Effects of imperfect testing on presence‐absence sampling plans

Sampling inspection plans are used in the food industry to determine whether a batch of food is contaminated or not. Testing for pathogens is mandatory in several foodstuffs because some bacteria pose a significant risk to human health, even when these are consumed in minute quantity. Test performan...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inQuality and reliability engineering international Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 1197 - 1210
Main Authors Santos‐Fernández, Edgar, Govindaraju, Kondaswamy, Jones, Geoff
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.10.2017
Subjects
Bacteria
Bayesian analysis
Bayesian inference
Consumers
Cost analysis
Economic analysis
Food processing industry
food quality assurance
Inspection
measurement errors
Milk
Pathogens
presence‐absence tests
Quality assessment
Quality assurance
Risk assessment
sampling inspection plan
Sampling methods
Sensitivity analysis
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Sampling inspection plans are used in the food industry to determine whether a batch of food is contaminated or not. Testing for pathogens is mandatory in several foodstuffs because some bacteria pose a significant risk to human health, even when these are consumed in minute quantity. Test performance measures such as sensitivity and specificity are generally ignored in microbiological risk assessment and food quality assurance. In this research, we examine the impact of imperfect analytical tests on sampling inspection plans for presence‐absence characteristics. We discuss several plausible scenarios and assess the risk for the consumers. The method is illustrated using data collected over 2 years for Cronobacter spp (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii) in skimmed milk powder. The probability of contamination and the test sensitivity and specificity are estimated using Bayesian methods. We examine the sampling plans proposed by the Codex Alimentarius and by the New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries for this pathogen. A cost analysis is performed to show the economic loss due to measurement errors. We describe the strengths and limitations of these plans under different conditions and propose a plan that could provide better protection to the consumers as well as to the producers.
ISSN:0748-8017
1099-1638
DOI:10.1002/qre.2182