2. Getting involved
3. Standards Committees
4. NAL

DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products

Overview

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus are important agents of food-borne human viral illness. No routine methods exist for culture of norovirus, and HAV culture methods are not appropriate for routine application to food matrices. Detection is therefore reliant on molecular methods using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). As many food matrices contain substances that are inhibitory to RT-PCR, it is necessary to use an extraction method that produces highly clean RNA preparations that are fit for purpose. This standard specifies a method for the quantification of levels of HAV and norovirus genogroup I (GI) and II (GII) RNA, from test samples of foodstuffs or food surfaces. Following liberation of viruses from the test sample, viral RNA is then extracted by lysis with guanidine thiocyanate and adsorption on silica. Target sequences within the viral RNA are amplified and detected by real-time RT-PCR. This method is not validated for detection of the target viruses in other foodstuffs (including multicomponent foodstuffs), or any other matrices, nor for the detection of other viruses in foodstuffs, food surfaces or other matrices. This standard applies to consumer health protection. The standard has been prepared by ISO/TC 34/SC 9 "Microbiology" in collaboration with CEN/TC 275 "Food analysis - Horizontal methods", the secretariat of which is held by DIN. The national mirror committee is Working Committee NA 057-01-06 AA "Mikrobiologie der Lebensmittelkette" ("Microbiology of the food chain") DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products (NAL).

Document: references other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 057-01-06-20 AK - Viruses  

Responsible european committee

CEN/TC 463 - Microbiology of the food chain  

Responsible international committee

ISO/TC 34/SC 9 - Microbiology