Proficiency Testing

A global aflatoxin proficiency testing program grew out of the initial work in Kenya through the APTECA program. In 2014, milling companies were approached by AgriLife personnel and asked to run a known sample and report their results. Unfortunately, only 20% of the initial participants in the program were satisfied with their laboratory’s aflatoxin test results. To address this deficiency, beginning in 2016, AgriLife teamed up with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to implement the proficiency testing program in laboratories around the world, including Africa. Today, over 200 labs from 62 countries are participating the in program which received ISO accreditation in 2017.

Any laboratory result is only an estimate of the value of the quantity of the particular analyte being measured. Any laboratory test result includes a certain amount of uncertainty. All accredited laboratories are required to include an estimation of the uncertainty with each result. The use of reference material can help address this uncertainty. Reference material contains the particular compound or analyte for which the sample is tested. The concentration of that compound is traceable to a known standard to ensure uniformity. A proficiency testing program helps ensure labs around the world are producing similar results. Participation in a proficiency testing helps facilitate commerce within a connected and transparent marketplace.

The PT program provides access to reference materials, which have been processed under strict quality control procedures to ensure homogeneity in our ISO-accredited lab.