Animal feed sampling for contaminant analysis

Abstract: In food and feed control, decisions are based on the results of analysis carried out on small samples. The results are used for assessing compliance with legal provisions, for quality control, or for technical or commercial purposes. It is pivotal to obtain a sample that is representative of an entire batch of material, from a few kilograms up to several tonnes in size. Many different approaches can be used to evaluate and minimize uncertainty in sampling. This chapter describes different sampling strategies, and deals with sampling errors and sources of uncertainty, which need to be considered in the evaluation of results for the official control of feed materials.