QuoData at AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition

From August 29 to September 2, QuoData was present at the AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, Indiana. On September 1, Steffen Uhlig, scientific head of QuoData, gave a presentation titled "Sampling Statistics: Data Interpretation and Sampling Considerations".

The presentation examined the design of acceptance sampling plans for food lots. While standard procedures such as the duplicate method suffice for homogeneous lots, lots with contamination clusters require the inhomogeneity itself to be properly characterized and built into the sampling plan. Zero-inflated models, incorporating a parameter for the proportion of contaminated volume units, were presented and illustrated using real data. Variability proved substantially greater and more persistent than standard models predict, and OC curves showed that plans with too few increments risk accepting highly contaminated lots by missing contaminated regions. Sampling plans should therefore reflect actual inhomogeneity, balancing consumer and producer risks, analytical performance, sampling effort, and misclassification costs.

QuoData thanks AOAC INTERNATIONAL for another opportunity to exchange ideas with the analytical and food-safety community.