Quality and reliability in mycotoxin measurement

抄録

The quality and reliability of the analytical results which should estimate as close as possible the “true value” of any mycotoxin contamination depend of several factors. The availability and reliability of analytical procedures used to estimate that value are more and more considered before any value or maximal limit in any legislation is developed. It is now considered that validated methods and/or standards validated through inter laboratory studies organised by recognised organisations are the most reliable analytical procedures. The quality and reliability of the analytical results depend not only of the performance on the methodology but also on the performance of the laboratory. Analytical laboratories involved in official programmes focused on mycotoxin occurrence may be assumed to be “in control”. The current recommendations indicate that such laboratories should be formally accredited, participate in proficiency testing schemes, use internal quality control procedures and use appropriately validated methods of analysis. The way of expressing results by the analysts is very important also. More and more countries or regulation bodies are recommending that the “recovery factor” should be considered and consequently included in the expression of results as “estimated value”. Analytical results actually take more and more the form “a±2u” where “a” is the best estimate of the true value and “u” is known as the “standard measurement uncertainty”. The measurement uncertainty takes into account both the “trueness” (average departure from a true value) and the “precision” (the degree to which successive results agree with each other).