Report on the 2007 Proficiency Test for the Determination of Ochratoxin A in Capsicum ssp (Paprika Powder)

摘要

A proficiency test was conducted with 68 laboratories from 17 EU Member States and four Third Countries. Test materials were one naturally contaminated "Ochratoxin A positive" and one "Ochratoxin A blank" capsicum material. The majority of laboratories chose to determine the ochratoxin A content by reverse-phase high-performance liquid-chromatography (RP-HPLC) with fluorescence detection against their own standard solutions as reference.Applying the modified Horwitz equation according to Thompson as a basis for the target standard deviation (22% in the case of this proficiency test), 79% of the laboratories achieved z scores of less than ¦2¦. The results were evaluated further on the basis of the returned questionnaire that each participant received. The questions asked were focussed on the fact that future method development, if necessary, could be supported by comparison of the methodologies and method procedures applied.