Proficiency of European official control laboratories in the determination of authorized carotenoids in animal feed - EURL for Feed Additives Control PT exercise 2015 and annual workshop

The European Union Reference Laboratory for Feed additives, has been mandated by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety to organise a proficiency test (PT) among appointed National Reference Laboratories (NRLs). The aim of the PT was to assess the capacity of the NRLs to correctly determine selected authorised carotenoids in feed matrices at authorised levels. This report presents the results of the PT. Eight laboratories from eight countries registered to this 2015 PT exercise and six reported results. Laboratory results were rated using z--scores. 67% of the reporting laboratories displayed satisfactory results for astaxanthin while only 17% reported satisfactory results for canthaxanthin for both materials' types. For adonirubin, only two laboratories reported results; the z-score was satisfactory for one laboratory and questionable for the other. The laboratories also reported qualitative results as regards the presence of one or more of the other authorised carotenoids. On the whole, the rate of false positive results was 50% for adonirubin, 40% for lutein and 20% for astaxanthin dimethyl disuccinate and beta-carotene.JRC.F.5-Food and Feed Complianc