NMKL arranges a course on digitalisation of the laboratory in Sigtuna, Sweden, on 29 August 2018. The language is English.

Digitalisation provides opportunities for increased quality assurance and smoother data management. However, the process of digitalisation is complicated and systems that do not match expectations are not uncommon. At the seminar, some marketable systems are presented by company representatives. As development progresses rapidly, visions on near-future systems will also be presented.

In the afternoon, representatives from different laboratories will tell about their experiences with digitalising their own lab - what went well and what could have been better? We will also get some tips on what to consider and how to get started. Which are the lowest hanging fruits?

This seminar addresses you who work with improvement of the laboratory, both from a quality assurance and an efficiency perspective.

To see the programme and register for the seminar (deadline:15 June) click here.

NordVal International receives many applications and, consequently, regularly seeks members to its technical committee. If you are interested in contributing to its work, ref. below-mentioned description of functions, please contact the NMKL secretariat. To see description of functions please click here

NMKL method No. 202, "Methylmercury: determination by isotope dilution GC-ICPMS in foodstuffs", describes the quantitative determination of mono-methylmercury (MMHg) (10-5000 µg/kg dry weight) in mainly marine biota samples. The principle of the method is that the sample is spiked with an appropriate amount of Hg isotope-enriched MMHg and extracted. After derivatisation the sample is analysed using GC-ICPMS. The GC separates the different mercury species before MMHg is atomised and ionised in the high temperature of the ICP. The ions are extracted from the plasma, and in a mass spectrometer the ions are separated by their mass/charge ratio.

A new NordVal International certificate has been issued for Compact Dry YM RAPID from HyServe. Compact Dry are ready-to-use dry media sheets comprising culture medium and a cold-soluble gelling agent. The Compact Dry YM Rapid method contains chromogenic medium and selective agents for the detection and enumeration of yeasts and moulds after 3 days of incubation. Further information is given in the certificate. A validation of Compact Dry YM RAPID has been performed according to the NordVal validation protocol No. 1 and ISO16140-2. The performance of Compact Dry YM RAPID was compared against the reference method ISO 21527-1:2008. The results obtained document that Compact Dry YM RAPID provides equivalent results to the reference method in a broad range of foods with an aw of >0.95. Like the reference method, it is not intended for mould spores or for heat resistant mould species. See the certificate here.

NordVal International Certificate 037 issued to Bio-Rad for "iQ-Check® Listeria monocytogenes II" has been renewed. The method describes sample preparation according to one of three protocols followed by real-time PCR using florescent probes. An extension study has been performed to ensure compliance with ISO 16140-2 and NordVal validation protocol No. 1. By reviewing the results, NordVal International concludes, that "iQ-Check® Listeria monocytogenes II" for detecting Listeria monocytogenes provides results equivalent to the results from the reference method when applied for detection in a broad range of foods and environmental samples. See the certificate here.

New Nordval Certificate 049 issued to BioRad for RAPID´Staph. RAPID’Staph is based on enumeration on an optimised Baird-Parker formula for enumeration of S. aureus in 24 h at 37° C. Some Staphylococcus coagulase positive strains can give colonies with a small or no halo after 24 hours of incubation. An additional incubation of 24 hours could be necessary to see the halo. RAPID´Staph is applicable for a broad range of foods. The validation is performed according to ISO 16140-2 and NordVal Validation Protocol 1. See the certificate here.

NMKL Method 183 describes the sensory quality control method for drinking water. The Finnish / English version of the method has been updated and now includes also test setup and parameters for the appearance of drinking water. Furthermore, the references have been updated. Update of the Norwegian / English version is expected to be ready early 2018.