New MicroVal expert laboratories
University of Hannover, Germany and Qlip, The Netherlands, have both been recently approved as MicroVal Expert Laboratory.
MicroVal validates and certifies rapid test methods in accordance with ISO 16140, and with that fulfilling EU Legislation:...
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Rapid microbiological methods for food safety testing
In International Food Hygiene, Volume 22 number 7, there is an article regarding the importance of validated rapid tests, with input from the MicroVal secretariat. With thanks to Mr D. Blunden and Ms N. Zegers you may read the article on MicroVal as published online as well.
Observations from the 3rd MicroVal Symposium
The 3rd MicroVal symposium, with the title ‘Five years of validation Past and Future’ was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 15 March 2012. The symposium was attended by key-players from all areas in the food industry from Europe, North-America, Africa and Asia.
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Deadline early registration MicroVal symposium extended
The deadline for early registration at a discount for the 3rd International MicroVal Symposium and MicroVal Workshop is extended to Monday, 16 January 2012.
The symposium is being held on Thursday, 15 March 2012, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The workshop is being held on Friday, 16 March 2012.
Detailed information about the symposium and workshop can be found at the webpages of the 3rd International MicroVal symposium.
Registration at a discount rate is open until 16 January 2012.
MicroVal certificate issued to CASA® method of AES Chemunex
CASA® (Campylobacter Selective Agar) method for Campylobacter spp enumeration in meat and poultry products and in environmental samples has been validated and certified by MicroVal.
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GreenLight™ TVC method certified by MicroVal
The GreenLight™ TVC method by Luxcel Biosciences Ltd for the enumeration of bacteria in raw meat and poultry has been validated and certified by MicroVal.
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3rd International MicroVal Symposium
The 3rd International MicroVal Symposium will be held on Thursday, 15 March 2012 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Please mark this date in your calendar. We would be honored to welcome you at the symposium.
The title of the Symposium is: Five years of MicroVal Validations: past and future. The symposium is interesting for manufacturers of proprietary microbiological methods, food producers, food safety quality laboratories, validation services laboratories, authorities, inspection and certification bodies, and lecturers. During the symposium you will have excellent opportunities to network, to learn from experiences with validation studies, to interact with colleagues in the field, to find new customers to your products and services, or to promote your company. You may find additional information at our relevant webpages.
Registration is now open. Registration at a discount rate is open until 15 December 2011.
MicroVal Workshop
Adjacent to the 3rd MicroVal Symposium, we are planning to give a MicroVal Workshop in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on Friday, 16 March 2012.
During the workshop you will learn about the details of the standard EN-ISO 16140:2003, The MicroVal Rules, and The MicroVal Technical Protocol with a guide for a validation study plan and statistical calculations. You will also learn what the requirements are to become certified by both MicroVal and AOAC (USA) with only one harmonized validation study.
This workshop is in particular interesting for manufacturers who want to get a MicroVal certificate for their products. A MicroVal certificate will give access to the European food safety testing market. You will learn what is required to become certified. Also for independent service laboratories who want to become a MicroVal Expert Laboratory to conduct validations studies this workshop will be of interest. You may find additional information at our relevant webpages
The workshop is open to MicroVal symposium attendees at a reduced price or can be attended as a stand-alone event. Registration is now open. Registration at a discount rate is open until 15 December 2011.
MicroVal presented at the AOAC Annual meeting in New Orleans
The AOAC, the American Organization of Analytical Communities, is an organization for the validation and certification of analytical methods. MicroVal and AOAC perform combined validation studies for the validation of proprietary microbiological methods. AOAC organized their 125th Annual Meeting from 18-21 September in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. During the meeting 26 scientific sessions were held.
Netty Zegers from the MicroVal secretariat delivered a presentation in the session “Methods Harmonization – Current Global Validation Schemes”. The presentation can be found here.
MicroVal certificate for Congen Biotechnologie GmbH
On 26 August 2011 MicroVal certificate RQA2008LR43 was issued to Congen Biotechnologie GmbH for its Surefood PATHOGEN Salmonella PLUS kit to detect Salmonella spp in food and feeding stuffs.
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MicroVal certificate for Biotest AG
On 26 August 2011 MicroVal certificate RQA2008LR22 was issued to Biotest AG for their Biotest MMB Salmonella Prep and MMB Salmonella V, R, LC Kits to detect Salmonella spp in food and feeding stuffs.
