FASFC acceptance criteria for microbiological inhibitor tests: fulfillment by new tests.

The Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) fixed acceptance criteria for microbiological inhibitor tests to be used for the testing of ex-farm milk on inhibitors as part of the regulatory quality programme. It concerns criteria regarding general test specifications, the test repeatability, the detection capabilities and the test robustness. Validation studies according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC of newly developed microbiological inhibitor tests were performed at ILVO-TV DSM-Food Specialties) is presently (May 2012) used as screening test. The milk control stations can choose a screening test among the tests mentioned in the list of accepted tests of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). On October 15, 2010 the FASFC published on their website acceptance criteria for screening tests for antimicrobials. Since the first publication, new versions were published on August 9, 2011 and December 13, 20112 (Anon., 2011). Approval criteria for microbiological tests for screening of antibiotics and chemotherapeutics in raw milk by the Belgian milk control stations The reading of the test result must be instrumental; for visual tests, instrumental reading must be in accordance with visual colour interpretation. The total test time should not exceed 4 hours. The test must screen a large spectrum of antibiotics. In terms of detection capability: