Quality Assurance by Means Laboratory Proficiency Testing. A practical Case of Wheat Flour Proficiency Testing

摘要

Due to the development of technical methods that are used in laboratories, but also due to the increased importance given to the laboratory tests, the quality assurance concept becomes more prominent. There are several ways in which quality assurance can be handled: reproducibility tests, use of reference materials, calibrations, multiple determinations using a different technical method. In the recent years, the proficiency testing has been used more and more as a method for proving results' quality assurance. That is because mainly because the communication infrastructure, data processing capabilities increased. Proficiency testing rounds are organized by specialized entities for a wide variety of purposes: starting from for-profit activities to scientific research. In order to increase the credibility of the proficiency test, the organizing entity should have the proficiency testing round organized and implemented according to EN ISO 17043:2010. This paper introduces the concept of quality assurance by means of proficiency testing and metrological traceability in a proficiency testing round for food industry labs.