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MicroVal certificate for Hyserve
Hyserve received on 26 August 2011 a MicroVal certificate RQA2008LR10 for its Compact Dry YM test for the enumeration of yeasts and moulds in food.
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19th MicroVal certificate
On 23 June 2011 the 19th MicroVal certificate # 2010LR35 was issued to bioMérieux for their ‘ChromID™ Lmono Agar (LMO-F)’ kit for Listeria monocytogenes enumeration.
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New MicroVal certificates
In May 2011 two new MicroVal certificates were granted:
- the 17th MicroVal # 2007-LR07 certificate was issued for the TBX plate count method for enumeration of Escherichia coli in bivalve molluscs to the Dutch “Productschap Vis”.
Read more. - the 18th MicroVal # 2008-LR14 certificate was issued for the Compact Dry X-SA medium for the enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus to HyServe GmbH & Co. KG. The Method Comparison Validation Study was performed in collaboration with AOAC for a PTM certificate.
Read more.
The validation studies were performed based on ISO16140:2003.
IAFP European Symposium
From 18 - 20 May 2011 IAFP's European Symposium on Food Safety will be held in Ede, The Netherlands.
MicroVal will be present with an exhibition stand. A representation of MicroVal Certification Bodies, Lloyd's QA and IsaCert, the MicroVal Expert Laboratories, RIVM, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, ADRIA Developpement, Campden BRI and Qlaboratories and the MicroVal Secretariat (NEN) will be available to give information on the validation and certification process.
New MicroVal Certification Body
MicroVal is a European organization for the validation and certification of alternative methods for the microbiological analysis of food and beverages. The EN-ISO 16140 - Protocol for the validation of the alternative methods forms the basis for the European certification of alternative methods, thus fulfilling European legislation.
Recently ISACert bv has been accepted as MicroVal Certification Body in addition to Lloyd's Register QA. By signing a Multilateral Recognition Agreement, both Certification Bodies will officially form the MicroVal Certification Body (MCB)-group.
New MicroVal certificate!
Recently a new MicroVal certificate was granted for the validation of Oxoid Brilliance(tm) CampyCount Agar (BCCA) which is a newly developed defined medium for the selective enumeration of thermotolerant Campylobacter species, in particular C. jejuni and C. coli, in poultry products. After micro-aerobic incubation for 48 hours at 41.5 C, characteristic campylobacters appear as red colonies on the clear agar background.
The validation has been carried out by the MicroVal Expert laboratory RIKILT, Netherlands. The MicroVal Certification Body is Lloyd's Register QA (UK/NL) and the method reviewers were ir. Henk Stegeman (NL) and Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK).
The certificate can be downloaded at validated methods (Campylobacter).
Joint MicroVal / AOAC RI second validation study
Recently the testkit
Hyserve, Compact Dry X-SA - Enumeration Staphylococcus aureus
has been evaluated:
- For AOAC RI: this test kit is approved as Performance Tested MethodsSM.
- For MicroVal: only the Method Comparison study has successfully been completed.
For more details, see the AOAC/MicroVal.
USA MicroVal Expert Laboratory
Q Laboratories, Inc had requested to become a MicroVal approved laboratory. Since July 2010 MicroVal has agreed to add QLaboratories to the list of MicroVal approved Expert labs that could be chosen by manufactures for MicroVal validations. Q Laboratories is the first MV Expert laboratory from the USA.
For more information about MicroVal approved labs, visit the list of approved labs.
FOODMICRO 2010
From 30 August - 2 September 2010 the 22nd International ICFMH Symposium `Microbial Behaviour in the Food Chain.' will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
MicroVal will be represented with an exhibition stand which is shared by the MicroVal Certification Body, Lloyd's QA, the MicroVal Expert Laboratories Campden BRI, RIVM, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, ADRIA Developpement and the MicroVal Secretariat (NEN).
Updated joint MicroVal / AOAC RI validation studies
Recently the testkit Greenlight(tm) Model 960 from Luxcel Biosciences Ltd. has been evaluated:
- For AOAC RI: this test kit is approved as Performance Tested MethodsSM.
- For MicroVal: only the Method Comparison study has successfully been completed.
For more details, see the AOAC/MicroVal.
15th MicroVal certificate granted!
