Methods for the Determination of Furan in Food - Outcome of a Survey Conducted among EU Food Control Laboratories

Commission Recommendation 2007/196/EC of 28 March 2007 [ ] recommends Member States to perform monitoring on the presence of furan in foodstuffs that have undergone heat treatment. The data collected will be used for a risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) at a later stage. During the discussions on the Commission Recommendation, Member States have emphasised that the analytical determination of furan remains difficult due to the volatility of this substance. In response to this, the Institute for Reference Materials which is part of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC-IRMM) conducted a survey among European food control laboratories on analytical methods applied for the determination of furan in food. The survey was conducted in order to evaluate comparability of the analysis protocols, to highlight potential pitfalls and to provide support to laboratories that are new in that field. This report summarises the information supplied by 28 laboratories, identifies common features, and issues that need special attention.JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit

Certified reference materials for pure PAHs, PCBs and dioxins

This factsheet summarises the CRMs of the JRC-IRMM for pure PAHs, PCBs and dioxinsJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel

Report of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison on the 15+1 EU Priority PAHs

The two test materials of the inter-laboratory comparison test were dispatched begin of July 2006. Each participant received two liquid smoke condensate test materials to be analysed for the 15+1 EU priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In total 28 sets of samples were sent to participating laboratories in 13 countries. Of these 28 participants 26 (93%) reported back results for at least one analyte. Both test materials contained the 15+1 EU priority PAHs. The assigned value (X) for each analyte was calculated from the participant's results applying robust statistics. The target standard deviation (sp) was calculated using the modified Horwitz equation as proposed by Thomson [1]. The resulting sp was then used in conjunction with the assigned value to derive z-scores from the participant's results.JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit

Report on the Method Performance Study of a Method to Determine Phthalates in Wine Determination of Ten Phthalates in Wine by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) organised in close collaboration with the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) a collaborative study to assess the performance of an analytical procedure for the determination of ten phthalates in wine by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The tested analytical procedure (OIV-MA-AS323-10:2013) was endorsed in June 2013 by the General Assembly of OIV and taken up in the Compendium of International Methods of Analysis of Wines and Must. The design of the method performance study complied with provisions given in ISO 5725-2. It comprised the analysis of six different wine samples as blind duplicates. Test samples consisted of red wine, white wine (both supplied by the Laboratoire de Bordeaux (SCL)), and sweet wine, which was acquired in Belgium at a local store. The wines were spiked at IRMM with the analytes to levels suggested by OIV, bottled into ampoules, and dispatched to the participants of the validation study. The participants of the study were identified by OIV. They comprised laboratories from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. The evaluation of the reported results was performed according to ISO 5725-2 and ISO 5725-4. It revealed acceptable precision of the analytical method for the determination of the analytes in most test materials. Relative standard deviations for reproducibility were within the range of…. However, significant method related bias was observed for the determination of several analytes. The application of the analytical method for the determination of phthalates in contaminated wine samples could cause underestimations of the real content by up to 60 %.JRC.D.5-Standards for Food Bioscienc

Proficiency Test on the Determination of Acrylamide in Potato Crisps

The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the European Commission¿s Joint Research Centre (JRC) was requested by the Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) to organise a proficiency test on the determination of acrylamide in potato products in 2007. The aim of this test was to support the implementation of the acrylamide monitoring Recommendation 2007/331/EC. The organisation of the study as well as the evaluation of the results was done in accordance with ¿The International Harmonised Protocol for the Proficiency Testing of Analytical Chemistry Laboratories¿. The potato crisps used for the preparation of the test material was produced in a pilot plant of the German Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food (Detmold, Germany). The study was free of charge for the participants. Altogether forty two laboratories from 16 EU Member States subscribed for participation in the study. The participants were asked to determine the acrylamide content in the test sample by application of their usual in-house analysis methods. The laboratories were requested to report the results via a web-interface into a secured databank. In total, 36 result data sets were reported to the organisers of the study. Details regarding the applied analytical methods were requested from the participants. Thirty one participants filled in and returned the questionnaire with the method details back to the organisers. An assigned value for the acrylamide content of the test material was established by an isotope dilution HPLC-MS/MS method. The target standard deviation was calculated according to a proposal of Thompson, which applies a concentration dependent modification of the Horwitz equation. The performance of laboratories was expressed by the z-score. They are considered satisfactory if the values of |z| = 2. Twelve laboratories of 36 (33.3%) reported results |z| >2. The percentage of successful laboratories is lower in comparison to previous proficiency tests organised by IRMM as well as to the last FAPAS® round. Reasons for this might be a more complex food matrix and/or the application of improper methods. However, the study showed the importance of continuous participation in proficiency testing schemes in order to achieve comparability of results.JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit

