate micro [...]

  • Cosmetic Testing Explained

    Published On: April 10, 2022

    Testing cosmetic products is essential for anyone wanting to produce and sell cosmetics in the EU, it is required by law and applies to all; big manufacturers and small or independent brands. Products must be [...]

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