November 2025: Essential Updates in Food Technology Standards

Food technology professionals have new guidance and assurance thanks to five major international standards published in November 2025. Covering topics from analytical methods for coffee products to machinery safety in food processing and advanced pasta quality evaluation, these documents elevate quality, compliance, and safety in the food sector. This in-depth overview—part one of a two-part series—details the requirements, impacts, and practical considerations for adopting these standards across various stages of the food value chain.

Overview

The food technology sector, characterized by rapid innovation and growing regulatory oversight, relies on robust standards to ensure product safety, quality, and consistency. Whether it’s detecting trace contaminants in coffee, managing defects in raw materials, or designing safer food processing equipment, updated standards enable businesses to:

• Achieve regulatory compliance
• Optimize processes
• Enhance consumer trust and market access

This article breaks down five newly published November 2025 standards you need to know, explaining what’s changed and how your organization can benefit.

Detailed Standards Coverage

ISO 18862:2025 – Enhanced Testing for Acrylamide in Coffee

Coffee and coffee products – Determination of acrylamide – Methods using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) after derivatization

This revised international standard establishes precise laboratory methods for quantifying acrylamide—a potential food process contaminant with recognized health concerns—in coffee and coffee products. Using advanced analytical techniques—HPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS after chemical derivatization—the standard ensures reliable detection across a range of product matrices.

It covers:

• Roasted and soluble coffee
• Coffee substitutes
• Other coffee-based products (validation range: 53 μg/kg to 612,1 μg/kg)

Key requirements include:

• Extraction using water, sample clean-up via solid-phase extraction (SPE)
• Use of isotopically labeled internal standards (D3-acrylamide) for accuracy
• Validation procedures for method performance (precision, recovery, uncertainty)
• Safety protocols when handling acrylamide and solvents, in line with laboratory best practices

Who must comply: Coffee producers, food laboratories, regulatory bodies, and manufacturers trading coffee internationally.

Practical implications:

• Supports compliance with food safety regulations and risk assessments
• Facilitates international trade by harmonizing testing protocols
• Provides the reference framework for internal quality assurance and third-party certifications

Recent changes:

• Addition of comprehensive examples for HPLC-MS/MS sample prep and chromatographic conditions (Annex D)
• Enhanced guidance for calibration and method linearity
• Updated performance and precision data

Key highlights:

• Dual analytical pathways: HPLC-MS/MS or GC-MS post-derivatization
• Isotopically labeled internal standards ensure traceability
• Alignment with the latest food safety risk management policies

Access the full standard: View ISO 18862:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 6673:2025 – Accurate Determination of Moisture in Green Coffee

Green coffee – Determination of loss in mass at 105 °C

Moisture content is a critical quality and storage indicator for green coffee. This third edition standard specifies an oven-drying method at 105°C for determining mass loss, functioning as the reference procedure for moisture calibration in green coffee, per ISO 3509 definitions.

Scope includes:

• Decaffeinated and non-decaffeinated green coffee

Key requirements and steps:

• Preparation of test sample and dish
• Controlled oven drying at 105 °C
• Calculation of mass loss, considered equivalent to water content (by convention)
• Minimum number of replicates for accuracy
• Reporting uncertainty and test details for traceability

Who should comply: Coffee exporters/importers, brokers, quality laboratories, traders, and certification agencies involved in green coffee handling.

Practical implications:

• Enables objective verification of moisture—a factor impacting shelf life and roasting behavior
• Harmonizes trade terms through precise and uniform moisture measurement
• Reference method for calibrating alternative moisture measurement devices

Notable revision aspects:

• Updated number of required test repeats
• Addition of uncertainty clause and updated reporting
• Alignment with best practices for accuracy and precision

Key highlights:

• Official moisture reference method for green coffee worldwide
• Crucial for fair trade, storage, and quality assessments
• Supports compliance in regulated markets

Access the full standard: View ISO 6673:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 4149:2025 – Comprehensive Examination of Green Coffee Quality

Green coffee – Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and defects

Defects and foreign matter in green coffee directly affect both quality and safety. This third edition standard details methods for sensory and visual inspection of green coffee from any origin:

• Olfactory (smell) examination for off-odors
• Visual examination for defects such as mold, insect damage, or foreign bodies
• Quantification of defects via weighing and/or counting

Applicable to green coffees as defined in ISO 3509, this standard is used for:

• Technical and commercial quality grading
• Administrative, regulatory, and arbitration purposes
• Routine quality control and inspection

Key updates in this revision:

• Added recommendations for artificial lighting in inspection
• Inclusion of a counting method for specific coffee defects

Intended users: Coffee traders, quality managers, certifiers, inspectors, and processors.

Practical implications:

• Ensures objective, replicable quality assessments
• Facilitates fair and transparent trade
• Improves detection and reduction of potentially harmful or non-compliant lots

Key highlights:

• Covers all green coffee origins and types
• Specifies protocols for both qualitative and quantitative evaluation
• Supports international harmonization of quality grades

Access the full standard: View ISO 4149:2025 on iTeh Standards

EN 13288:2025 – Safety and Hygiene Requirements for Bowl Lifting and Tilting Machines

Food processing machinery – Bowl lifting and tilting machines – Safety and hygiene requirements

Food safety begins in the factory. This European standard, newly revised, addresses the safety and hygiene requirements for bowl lifting and tilting machines typically used in bakeries and pastry shops for handling dough and other mass food ingredients.

It applies to:

• Manually loaded and unloaded bowl machines (not integrated with mixers or automatic lines)
• Optional scrapers attached after dough discharge

Key requirements:

• Risk assessment and mitigation for mechanical, electrical, and ergonomic hazards (detailed in Annex B)
• Design for cleanability and prevention of contamination (Annex A)
• Mandatory safety functions (emergency stop, start/restart safeguards)
• Construction from suitable materials with adequate surface finishes
• Clear operational and maintenance information

Who needs to comply: Equipment manufacturers, bakery and patisserie plant operators, and food safety auditors.

Implementation impact:

• Contributes directly to worker safety and reduces risk of product contamination
• Simplifies machinery CE marking and regulatory compliance (aligned with EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC)
• Reduces risk of recalls due to cross-contamination or unsafe machinery operation

Key highlights:

• Specifies cleanability, hygiene, and mechanical safety features
• Provides design, operation, and maintenance requirements
• Comprehensive update reflecting evolving regulatory expectations and technological advances

Access the full standard: View EN 13288:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 7304-1:2025 – Sensory Analysis for Pasta Quality Assessment

Durum wheat semolina and alimentary pasta – Estimation of cooking quality of alimentary pasta by sensory analysis – Part 1: Reference method

How does well-cooked pasta feel and taste? This international reference standard specifies a reproducible sensory method for evaluating the cooking quality of all shapes of pasta (except very small types eaten in soups) made from durum wheat or mixed flours.

The method covers assessment of:

• Firmness (resistance to biting/chewing)
• Liveliness (surface adhesion and handling feel)
• Starch release (surface breakdown visualized post-handling)

Ten or more trained assessors evaluate up to six samples in randomized order. Updated apparatus requirements, optima cooking time determination, and clarified test conditions ensure reliable, harmonized results.

Who benefits: Pasta and wheat processors, sensory labs, product developers, R&D teams, and regulatory authorities focused on quality assurance and product specification.

Practical implications:

• Harmonizes pasta quality benchmarks across markets
• Supports sensory training and panel selection
• Can be used for comparative studies and routine quality assurance

Recent updates:

• New guidance on pressure measurements and handling protocols
• Improved post-cooking test timing and apparatus clarity

Key highlights:

• Internationally recognized sensory reference for pasta quality
• Enables direct, practical evaluation to complement instrumental tests
• Applicable to diverse pasta shapes and durum/common wheat blends

Access the full standard: View ISO 7304-1:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

How These Standards Reshape Food Industry Practice

• Facilitating global trade: Harmonized testing and quality benchmarks support international supply relationships and simplify product acceptance.
• Improving transparency: Clearly defined procedures reduce disputes between buyers and sellers, especially for commodity products like coffee and wheat-based foods.
• Enabling regulatory alignment: Up-to-date standards reflect newer risk assessments, occupational safety regulations, and food safety best practices.
• Enhancing consumer trust: Consistent quality and safety underpin long-term brand reputation for food companies.

Compliance Considerations & Timelines

• Transition window: Organizations should update internal protocols and calibrate equipment/materials to reference these newly published standards promptly. Regulatory bodies may specify enforcement timelines, with transitional grace periods for certification.
• Documentation: Record all calibration, training, and quality control activities in alignment with the new clause and report requirements.
• Risk of non-compliance: Failure to adopt or correctly implement these standards can result in shipment rejections, increased liability, and potential regulatory penalties in key markets.

Technical Insights

Common Technical Requirements

Across these standards, several core technical principles recur:

• Analytical precision and repeatability: e.g., HPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS methods in coffee quality analysis, moisture content by gravimetric reference, and rigorous sensory panel training.
• Validation and calibration: Mandatory for laboratory measurements (quantification of acrylamide, loss in mass) as well as for panel performance in sensory evaluation.
• Design for hygiene and safety: Machinery must feature smooth, washable surfaces, interlocks, and ergonomic operation. Documented maintenance and emergency procedures are required.

Implementation Best Practices

1. Gap analysis: Review existing procedures, equipment, and training against the new/revised standard requirements.
2. Staff training: Sensory panels, QA technicians, and maintenance engineers must be familiarized with revised requirements and reporting protocols.
3. Supplier engagement: Require confirmation of compliance from green coffee and machinery suppliers.
4. Internal audits: Schedule audits to verify conformance and identify improvement areas.

Testing and Certification Considerations

• Reference methods only: For moisture and acrylamide content, follow the specified reference analytical methods to ensure defensible results in trade and compliance scenarios.
• Panel qualification: For sensory analysis, ensure assessors are selected, trained, and tested according to ISO 8586 and the new reference method procedure.
• Machinery compliance: Ensure newly purchased or upgraded equipment conforms to the hygiene and safety provisions of EN 13288 before commissioning.

Conclusion / Next Steps

As food technology grows increasingly sophisticated and regulated, timely adoption of current international standards is critical. The five standards profiled in this article provide:

• Enhanced analytical accuracy for contaminants and moisture
• Robust, market-aligned quality grading of green coffee
• Safer food processing environments
• Standardized, actionable sensory analysis of pasta quality

Organizations should:

• Download and review the full standard texts on iTeh Standards
• Update quality manuals, SOPs, and procurement specs accordingly
• Train relevant staff, and liaise with suppliers and partners

Staying current with the latest standards is an investment in product integrity, customer trust, and business resilience. Part 2 of this series will cover additional food technology standards released in November 2025. In the meantime, explore the standards above and ensure your organization is ready for the future of food quality and safety.

Discover more at: iTeh Standards – Food Technology Collection