New trends in food microbiology: an AOAC international perspective

The paper discusses 5 major trends in food microbiology from an AOAC INTERNATIONAL perspective. The first trend, and perhaps the one with the greatest impact on food microbiology during the past 10 years, is the introduction of the rapid test kit. The development of these kits is a result of attempts to expedite, simplify, miniaturize, and automate methods. The second trend is the introduction of new method validation programs. AOAC INTERNATIONAL offers 2 alternatives to method validation by collaborative study: the Test Kit Performance Tested Method Program and the Peer-Verified Method Program. The third trend is the increasing use of microbiological reference materials. Applications of reference materials and of certified reference materials is addressed. The fourth trend is the evolving international character of not just AOAC INTERNATIONAL but other recognized scientific organizations as well. An attempt at method harmonization is one important consequence of this evolving internationalism. Moreover, there is a growing trend toward sharing of microbiological expertise on a global scale, reflecting our ever-shrinking geographical differences. The fifth trend is the implementation and increasing use of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) concept. The nature of the HACCP program and its influence on microbiological testing of the finished product are described