Recently four new MicroVal certificates have been granted. The following validations according to EN ISO 16140 have been approved by MicroVal:
- foodproof® Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) Detection Kit, Hybridization Probes (Kit R310 15 for LightCycler 2,0 and 480) for detection of Enterobacteriaceae (MicroVal certificate LR08) and Cronobacter spp (MicroVal certificate LR09)
- foodproof® Enterobacteriaceae plus E. sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) Detection Kit, (Kit R 302 15, 5'Nuclease )for detection of Enterboacteriaceae (MicroVal certificate LR19) and Cronobacter spp (MicroVal certificate LR20)
The validated methods are real-time PCR-based systems for the qualitative detection of Enterobacteriaceae DNA including the simultaneous identification of Cronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii)
The validation has been carried out by the MicroVal Expert laboratory RIKILT, NL. The MicroVal Certification Body is Lloyd's Register QA (NL) and the method reviewers were ir. Henk Stegeman (NL) and Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK). The certificates can be downloaded at validated methods.
Rules updated
The MicroVal Rules and Certification Scheme is recently modified and published. The new version is version 6, June 2010. In this new version an update has been made to amongst others the new flowchart certification process, update requirements Expert labs, Time table for MV validation and certification, certificate of compliance (now 2 parts for quantiative and qualitative methods).
The latest updates to the MicroVal Rules and Certification Scheme have been made available. They can be found under Rules & Standards or downloaded directly, here.
New MicroVal Certificate
BioControl Systems, Inc SimPlate Yeast & Mold Color Indicator method
SimPlate Yeast and Mold Color Indicator (Y&M-CI) method is used for the detection and quantification of yeast and mold in foods. It is based on Binary Detection Technology (BDT) which equates the presence of yeast and mold to the presence of a colour change in the medium.
The SimPlate Y&M-CI was already granted the AOAC Official Method. Therefore MicroVal decided for this testkit to become MicroVal approved by only performing the Method comparison study method according to the MV Rules and Certification Scheme, version 5. The results of the AOAC interlab study (reference method ISO 21527-1) are considered as comparable to the interlaboratory study that has to be performed by EN ISO 16140.
The validation has been carried out by the MicroVal Expert laboratory ADRIA Developpement, France. The MicroVal Certification Body is Lloyd's Register QA (NL) and the method reviewers were ir. Henk Stegeman (NL) and Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK).
The certificate can be downloaded.
10th MicroVal certificate granted!
bioMérieux CampyFood agar method for Campylobacter spp. enumeration.
CampyFood is a ready-to-use culture medium, CampyFood Broth (CFB) for the detection and enumeration of Campylobacter spp. Two broths can be used for the primary sample dilutions: the CampyFood broth and peptone water.
The validation has been carried out by the MicroVal Expert laboratory ADRIA Developpement, France. The MicroVal Certification Body is Lloyd's Register QA (NL) and the method reviewers were ir. Henk Stegeman (NL) and Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK).
The certificate can be downloaded.
BioControl Systems, Inc SimPlate Total Plate Count Color Indicator.
SimPlate Total Plate Count Color Indicator (TPC-CI) method is used for the detection and quantification of total aerobic micro-organism populations. It is based on binary detection technology (BDT) which equates the presence of total aerobic micro-organisms to the presence of a colour change in the medium.
The SimPlate TPC was already granted the AOAC Official Method. Therefore MicroVal decided for this testkit to become MicroVal approved by only performing the MC study method according to the MV Rules and Certification Scheme, version 5. The results of the AOAC interlab study (reference method ISO 4833) are considered as comparable to the interlaboratory study that has to be performed by ISO 16140.
The validation has been carried out by the MicroVal Expert laboratory ADRIA Developpement, France. The MicroVal Certification Body is Lloyd's Register QA (NL) and the method reviewers were ir. Henk Stegeman (NL) and Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK).
The certificate can be downloaded.
New MicroVal Certificate
Last week a new MicroVal certificate was granted for the validation of Oxoid Brilliance(TM) Staph 24 Agar. Oxoid Brilliance Staph 24 Agar is a new medium for the enumeration of coagulase positive staphylococci from foods within 24 hours incubation at 37C. The chromogenic medium is designed as an improved alternative to Baird Parker Egg Yolk Tellurite medium as referred to in ISO 6888-1 for the enumeration of coagulase positive staphylococci.
The validation has been carried out by the MicroVal Expert laboratory LFMFP-UGent, Belgium. The MicroVal Certification Body is Lloyd's Register QA (NL) and the method reviewers were ir. Henk Stegeman (NL) and Dr. Jo Klaessens (NL).
