EN ISO 16140-3:2021

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-april-2021
Mikrobiologija v prehranski verigi - Validacija metode - 3. del: Protokol za
preverjanje referenčnih in validiranih alternativnih metod, izvedenih v
posameznem laboratoriju (ISO 16140-3:2021)
Microbiology of the food chain - Method validation - Part 3: Protocol for the verification of
reference methods and validated alternative methods in a single laboratory (ISO 16140-
3:2021)
Mikrobiologie der Lebensmittelkette - Verfahrensvalidierung - Teil 3: Arbeitsvorschrift für
die Verifizierung von Referenz- und alternativen Verfahren in einem einzelnen Labor
(ISO 16140-3:2021)
Microbiologie de la chaîne alimentaire - Validation des méthodes - Partie 3: Protocole
pour la vérification dans un seul laboratoire de méthodes de référence et de méthodes
alternatives validées (ISO 16140-3:2021)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 16140-3:2021
ICS:
07.100.30 Mikrobiologija živil Food microbiology
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN ISO 16140-3
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
February 2021
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 07.100.30
English Version
Microbiology of the food chain - Method validation - Part 3:
Protocol for the verification of reference methods and
validated alternative methods in a single laboratory (ISO
16140-3:2021)
Microbiologie de la chaîne alimentaire - Validation des Mikrobiologie der Lebensmittelkette -
méthodes - Partie 3: Protocole pour la vérification dans Verfahrensvalidierung - Teil 3: Arbeitsvorschrift für die
un seul laboratoire de méthodes de référence et de Verifizierung von Referenz- und alternativen Verfahren
méthodes alternatives validées (ISO 16140-3:2021) in einem einzelnen Labor (ISO 16140-3:2021)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 28 December 2020.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2021 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 16140-3:2021 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3

European foreword
This document (EN ISO 16140-3:2021) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34 "Food
products" in collaboration with Technical Committee CEN/TC 463 “Microbiology of the food chain” the
secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by August 2021, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by August 2021.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 16140-3:2021 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 16140-3:2021 without any
modification.
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 16140-3
First edition
2021-01
Microbiology of the food chain —
Method validation —
Part 3:
Protocol for the verification of
reference methods and validated
alternative methods in a single
laboratory
Microbiologie de la chaîne alimentaire — Validation des méthodes —
Partie 3: Protocole pour la vérification dans un seul laboratoire de
méthodes de référence et de méthodes alternatives validées
Reference number
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
©
ISO 2021
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
© ISO 2021
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 General principles of verification of qualitative (detection) methods and
quantification methods . 5
4.1 General . 5
4.2 Implementation verification . 5
4.3 (Food) item verification . 6
4.4 Requirements for implementation verification and (food) item verification . . 6
4.5 Performance characteristics. 9
5 Qualitative methods — Technical protocol for verification . 9
5.1 Estimated LOD (eLOD ) determination . 9
50 50
5.2 Experimental design . 9
5.3 Selection of (food) items .10
5.4 Artificial contamination .10
5.4.1 Selection of strains .10
5.4.2 Inoculation of the test portions .11
5.5 Evaluation of results .13
5.5.1 Determination of eLOD using protocol 1 .13
5.5.2 Determination of eLOD using protocol 2 .16
5.5.3 Use of protocol 3 .17
5.6 Acceptability limits .18
5.7 Root cause analysis .18
6 Quantitative methods — Technical protocol for verification .19
6.1 Intralaboratory reproducibility standard deviation determination .19
6.1.1 General.19
6.1.2 Experimental design .19
6.1.3 Selection of the (food) item .21
6.1.4 Natural contamination .21
6.1.5 Artificial contamination .21
6.1.6 Evaluation of results .22
6.1.7 Acceptability limit .23
6.1.8 Root cause analysis .24
6.2 Estimated bias (eBias) determination .25
6.2.1 General.25
6.2.2 Experimental design .25
6.2.3 Selection of (food) items .25
6.2.4 Artificial contamination .25
6.2.5 Evaluation of results .27
6.2.6 Acceptability limit .27
6.2.7 Root cause analysis .28
7 Validated alternative confirmation and typing methods — Technical protocol for
verification.28
7.1 General .28
7.2 Implementation verification .28
7.3 Experimental design .28
7.3.1 General.28
7.3.2 Strain selection .29
7.4 Evaluation of results .29
7.5 Acceptability limit .30
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
7.6 Root cause analysis .30
8 Summary of acceptability limits for the verification of validated methods .30
Annex A (informative) Classification of (food) categories and suggested target
combinations for verification studies .31
Annex B (informative) Guidance on how to choose challenging (food) item(s) for (food)
