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How to easily assess analysis results?

Thursday, August 29, 2019

To make sure companies can easily assess analysis results, we would like to provide you with two points of attention for using the GMP+ Monitoring database, but also in general for using analysis results for your GMP+ FSA certification.

How to easily asses analysis results received form your laboratory.

- Ask your laboratory to report in the correct unit

Ask your laboratory to report the analysis results in the same unit as included in GMP+ BA1 Specific Feed Safety Limits. This helps you when you check the result with the applicable feed safety limits in GMP+ BA1, but also helps you comply with the requirement of the GMP+ Monitoring database to report the result in this unit. 

Example
The analysis results for Aflatoxin B1 are often seen reported in µg/kg (ppb). But as the feed safety limits for Aflatoxin B1 are stated in mg/kg (ppm), you will always need to do an unit conversion (divide by 1000) to see whether the result complies with the feed safety limit. Also the inclusion in the GMP+ Monitoring Database requires the use of mg/kg (ppm), which asks for extra attention during the input of data in the database. 

An example of a result for a feed material:

Result in µg/kg (ppb)

Result in mg/kg (ppm)

Feed safety limit in mg/kg (ppm)

15

0,015

0,02


This example shows that it is easier to ask your laboratory to report the result in the correct unit. And if you receive the result in the correct unit, it prevents mistakes in entering analysis result in the GMP+ Monitoring database as well.

- Use a method that is sensitive enough to detect exceedances of the feed safety limits

Depending on the undesirable substance, it is very common that a result of an analysis is reported with a < symbol. This means that, at least up until the reported value, the substance was not found in the sample. We noticed in the reported results in the GMP+ Monitoring Database, that the results with a < symbol, in some cases exceed the feed safety limit in GMP+ BA1. This means that the reported result cannot be used to determine whether the feed complies with the feed safety limits.

GMP+ participants are advised to always check the unit that is used in the results reported by the laboratory and check if the analysis method is sensitive enough (Limit Of Quantification must be below the feed safety limit) to measure at least below the applicable feed safety limit.

For more information about sharing analysis in GMP+ Monitoring database click here.