AOAC International

AOAC International is a 501(c) non-profit scientific association with headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. It was founded in 1884 as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) and became AOAC International in 1991. It publishes standardized, chemical analysis methods designed to increase confidence in the results of chemical and microbiologic analyses. Government agencies and civil organizations often require that laboratories use official AOAC methods.

History

AOAC International, informally the AOAC, was founded September 8, 1884, as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),[1] to establish uniform chemical analysis methods for analyzing fertilizers. In 1927, sponsorship was moved to the newly formed Food, Drug and Insecticide organization which become the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1930.[2]

From its initial scope of analyzing fertilizer, the organization expanded the contents of its methods book to cover dairy products, pesticides, microbiological contamination and animal feeds, among others. In 1965, due to its increasing area of focus for analytical work, the name was changed to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The name was changed again to the Association of Analytical Communities to reflect the growing international involvement, and then in 1991 it became AOAC International,[2] with AOAC no longer having any legal meaning.[3] Control of the organization remained with the FDA until 1979 when it became completely independent, although it still has close links to both the FDA and the USDA.[2]

Full membership was limited to government analytical chemists until 1987 when membership was extended to industrial scientists.[4] As well as government agencies, members, volunteers and partners now also include people from academia, other international organizations, private laboratories, contract research organizations, instrument manufacturers and rapid assay developers.[3]

The AOAC's publications center upon comprehensive analysis methods, including AOAC Methods of Analysis (1885, 49pp.), Official and Provisional Methods of Analysis of the AOAC (1912), and the monthly Journal of AOAC International,[1] currently its principal periodical, subscribed to by university and industry technical libraries and by members of the AOAC.

Activities

AOAC International's technical contributions center on the creation, validation, and global publication of reliable analytical test methods. Their areas of focus include, but are not limited to, safety of foods, beverages, dietary supplements, fertilizers, animal feeds, soil and water, and veterinary drugs.[3] The aim of the test methods is to evaluate the purity of materials used in the production of foodstuffs, and their ingredients.

Test methods are of two broad categories: chemical tests (e.g., for vitamins or pesticides) and microbiological tests (e.g., for spoilage agents or biological threat agents). Before a given method can be approved as an AOAC official method, it is peer reviewed and tested in 8–10 laboratories in what is called a "Collaborative Study". The findings are often published on the Journal of AOAC International.[5][6][7]

If the OMB (Official Methods Board) approves the recommendation of the Study Director and Committee Chair and approves the method for official status (an official method of analysis) then it is given "First Action" approval.[7] During this time, members can comment on the method and provide feedback about issues or other comments regarding the method. After a year, the OMB can grant "Final Action" status to a method where there has been no feedback serious enough to warrant further investigation. AOAC International publish first and final action Official Methods in the Journal of AOAC International and Official Methods of Analysis.[5] Methods are recognized as official methods by the FDA and other agencies. Members gain free access to the OMA via the web.

One of their most visible activities is to be official source for nutrition labeling analysis.[8][9]

AOAC International has eight North American sections, organized geographically, as well as nine geographic sections in the rest of the world.[10] AOAC International conducts a general meeting every fall in August or September which is moved around the United States and held in major cities. They hold a mid-year meeting every March near the headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.

Publications

AOAC has published the peer-reviewed Journal of AOAC International bimonthly since 1915.[11] They also publish the Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International (OMA) in hard copy and through the on-line database. The magazine Inside Laboratory Management is published bimonthly for members.[12]

References
  1. Vasconcellos, J. Andres (2003). Quality Assurance for the Food Industry: A Practical Approach. CRC Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9780203498101.
  2. Y. H. Hui; Frank Sherkat (2005). Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering - 4 Volume Set. 9781466507876: CRC Press. pp. 74–3.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. "AOAC International - About Us". aoac.org. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  4. "MS 477 AOAC International Records, 1891-[ongoing]". Iowa State University, Special Collections and University Archives. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  5. A Fajgelj; A Ambrus (2007). Principles and Practices of Method Validation. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 89. ISBN 9781847551757.
  6. Mary K. Schmidl; Theodore P. Labuza (2000). Essentials Of Functional Foods. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 105. ISBN 9780834212619.
  7. Christine Boisrobert; Sangsuk Oh; Aleksandra Stjepanovic; Huub Lelieveld (2009). Ensuring Global Food Safety: Exploring Global Harmonization. Academic Press. p. 185. ISBN 9780080889306.
  8. Nielsen, S. Suzanne (2017). Food Analysis. Springer. p. 40. ISBN 9783319457765.
  9. "Guidance for Industry: Nutrition Labeling Manual - A Guide for Developing and Using Data Bases". US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  10. "Current AOAC Sections". AOAC International. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  11. Holt, Cynthia (2006). Guide to Information Sources in the Forensic Sciences. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 59. ISBN 9781591582212.
  12. "Inside Laboratory Management". stakeholder.aoac.org. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
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