ACCURACY

 

International Proficiency Schemes

 

AACC International Accuracy Awards

 

Certificates of Proficiency

By participating in international proficiency schemes SAGL demonstrates our commitment to analytical accuracy and precision.

 

SAGL receives eight types of proficiency samples from AACC – International (American Association of Cereal Chemists) and two types of proficiency samples from Bipea – France (Bureau InterProfessionnel d'Etude Analytique).  In total the ten proficiency schemes cover nine chemical methods, four rheological methods as well as nine micronutrients and four mycotoxins over a range of at least five different products. 

 

1.         The bi-monthly AACC proficiency scheme samples consists of the following:  

 

        Chemical analyses

 

a.      Ash, protein, moisture, diastatic activity and falling number (hard wheat flour sample)

 

b.      Crude fibre, crude fat (EE), moisture, protein and ash (Animal feed sample)

 

c.      Dietary fibre and moisture

 

d.      Vitamins and minerals

 

         Physical analyses

 

a.    Farinogram (including moisture) (Hard wheat flour sample)

 

b.    Mixogram (including moisture and protein) (Wheat flour sample)

 

c.    Alveogram (including moisture) (Hard and soft wheat flour samples)

           

Mycotoxin analyses

 

a.    Total Aflatoxin, Fumonisin, Deoxynivalenol (DON), Zearalenone

 

2.         The Bipea proficiency scheme samples, received monthly from September through to June, consist of the following:

 

a.    Alveogram (Wheat flour sample)

Moisture, protein, falling number, ash, damaged starch, gluten (wet & dry), gluten index and alveogram

 

b.    Farinogram (Wheat flour sample)

Moisture and farinogram

 

Why the extra work and expenses?

Due to SAGL’s internal Quality System (Policies and Procedures) and our participation in international proficiency schemes (AACC and Bipea), SAGL can firstly, confidently act as the grain-analysis reference laboratory in Southern Africa and secondly, with the same confidence, present national ring tests.

 

 

National Ring Tests

 

National ring tests serve as interlaboratory comparisons and present participants with the opportunity to measure themselves against similar laboratories as well as international standards regarding the following:

 

-        Type apparatus they use

 

-        The methodology they follow

 

-        Repeatable results

 

-        Comparability with other laboratories as well as the SAGL

 

-        Accuracy

 

SAGL offers six (three wheat, two maize and one vitamin) different ring tests on national level which include the following:

 

1.      SAGL wheat and flour ring test

 

2.      SAGL flour colour ring test (White bread flour and cake flour)

 

3.      SAGL wheat grading ring test

 

4.      SAGL maize grading ring test

 

5.      SAGL maize meal quality ring test

 

6.      SAGL vitamin ring test

 

 

Reports

Formal reports are prepared for national ring tests and provided to participating clients via a coding system to ensure client confidentiality.

 

The results of the international ring tests (proficiency) in which SAGL participates are distributed with the national ring test reports, and can also be provided on request.

 

Costs

Available on request