BS EN ISO 19036:2019

What is ISO 19036-Estimation of measurement uncertainty in microbiology of the food chain about?

ISO 19036 discusses the microbiology of the food chain. ISO 19036 is an international standard for estimation of measurement uncertainty for the quantitative determinations in microbiology of food chains that help in risk assessment and decision making.

ISO 19036 specifies requirements and gives guidance for the estimation and expression of measurement uncertainty (MU) associated with quantitative results in microbiology of the food chain.

ISO 19036 applies to the quantitative analysis of:

• Products intended for human consumption or the feeding of animals
• Environmental samples in food production and food handling
• Samples at the stage of primary production
• Most probable number (MPN) techniques
• Instrumental methods, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and flow cytometry
• Molecular methods, such as methods based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)

Note: The uncertainty estimated by ISO 19036 does not include systematic effects (bias).

Who is ISO 19036-Estimation of measurement uncertainty in microbiology of the food chain?

ISO 19036 on the estimation of measurement uncertainty in microbiology of the food chain is useful for:

• Food scientists
• Microbiologists
• Food laboratories
• Food technologists

Why should you use ISO 19036-Estimation of measurement uncertainty in microbiology of food chain?

The term “measurement uncertainty” (MU) is used to denote the lack of accuracy (trueness and precision) that can be associated with the results of an analysis. In the context of quantitative microbiology, it indicates the degree of confidence that can be placed on laboratory estimates of microbial numbers in foods or other materials.

ISO 19036 provides you with the general considerations, technical uncertainties, matrix uncertainties, distributional uncertainties, combined and expanded uncertainty for estimation of measurement uncertainty for the quantitative determination in microbiology of the food chain.

ISO 19036 assists in decision-making and enables you to enhance the quality of products.

What is changed since the last update?

BS EN ISO 19036:2019 supersedes ISO/TS 19036:2006, which is withdrawn. The main changes with respect to the previous edition are:

• Provision has been made for the estimation of technical uncertainty, and other relevant sources of uncertainty involved in quantitative microbiological tests
• The experimental design for the estimation of intralaboratory reproducibility standard deviation in connection with the technical uncertainty is now the same as the design for the verification of quantitative methods
• Worked examples have been added to illustrate ways in which uncertainty estimates should be generated and reported
• Annexes have been added to provide details of some of the important, or alternative, procedures and issues associated with uncertainty estimation