The certificate can be downloaded.
New MicroVal Certificate
This week a new MicroVal certificate was granted. The certificate for the RIDASCREEN® Salmonella of R-Biopharm AG has been issued based upon Annex A of EN ISO 16140, Specific rules for the acceptance of external results already obtained in a prior validation scheme. The certificate is based upon a study performed by by Institut Scientifique d'Hygiène & d'Analyse (ISHA) in 2008. The MicroVal Certification Body was Lloyd's Register QA (UK / NL) and the method reviewers were Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK) and ir. Henk Stegeman (NL). The certificate can be downloaded.
Combined validation MicroVal / AOAC
This year the first combined validation studies for MicroVal are being developed.The first result is expected at the MicroVal symposium. During this symposium Chris Baylis, Campden BRI, a MicroVal Expert Laboratory, will give a presentation about the status and experience with the combined validation AOAC/MicroVal and MicroVal/NordVal. For more information see Combined validations. Furthermore Scott Coates, managing director AOAC RI and Sven Qvist, chairman of NordVal will give an update on the harmonized cooperative validations.
MicroVal 2nd International Symposium
Updates to our symposium website include:
New MicroVal Certificate!
Last week a new MicroVal certificate was granted. The validation of Nestec Laboratory Instruction LI-00.713-5 for the detection of Salmonella has been carried out by RIKILT Institute of Food Safety, Wageningen UR. This is a routine method for the detection of Salmonella in raw materials, environmental, line and finished product samples. It is based on ISO 6579:2002 but contains some major simplifications and modifications.
The MicroVal Certification Body was Lloyd's Register QA (NL) and the method reviewers were Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK) and ir. Henk Stegeman (NL).
The certificate can be downloaded.
Registration MicroVal Symposium started
Registration for the MicroVal Symposium 2009 has started. Visit the Symposium website for details.
2nd MicroVal symposium
MicroVal is organising its 2nd symposium. This MicroVal
symposium will be held on Thursday 12 November 2009
in Amsterdam.
Please keep this date in your dairy, more details will follow soon. If you
need more information please contact the MicroVal secretariat: tel. +31 15
2690 112 or extension 369.
4 New MicroVal Certificates!
Last year the first MicroVal certificate has been granted. Today we can announce that recently four new MicroVal certificates have been granted. The following validations according to EN ISO 16140 have been approved by MicroVal:
- Compact Dry ETB for enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae
- Compact Dry CF for enumeration of Coliforms
- Compact Dry EC for enumeration of Coliforms
- Compact Dry EC for enumeration of E.coli
Details:
- Supplier for these test kits is Hyserve GmbH & Co
- Manufacturer: Nissui Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd
- MicroVal Expert Laboratory: CCFRA (UK)
- MicroVal Certification Body: Lloyd's Register QA (NL)
- MicroVal method reviewers: Prof. Basil Jarvis (UK) and Henk Stegeman (NL)
Status of other MicroVal Validations
The next 6 MicroVal validations are being performed; 3 validations are in progress with the MicroVal Expert Laboratory CCFRA (UK) and 3 by MicroVal Expert Laboratory RIKILT, Institute of Food Safety (WUR) (NL). Two contracts are nearly closing and we are in discussion with several other manufacturers.
Report Validation Studies
The validation reports can be downloaded see Validated methods.
Belgium Approval of MicroVal Certificate
The supplier of the Compact Dry TC, the first MicroVal certificate, has been forwarded to the Belgium authorities for approval. By the end of 2007 the MicroVal approved testkit was approved and added to the list of approved FAVV methods.
Information and Application form
If you need more information you can contact the MicroVal secretariat (microval@nen.nl) or in case of a MicroVal application please download the MicroVal application form.
FOODMICRO 2008
Beginning of September 2008 the 21st International ICFMH Symposium 'Evoling Microbial Food Quality and Safety' will be held in Aberdeen. NordVal is chairing a parallel session 'Validation of alternative methods – why and how'. The purpose is to give an update of the present situation on validation, legislation, etc. in Europe. The session will be held 2 September 2008.
NordVal invited the MicroVal secretariat to give a presentation about the status of MicroVal.
Furthermore MicroVal will also be represented with an exhibition stand which is shared by the MicroVal Certification Body, Lloyd's QA, the MicroVal Expert Laboratories CCFRA and RIKILT, Institute of Food Safety (WUR) and the MicroVal Secretariat (NEN).
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