Evaluation of Anti-fungal Formulations for Use on External Walls

Chamco International Ltd. specialises in anti-bacterial and anti-fungal sanitising products. With over 30 years of experience in both food safety and chemical manufacturing, Chamco offers end-to-end solutions for manufacturers, retailers, and individual clients. Chamco products are 100% natural and biodegradable and contain no alcohol or harsh chemicals. They are environmentally safe, eco-friendly, and ideal for use in the home, healthcare, farming, and manufacturing applications.

Chamco contacted MiCRA Biodiagnostics for assistance with R&D in the area of natural product biocide development. The company wished to study the composition and efficacy of innovative formulations for the control of fungal and algal discoloration, as commonly found on the exterior walls of residential dwelling houses, commercial buildings, and infrastructure.

MiCRA researchers met with Chamco and set out a plan of work initially to be carried out with funding assistance under the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher programme. The partnership scoped out a challenging, time-constrained project that involved in-field work, microscopic & spectroscopic sample analysis, and efficacy studies of Chamco’s biocide formulations.

The project was delivered by MiCRA scientists and made possible by the use of high-end scientific facilities & equipment; such as microbiology-cell culture labs, fluorescence microscopes, and UV-vis spectroscopic instrumentation – as available on-campus at TU Dublin. The project exceeded its objectives and has since led to exciting research and development of natural product algaecides.

We were blown away by the level of research expertise and capability, as made readily available to us, during this project. We could never ourselves have delivered this project in-house – not economically and certainly not in the time available – given the need for access to high-end analytical equipment and specialist expertise. This was a real eye-opener and we are more than delighted to continue this research collaboration and to commend the excellent work of the MiCRA team.

Brendan Chambers
Managing Director, Chamco Ltd.