AOAC International is a
501(c) non-profit scientific association with headquarters in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
. It was founded in 1884 as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) and became AOAC International in 1991. It publishes standardized, chemical analysis methods designed to increase confidence in the results of
chemical
A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wi ...
and
microbiological
Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...
analyses. Government agencies and civil organizations often require that laboratories use official AOAC methods. AOAC is headquartered in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
, and has approximately 3,000 members based in over 90 countries.
History
AOAC International, informally the AOAC, was founded September 8, 1884, as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, by the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...
(USDA),
to establish uniform chemical analysis methods for analyzing
fertilizer
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
s. In 1927, sponsorship was moved to the newly formed
Food, Drug and Insecticide organization which become the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1930.
From its initial scope of analyzing fertilizer, the organization expanded the contents of its methods book to cover dairy products, pesticides, microbiological contamination and animal feeds, among others. In 1965, due to its increasing area of focus for analytical work, the name was changed to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The name was changed again to the Association of Analytical Communities to reflect the growing international involvement, and then in 1991 it became AOAC International,
[ with AOAC no longer having any legal meaning.] Control of the organization remained with the FDA until 1979 when it became completely independent, although it still has close links to both the FDA and the USDA.[
Full membership was limited to government analytical chemists until 1987 when membership was extended to industrial scientists. As well as government agencies, members, volunteers and partners now also include people from academia, other international organizations, private laboratories, contract research organizations, instrument manufacturers and rapid assay developers.]
Activities
AOAC International's technical contributions center on the creation, validation
Validation may refer to:
* Data validation, in computer science, ensuring that data inserted into an application satisfies defined formats and other input criteria
* Forecast verification, validating and verifying prognostic output from a numerica ...
, and global publication of reliable analytical test methods. Their areas of focus include, but are not limited to, safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
of foods, beverages, dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
s, fertilizers, animal feeds, soil and water, and veterinary drugs. The aim of the test methods is to evaluate the purity of materials used in the production of foodstuffs, and their ingredients. The development of these analytical methods in achieved as part of a range of programs operated by AOAC.
Core Programs
Official Methods of Analysis
The Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) program is AOAC's premier program for developing food testing analytical science methods that are recognized and legally defensible worldwide.
AOAC Research Institute
AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI) Performance Tested Methods program develops, improves, and validates proprietary kit-based food safety testing methods.
Laboratory Proficiency Testing Program
Laboratory Proficiency Testing Program (LPTP) helps labs compete in the global marketplace by demonstrating that through participation they meet the highest international standards for accuracy, reliability, and compliance.
Science and Professional Support Programs
Cannabis Analytical Science Program
Cannabis Analytical Science Program (CASP) is a forum where the science of hemp and cannabis analysis can be discussed and cannabis standards and methods developed.
Food Authenticity Methods
Food Authenticity Methods (FAM) program focuses on identifying analytical tools to better characterize the intentional and economically motivated adulteration of foods.
Analytical Solutions Forum
Analytical Solutions Forum (ASF) brings global stakeholders together to identify emerging needs and technologies in scientific analysis of food and related products.
Stakeholder Program on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals
Stakeholder Program on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals program (SPIFAN) develops consensus-based standards and methods to make infant formula and adult nutritionals safer for babies and adults to consume.
Stakeholder Program on Agent Detection Assays
Stakeholder Program on Agent Detection Assays (SPADA) brings together expert stakeholders from the biothreat community to foster a comprehensive and uniform approach to scientific analysis and detection of biothreat agents.
Analytical International Methods & Standards
Analytical International Methods & Standards (AIMS) program focuses on capability gaps in laboratory testing, emerging microbial threats to food safety, and developing standards for using cutting-edge technologies.
Gluten & Food Allergens
Gluten & Food Allergens (GFA) program focuses on coordinating all future consensus-driven need for development, validation, and implementation of methods for the analysis of a wide range of food-associated allergens and gluten.
Training & Education
Training & Education program offers scientific, regulatory, and professional development training courses in person at the Annual Meeting and Midyear Meeting and as online courses and webinars.
Meetings
AOAC International holds an Annual Meeting & Conference, typically held in August or September of each year, which is moved around the United States and held in major cities. In addition, a mid-year meeting is held every March near the headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.
Sections
AOAC International has 18 activ
sections
eight in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and ten in the rest of the world, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
(excluding Thailand), Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
(excluding Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), the Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
, Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
, and Latin America and the Caribbean
The term Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is an English-language acronym referring to the Latin American and the Caribbean region. The term LAC covers an extensive region, extending from The Bahamas and Mexico to Argentina and Chile. The re ...
.
Publications
AOAC has published the peer-reviewed '' Journal of AOAC International'' bimonthly since 1915. They also publish the '' Official Methods of Analysis'' (OMA) in hard copy and through the on-line database. The magazine ''Inside Laboratory Management'' is published bimonthly for members.
Awards
At its annual meeting, AOAC presents a range o
awards
for scientific excellence in standards development and for exceptional service to the association (including fellow). The association's highest honors include:
* The Harvey W. Wiley Award
* The William Horwitz Award
References
{{Authority control
Analytical chemistry
Food technology organizations
Non-profit organizations based in Maryland
International scientific organizations
Agricultural organizations based in the United States