Commission Regulation (EC) No 1882/2006 of 19 December 2006 laying down methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of the levels of nitrates in certain foodstuffs (Text with EEA relevance)
A.2.1 "lot" means an identifiable quantity of a food commodity to be harvested at the same time or delivered at one time and determined by the official to have common characteristics, such as origin, variety or soil type within a maximum area of 2 hectares, type of packing, packer, consignor or markings. A.2.2 "sublot" means a designated part of a large lot in order to apply the sampling method on that designated part; each sublot must be physically separate and identifiable. A.2.3 "incremental sample or unit" means a quantity of material taken from a single place in the lot or sublot. In this case it may be a single lettuce or spinach head, or handful of baby leaf, or one bag of cut leaves. A.2.4 "aggregate sample" means the combined total of all the incremental samples taken from the lot or sublot. A.2.5 "laboratory sample" means a sample intended for the laboratory. A.2.6 "field" means a specified area of land of the same soil type and cultivation practice, containing a single variety of lettuce or spinach at same growth stage. "Field" may also be referred to as "lot" in the method of sampling. A.2.7 "area under cover" means a specified area of land covered by a glasshouse or a polytunnel (plastic or polyethylene tunnel or greenhouse) containing a single variety of lettuce or spinach at the same growth stage and to be harvested at the same time. "Area under cover" may also be referred to as "lot" in the method of sampling.
the nitrate content, adversely affect the analytical determination or make the aggregate samples unrepresentative, e.g. the presence of soil on lettuce or spinach during sample preparation, the food safety or integrity of the lots to be sampled.
| Weight of lot (in kg) | Minimum number of incremental samples to be taken | Aggregate sample minimum weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| < 50 | ||
| 50 to 500 | ||
| > 500 |
| Number of packages or units in the lot | Number of packages or units to be taken | Aggregate sample minimum weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 25 | 1 package or unit | |
| 26 to 100 | about 5 %, at least 2 packages or units | |
| > 100 | about 5 %, at maximum 10 packages or units |
acceptance if the laboratory sample conforms to the maximum limit, taking into account the measurement uncertainty and correction for recovery, rejection if the laboratory sample exceeds the maximum limit beyond reasonable doubt taking into account the measurement uncertainty and correction for recovery (i.e. the analytical result corrected for recovery and minus the expanded measurement uncertainty is used to assess compliance).
) × 100).) × 100).| Criterion | Concentration range | Recommended value | Maximum permitted value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery | < 500 mg/kg | 60-120 % | |
| ≥ 500 mg/kg | 90-110 % | ||
| Precision RSD | All | As derived from Horwitz Equation | 2 × value derived from Horwitz Equation |
Concentration ranges are not stated, as the precision values are calculated at the concentrations of interest, the precision values are calculated from the Horwitz equation, i.e.: RSD R = 2(1-0,5logC) where: RSD R is the relative standard deviation calculated from results generated under reproducibility conditions ((sR /) × 100)C is the concentration ratio (i.e. 1 = 100 g/100 g, 0,001 = 1000 mg/kg).