item verification .45
Annex C (informative) Qualitative method verification — Example .47
Annex D (informative) Quantitative method verification — Example .55
Annex E (informative) Validated alternative confirmation or typing method verification —
Examples .60
Annex F (normative) Protocol for the verification of non-validated reference methods
in a single laboratory .63
Bibliography .70
iv © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 9,
Microbiology, in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical
Committee CEN/TC 463, Microbiology of the food chain, in accordance with the Agreement on technical
cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
A list of all parts in the ISO 16140 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
Introduction
0.1  The ISO 16140 series
The ISO 16140 series has been expanded in response to the need for various ways to validate or verify
test methods. It is the successor to ISO 16140:2003. The ISO 16140 series consists of six parts with the
general title, Microbiology of the food chain — Method validation:
— Part 1: Vocabulary;
— Part 2: Protocol for the validation of alternative (proprietary) methods against a reference method;
— Part 3: Protocol for the verification of reference methods and validated alternative methods in a single
laboratory;
— Part 4: Protocol for method validation in a single laboratory;
— Part 5: Protocol for factorial interlaboratory validation for non-proprietary methods;
— Part 6: Protocol for the validation of alternative (proprietary) methods for microbiological confirmation
and typing procedures.
ISO 17468 is a closely linked International Standard, which establishes technical rules for the
development and validation of standardized methods.
In general, two stages are needed before a method can be used in a laboratory.
— The first stage is the validation of the method. Validation is conducted using a study in a single
laboratory followed by an interlaboratory study (see ISO 16140-2, ISO 16140-5 and ISO 16140-6).
In the case when a method is validated within one laboratory (see ISO 16140-4), no interlaboratory
study is conducted.
— The second stage is method verification, where a laboratory demonstrates that it can satisfactorily
perform a validated method. This is described in this document (i.e. ISO 16140-3). Verification is
only applicable to methods that have been validated using an interlaboratory study.
In general, two types of methods are distinguished: reference methods and alternative methods.
A reference method is defined in ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.59, as an “internationally recognized and widely
accepted method”. The note to entry clarifies that “these are ISO standards and standards jointly
published by ISO and CEN or other regional/national standards of equivalent standing”.
In the ISO 16140 series, reference methods include standardized reference (ISO and CEN) methods as
defined in ISO 17468:2016, 3.5, as a “reference method described in a standard”.
An alternative method (method submitted for validation) is defined in ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.4, as a
“method of analysis that detects or quantifies, for a given category of products, the same analyte as
is detected or quantified using the corresponding reference method”. The note to entry clarifies that:
“The method can be proprietary. The term ‘alternative’ is used to refer to the entire ‘test procedure
and reaction system’. This term includes all ingredients, whether material or otherwise, required for
implementing the method”.
ISO 16140-4 addresses validation within a single laboratory. The results are therefore only valid for
the laboratory that conducted the study. In this case, verification (as described in this document) is not
applicable. ISO 16140-5 describes protocols for non-proprietary methods where a more rapid validation
is required or when the method to be validated is highly specialized and the number of participating
laboratories required by ISO 16140-2 cannot be reached. ISO 16140-4 and ISO 16140-5 can be used
for validation against a reference method. ISO 16140-4 (qualitative and quantitative) and ISO 16140-5
(quantitative only) can also be used for validation without a reference method.
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ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
The flow chart in Figure 1 gives an overview of the links between the different parts mentioned above.
It also guides the user in selecting the right part of the ISO 16140 series, taking into account the purpose
of the study and the remarks given above.
Figure 1 — Flow chart for application of the ISO 16140 series
NOTE 1 In this document, the words “category”, “type” and/or “item” are sometimes combined with “(food)”
to improve readability. However, the word “(food)” is interchangeable with “(feed)” and other areas of the food
chain as mentioned in Clause 1.
NOTE 2 The general principle for method verification is that the method to be verified (either alternative or
reference) has been validated. However, some reference methods (including ISO or CEN standards) are not yet
(fully) validated. For verification of these methods, the protocols are described in Annex F.
ISO 16140-6 is somewhat different from the other parts in the ISO 16140 series in that it relates to
a very specific situation where only the confirmation procedure of a method is to be validated [e.g.
the biochemical confirmation of Enterobacteriaceae (see ISO 21528-2)]. The confirmation procedure
advances a suspected (presumptive) result to a confirmed positive result. The validation of alternative
typing techniques (e.g. serotyping of Salmonella) is also covered by ISO 16140-6. The validation study
in ISO 16140-6 clearly defines the selective agar(s) from which strains can be confirmed using the
alternative confirmation method. If successfully validated, the alternative confirmation method can
only be used if strains are recovered on an agar that was used and shown to be acceptable within the
validation study. Figure 2 shows the possibilities where an alternative confirmation method validated
in accordance with ISO 16140-6 can be applied (see text in the boxes).
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
Figure 2 — Use of validated alternative confirmation methods (see ISO 16140-6)
EXAMPLE An example application of a validated alternative confirmation method is as follows.
An alternative confirmation method based on ELISA has been validated to replace the biochemical confirmation
for Salmonella as described in ISO 6579-1. In the validation study, XLD (mandatory agar in accordance with
ISO 6579-1) plus BGA and a specified chromogenic agar (two optional agars for second plating in accordance with
ISO 6579-1) were used as the agars to start the confirmation. The validated confirmation method can be used to
replace the biochemical confirmation under the following conditions:
— by laboratories using the ISO 6579-1; or
— by laboratories using an ISO 16140-2 validated alternative method that refers to ISO 6579-1 for confirmation; or
— by laboratories using an ISO 16140-2 validated alternative method that starts the confirmation from XLD
and/or BGA agar and/or the specified chromogenic agar.
The validated confirmation method cannot be used under the following conditions:
— by laboratories using an ISO 16140-2 validated alternative method that refers only to agars other than those
included in the validation to start the confirmation (e.g. Hektoen agar and SS agar only); or
— by laboratories using an ISO 16140-2 validated alternative method that refers only to a confirmation
procedure that does not require isolation on agar.
0.2  Verification versus validation
ISO 16140-1:2016 defines the terms for validation and verification, as follows:
— validation: establishment of the performance characteristics of a method and provision of objective
evidence that the performance requirements for a specified intended use are fulfilled;
— verification: demonstration that a validated method performs, in the user’s hands, according to the
method’s specifications determined in the validation study and is fit for its intended purpose.
NOTE 1 The user’s hand means the user laboratory.
Method verification applies to methods that are:
— reference methods, including ISO or CEN standards, that are validated using at least an
interlaboratory study;
viii © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
NOTE 2 However, some reference methods (including ISO or CEN standards) are not yet (fully) validated.
For verification of these methods, the protocols are described in Annex F.
— alternative methods, proprietary or otherwise, when the validation included an interlaboratory
study. The method has been validated in accordance with
— ISO 16140-2 for alternative (proprietary) methods,
— ISO 16140-5 for non-proprietary methods, or
— ISO 16140-6 for alternative (proprietary) confirmation and typing methods.
In a validation study, it is not possible to test all existing foods; the diversity and number of samples
used in any validation study is limited. In most cases, the validation is based on five different food
categories (categories as defined in ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.11, and specified in ISO 16140-2:2016, Annex A).
Sometimes the validation is supplemented with additional (other) categories such as pet food and
animal feed, environmental samples (food or feed production), and/or primary production samples.
When a minimum of five different food categories are validated, the method is regarded as being
validated for a “broad range of foods”. And even though only five food categories are tested during
the validation study, the method is expected to work for any type of food samples within the 15 food
categories in ISO 16140-2: 2016, Annex A. In other words, the “scope” of validation of the method is a
broad range of foods, corresponding to the 15 food categories included in ISO 16140-2:2016, Annex A.
The scope of validation is important for selecting categories, types and items for the verification.
Two kinds of verification are distinguished:
— The first one is named implementation verification. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the user
laboratory is able to perform the method correctly. The user laboratory tests a (food) item that
was used in the validation study (for qualitative methods) and any (food) item within the scope of
validation (for quantitative methods) and then compares the result obtained from the verification
to the result obtained from the validation.
— The second one is named (food) item verification. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the user
laboratory is capable of testing the (food) items it claims in the scope of laboratory application. The
user laboratory tests (food) items included in the scope of validation that are commonly examined
by the user. As not all (food) items can be included in the verification, the user laboratory is asked to
test challenging (food) items.
The scope specifies the (group of) products – categories or types or items – for which the method can
be applied. Different scopes are distinguished:
— scope of the method: (group of) products – categories or types or items – for which the method is
claimed to be applicable.
— scope of validation: (group of) products – categories or types or items – for which the applicability
of the method is claimed to be validated.
NOTE The claim for the scope of validation is in most cases wider than the products that are included
in the validation study itself. For example, in the case of alternative (proprietary) methods validated
in accordance with ISO 16140-2:2016: if at least five (≥ 5) food categories – by using a minimum of three
different food types per category – were tested in the validation study, then the scope of validation is a
“broad range of foods” (so all 15 food categories are claimed in the scope of validation). When less than five
(˂ 5) food categories were tested, the scope of validation is limited to only those food categories included in
the validation.
— scope of laboratory application: (group of) products – categories or types or items – for which the
method is claimed to be used by the laboratory and are within the scope of validation.
The overlap between the different scopes (including an example) is illustrated in Figure 3.
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
Figure 3 — Overlap between the different scopes (including an example)
At the time of publication of this document (i.e. ISO 16140-3:2021), some reference methods are not
yet (fully) validated and would therefore fall outside the scope of this document. It is recognized that
standardization organizations (including ISO and CEN committees) will need time to validate their
reference methods. Therefore, these non-validated reference methods (including ISO or CEN standards)
are verified in a user laboratory according to a specific protocol (see Annex F). This is seen as a
temporary situation until these methods are validated by the ISO and/or CEN committees. For further
information, see Reference [13].
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ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
In this document:
— “shall” indicates a requirement;
— “should” indicates a recommendation;
— “may” indicates a permission;
— “can” indicates a possibility or a capability.
Information marked “NOTE” is for guidance in understanding or clarifying the associated sentence.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
Microbiology of the food chain — Method validation —
Part 3:
Protocol for the verification of reference methods and
validated alternative methods in a single laboratory
1 Scope
This document specifies the protocol for the verification of reference methods and validated alternative
methods for implementation in the user laboratory.
This document is applicable to the verification of methods used for the analysis (detection and/or
quantification), confirmation and typing of microorganisms in:
— products intended for human consumption;
— products intended for animal feeding;
— environmental samples in the area of food and feed production, handling;
— samples from the primary production stage.
This document is, in particular, applicable to bacteria and fungi. Some clauses can be applicable to other
(micro)organisms or their metabolites, to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
The technical protocols for the verification of validated qualitative methods and validated quantitative
methods are described in Clauses 5 and 6. The technical protocol for the verification of validated
alternative confirmation and typing methods is described in Clause 7. The protocols for the verification
of non-validated reference methods are described in Annex F.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 6887 (all parts), Microbiology of the food chain — Preparation of test samples, initial suspension and
decimal dilutions for microbiological examination
ISO 7218, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — General requirements and guidance for
microbiological examinations
ISO 16140-1:2016, Microbiology of the food chain — Method validation — Part 1: Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 16140-1 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
3.1
alternative confirmation or typing method
confirmation or typing method submitted for validation
method of analysis that confirms or types the same analyte as is confirmed or typed using the
corresponding reference method
Note 1 to entry: The method can be proprietary. The term “alternative” is used to refer to the entire “test
procedure and reaction system”. This term includes all ingredients, whether material or otherwise, required for
implementing the method.
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-6:2019, 3.2, modified — Note 2 to entry has been deleted.]
3.2
bias
measurement bias
estimate of a systematic measurement error, or the systematic difference between the quantitative
assigned value and the average of measurement replicate results
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.9]
3.3
(food) category
group of (food) types (3.18) of the same origin
EXAMPLE Food category: heat-processed milk and dairy products. Food type: pasteurized dairy products.
Food item: crème brûlée.
Note 1 to entry: The (food) categories are listed in Annex A.
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.11, modified — In the term, “(food)” has been added before “category”.
In the definition, “(food)” has replaced “sample”. The example has been modified to align with the terms
used in Annex A. Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.4
estimated bias
eBias
determination of the bias (3.2) based on the experimental design described in this document (i.e.
ISO 16140-3)
Note 1 to entry: An accurate determination of the bias is not possible as the number of samples tested is small.
Therefore, the term “estimated bias” (“eBias”) is used in this document.
3.5
estimated LOD
eLOD
determination of the LOD (level of detection at 50 % probability of detection) based on the
experimental design described in this document
Note 1 to entry: An accurate determination of the LOD is not possible as the number of samples tested is small
in comparison to the number of samples required in ISO 16140-2:2016. Therefore, the term “estimated LOD ”
(“eLOD ”) is used in this document.
Note 2 to entry: LOD is defined in ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.35.
3.6
exclusivity study
study involving pure non-target strains (3.11), which can be potentially cross-reactive, but are not
expected to be detected or enumerated by the alternative method
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.22]
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ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
3.7
inclusivity study
study involving pure target strains (3.15) to be detected or enumerated by the alternative method
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.31]
3.8
(food) item
single specified food, feed, environmental or primary production matrix (3.10)
EXAMPLE Food category: heat-processed milk and dairy products. Food type: pasteurized dairy products.
Food item: crème brûlée.
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.34, modified — In the term, “(food)” has been added before “item”. The
example has been modified to align with the terms used in Annex A.]
3.9
laboratory sample
sample prepared for sending to the laboratory and intended for inspection or testing
[SOURCE: ISO 6887-1:2017, 3.1]
3.10
matrix
all the components of the sample
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.38, modified — In the term, "(product)" has been deleted.]
3.11
non-target strain
strain, defined according to the scope of the reference method that would not reasonably be expected
to be confirmed, detected or enumerated by the alternative method
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.44, modified — In the definition, “confirmed” has been added to “detected
or enumerated”.]
3.12
reference material
material, sufficiently homogeneous and stable with respect to one or more specified properties, which
has been established to be fit for its intended use in a measurement process
Note 1 to entry: Properties can be quantitative or qualitative, e.g. identity of substances or species.
Note 2 to entry: Uses may include the calibration of a measurement system, assessment of a measurement
procedure, assigning values to other materials, and quality control.
[SOURCE: ISO Guide 30:2015, 2.1.1, modified — The original Notes 1 and 4 to entry have been omitted
and the notes have been renumbered.]
3.13
scope of laboratory application
categories, matrices, analytes and concentrations for an analytical method that a user laboratory (3.19)
claims to be capable of satisfactorily testing in its laboratory
Note 1 to entry: A method may have been validated to a broader range (scope) of analytes, matrices and
concentrations than the scope that will be claimed by a user laboratory. The scope of laboratory application
is ≤ the scope of validation (3.14).
ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
3.14
scope of validation
categories, matrices, analytes and concentrations for which a validated method of analysis can be used
satisfactorily
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.70, modified — “categories” has been added and “matrices” has been
moved before “analytes”.]
3.15
target strain
strain, defined according to the scope of the reference method, that is expected to be confirmed,
detected or enumerated by the alternative method
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.74, modified — In the definition, “confirmed” has been added to “detected
or enumerated”.]
3.16
test portion
measured (volume or mass) representative sample taken from the laboratory sample (3.9) for use in the
preparation of the initial suspension
Note 1 to entry: Sometimes preparation of a test sample (3.17) from the laboratory sample is required before the
test portion is taken, but this is infrequently used in microbiological examinations.
[SOURCE: ISO 6887-1:2017, 3.5, modified — In the Note 1 to entry, “a test sample from” has been added
before “the laboratory sample”.]
3.17
test sample
sample prepared from the laboratory sample (3.9) according to the procedure specified in the test
method and from which test portions (3.16) are taken
Note 1 to entry: Preparation of the laboratory sample before the test portion is taken is infrequently used in
microbiological examinations.
Note 2 to entry: For confirmation and typing methods, the sample is an isolated colony on defined selective or
non-selective agar plates.
[SOURCE: ISO 6887-1:2017, 3.4, modified — In the definition, “test method” has replaced “method of
test” and Note 2 to entry has been added.]
3.18
(food) type
for a given (food) category (3.3), a group of (food) items (3.8) processed in a similar way, with similar
intrinsic characteristics and a similar microbial ecology
EXAMPLE Food category: heat-processed milk and dairy products. Food type: pasteurized dairy product.
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.78, modified — In the term and the definition, “(food)” has been added
before “type”, “category” and “items”.]
3.19
user laboratory
laboratory that implements a validated alternative method and/or a validated reference method
Note 1 to entry: Some reference methods (including ISO or CEN standards) are not yet (fully) validated. For
verification of these methods, the protocols are described in Annex F.
4 © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

ISO 16140-3:2021(E)
3.20
validation
establishment of the performance characteristics of a method and provision of objective evidence that
the performance requirements for a specified intended use are fulfilled
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1:2016, 2.81]
3.21
verification
demonstration that a validated method performs, in the user’s hands, according to the method’s
specifications determined in the validation (3.20) study and is fit for its intended purpose
Note 1 to entry: Some reference methods (including ISO or CEN standards) are not yet (fully) validated. For
verification of these methods, the protocols are described in Annex F.
[SOURCE: ISO 16140-1: 2016, 2.83, modified — In the definition, “performs” ha
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