Primary Reference Measurement Procedures in the Food Industry: Usage Experience and Development Prospects

Abstract

This article reviews the usage experience and development prospects of four state primary reference measurement procedures (SPRMPs) created to provide metrological support of measurements in the food and agricultural industries. The SPRMPS certified in 2016–2019 include those of the mass fraction of fat, ash, and carbohydrates in food products and raw materials; of the mass fraction of crude fat (oil content) in oilseeds and related products. The mass fraction of fat, crude fat, and oil content is measured using the Randall method; the mass fraction of ash is determined by the thermogravimetric method; the mass fraction of carbohydrates (total sugar) is defined by iodometric titration. The considered SPRMPs were used to develop reference materials (RMs) for the composition of dairy and meat, egg powder, starch, baby food, oilseeds, related products, and compound feeds. SPRMPs implementation required extending the range of the manufactured RMs for new product groups. High-precision procedures for measuring the mass fraction of fat in liquid dairy products, fish, pastry, confectionery, and pasta products, as well as the mass fraction of lactose in liquid dairy products were developed and certified to describe the characteristics of dairy, pollock fillets, and wheat crackers composition.