£265.00 Volume discounts available
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| Product Code | Proficiency Test | Matrix | Approx. Size |
|---|---|---|---|
|
FCMO1-MRP68
|
17277 |
Ham (Cured) |
55 g |
Ochratoxin A
This proficiency test is not currently within scope of ISO 17043 accreditation.
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi on agricultural commodities in the field or during storage. It is estimated at 25% of the world's food crops are affected, resulting in large commercial losses. Mycotoxins can cause serious health problems (including some being suspected carcinogens) and so are tightly regulated across the world. Mycotoxin contamination is the largest cause of rapid alerts raised against imported food products. Fapas has introduced multi-mycotoxin proficiency tests as well as those for emerging mycotoxins.
(information needed for ham): Dry-cured ham is a popular traditional foodstuff in various regions of the world. The hams are processed from the hind legs of pigs over several months to years.
Though dry-cured hams are popular with consumers, there is concern about their quality and safety. During the fermentation and ripening stages, various microorganisms can colonize the surface of the hams as a suitable microbial culture medium under proper, controlled environmental conditions. Some microorganisms benefit the flavour or antioxidant and protective functions, whereas others could cause detrimental effects, such as undesirable odours/flavours, spoilage, and possible mycotoxin contamination. Therefore, the fermentation and ripening process for dry-cured hams could provide an exposure pathway for mycotoxin hazards including Ochratoxin A (OTA). It is also thought that contamination of foods of animal origin could result from OTA contaminated feed that livestock may consume.
Therefore, meat products, including dry-cured hams require strict quality controls to ensure consumer safety. Additional monitoring on the presence of ochratoxin A in some foodstuffs been deemed appropriate.
Proficiency testing can be used to improve your overall testing capability, from which you can highlight any areas of improvement within your current testing practices to determine how best to improve your routine analysis. Fapas real food matrices make this decision much easier by allowing direct comparisons between your proficiency testing activities and routine analysis. This can lead to faster, more concise improvements being taken within your overall testing capabilities.