Report on the 14th inter-laboratory comparison organised by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - Four marker PAHs in food supplements

This report presents the results of the fourteenth inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) organised by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (EURL PAH) on the determination of the four EU marker PAHs, benz[a]anthracene (BAA), benzo[a]pyrene (BAP), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BBF) and chrysene (CHR), in food supplements, particularly in fish oil and spirulina powder. It was conducted under ISO Standard 17043 accreditation. The test materials used in this exercise were commercial products naturally contaminated (spirulina) or spiked with the 4 markers PAHs (fish oil). Participants also received a solution of PAHs in solvent of their choice (either toluene or acetonitrile) with disclosed content for the verification of their instrument calibration. Reference values were used to benchmark the results reported by participants. Both National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and official food control laboratories (OCLs) of the EU Member States were admitted as participants. The participants were free to choose the method of analysis. The performance of the participating laboratories in the determination of the target PAHs in test materialss was expressed by z-scores. Satisfactory performance expressed by z scores was assigned to about 83.6 % of the reported results.JRC.D.5-Standards for Food Bioscienc

Proficiency Test on the Determination of Mineral Oil in Sunflower Oil

The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the European Commission¿s Joint Research Centre (JRC) was requested by the Directorate General Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) to organise a proficiency test on the determination of mineral oil in sunflower oil. The aim of this test was to evaluate the comparability of analysis results gained by laboratories in EU and in Ukraine. The study was free of charge for the participants. The organisation of the study as well as the evaluation of the results was done in accordance with 'The International Harmonised Protocol for the Proficiency Testing of Analytical Chemistry Laboratories' and ISO 43. Altogether 62 laboratories from 19 EU Member States, Switzerland and Ukraine subscribed for participation in the study. The participants were asked to determine the mineral oil content in the test samples by application of their in-house analysis methods. In total, 55 sets of results were reported to the organisers of the study. The performance of laboratories for the oil samples was expressed by z-scores and by relative bias for the mineral oil solution in n-heptane. The percentage of successful laboratories in the determination of the mineral oil content of sunflower oil was for all sunflower oil test materials about 80 %JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit

Report on the 9th inter-laboratory comparison organised by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - Four marker PAHs in spiked olive oil

The proficiency test here reported concerned the determination of the four marker polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an olive oil test sample: benz[a]anthacene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and chrysene. Participants to these PT were National Reference Laboratories for PAHs (NRLs-PAHs) and EU official food control laboratories. The number of participants was 50. The PT was organised according to ISO Standard 17043:2010. The test material used was olive oil spiked with the target PAHs. Participants also received a solution of the PAHs either in an organic solvent for checking their instrument calibration. The results from participants were rated with z-scores and zeta-scores. About 96 % and 88 % of the results reported by NRLs and OCLs respectively were attributed with z-scores with an absolute value of below two, which is the threshold for satisfactory performance. The zeta-score ratings were worse, which indicates problems in the estimation of reliable measurement uncertainty values.JRC.D.5-Standards for Food Bioscienc

Proficiency Test on the Determination of Furan in Baby Food

The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) was requested by the Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) to organise in 2008 a proficiency test on the determination of furan in baby food. The aim of the PT was to support the implementation of Commission Recommendation 2007/196/EC. The performance of 22 laboratories participating in the study was expressed by z-scores. Sixteen out of 22 (73%) participants reported results that were rated satisfactory, corresponding to z-scores < 2.JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit