Development of Proficiency Testing Providing for Food Microbiological Testing Laboratory
Keywords:
Proficiency Testing, Microbiology, Laboratory evaluationAbstract
Microbiological Proficiency testing (PT) is an external assessment of the performance of microbiological laboratories. It is also a tool for the quality system development. Many laboratories participated in the expensive PT schemes organized from abroad due to the lack of local PT provider. The few local providers existing in Thailand do not cover all necessary test items in food microbiological testing. In order to increase the capability of the Department of Medical Sciences in strengthening the performance of food testing laboratories in Thailand as well as to help laboratories improve their quality and reduce the cost of using the PT provider from abroad, in 2011, the Bureau of Quality and Safety of food (BQSF) launched the project on food microbiological PT. At the initial phase, test materials for Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus were prepared and sent to 16 food analysis laboratories of DMSc to analyze and submit the result within the established timeframe. The results confirmed that the prepared test materials were appropriate and could be used as PT microbiological samples. Therefore, the PT schemes were operated to service other government and private laboratories. In 2012, two PT schemes were provided for 2 rounds with two test items on Salmonella spp. and S. aureus, and with 109 laboratories participating. In 2013, the scope of service extended to include the 2 new tests of L. monocytogenes, and total plate count, and each test was for one round. The total of participants were 177. In 2014, the PT schemes for B. cereus, coliforms and E. coli were introduced and the total schemes become 7 with 356 participants. The number of participating laboratories increased continuously from 2012 to 2014, (27, 44 and 51 laboratories per round, respectively). In early 2015, all PT schemes were ISO/IEC 17043: 2010 accredited. In conclusion, the development of the PT schemes in microbiological testing of food at the BQSF has facilitated the improvement and development of testing laboratory quality in many laboratories in Thailand and reduced the cost from participation with PTP in foreign countries.
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