The Fifth International Proficiency Testing Conference
Timisoara, Romania (16th – 18th, September 2015)
The Fifth International Proficiency Testing Conference took place in Timisoara (Romania)
from 16th September to 18th September 2015.
110 participants from 27 countries were present:
Proficiency Testing Providers, accreditation body, laboratories, …
ASA participated to this conference and
Leïla ALI MANDJEE presented an oral communication
“
Development of a gelified matrix, support for proficiency testing schemes in food microbiology”.
Click on picture to download the presentation
After an introduction of ASA and
its interlaboratory comparison RAEMA, that has been well established since 1988;
the presentation focused on the work on gelified matrix especially for two microorganisms,
Bacillus cereus and Lactic Acid Bacteria. At first, the experimental design was described,
then the results were shown. According to ISO 17043, the requirements of homogeneity and stability
were reached and ASA has been able to create since 2010, two Proficiency Testing schemes per year,
named supplementary RAEMA. Since July 2015, ASA has been accreditated by
Cofrac, according to
ISO 17043,
to organize and supply
supplementary RAEMA for the two parameters:
enumeration of
Bacillus cereus and
Lactic Acid Bacteria.
These two parameters have increased the scope of Cofrac accreditation of ASA.
(accreditation n°1-1836
available here )
Several oral communications and posters were presented on different field of proficiency testing schemes:
water chemistry, clinical microbiology, pesticides, cement industry, data analysis, …
Two
training courses were organized during the conference.
The first one, coordinated by
Mrs Steluta DUTA, was related to the
use of reference materials
and
certified reference materials, according to
ISO Guide 35.
The second one was moderated by
M. Piotr ROBOUCH and
M. Daniel W. THOLEN and focused
on the new version of the standard “
ISO 13528: 2015 – Statistical methods for use in
proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparisons”. The main changes were listed,
as well as the axis of development. The statistical methods must be linked to the objectives
fixed by providers for their Proficiency Testing scheme. More information must be provided to participants
such as
uncertainty. Its significance increase and the zeta-score, which includes this parameter,
can be considered as an educational tool. This must be highlighted by proficiency testing providers.
A presentation of “
Bootstrap” completed this training course. This statistical method is based on an estimation
of an estimator by resampling the original sample. It makes the calcul of assigned values, standard deviation,
uncertainty possible in every conditions (bimodal and asymetric distribution).
Then,
working groups promoted exchanges between participants and experts.
After the opening ceremony,
Mrs Virginia Graziela GUSLICOV, president of the steering committee,
closed this 5th International Proficiency Testing Conference. The members of steering committee,
organization, experts and participants were all thanked.
