Determination of an appropriate heat treatment of animal waste using the ELISA technique: results of a validation study.

Effective sterilisation of animal waste is an important prerequisite for the use of animal meal as an ingredient of compound feed for non-ruminants. Specific conditions for the rendering process aimed at the inactivation of the causative agent of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and the prevention of other pathogens in feedingstuff, are defined by European law. A validation study encompassing 21 laboratories from 12 European countries was performed using a commercially available test kit based on an enzymelinked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) which allows proof of the appropriate heat treatment of the processed animal waste. The evaluation of the results regarding the R-value reveals the robustness of the method, a sufficient sensitivity to detect a deviation of the processing conditions from the regulation and a low standard deviation of the data. Moreover the statistical evaluation of the results allows for the estimation of the coefficient of variation which is between 11 and 22% depending on the magnitude of the response of the test.