New ISO/IDF Standard for Milkfat Content

BRUSSELS, BelgiumA new ISO/IDF standard providing testing requirements and guidelines to determine the fat content of milk has just been released. Originally applicable to cows milk only, the methodology can now be used for sheep and goats milk, whether full fat, reduced fat or skimmed, as well as chemically preserved and processed liquid milk.

Besides the extended scope, this ISO 1211|IDF 1:2010 standard entitled Milk Determination of fat content Gravimetric method (Reference method) established new precision figures for different types of milk. The dairy industry and the relevant laboratories are now in a position to compare their own analytical precision with these limits. The standard which is applicable for different types of products enables laboratories to avoid additional internal validation steps.

The fat content of milk is an important quality factor of milk and milk products. The application of this new revised standard throughout the dairy chain will bring major benefits for the producer as well as for the consumer. In a context of quality assurance, standardization is one of the fundamental steps towards the analytical equivalence. Harmonized test procedures allow the comparison of different products from various manufacturers. says Silvia Orlandini, IDF/ISO Project Leader for this edition of the standard (ISO 1211|IDF 1 ).

ISO 1211|IDF 1 has been an important standard in the milk industry since 1969 when it was first published by IDF. The up-to-date standard will be useful to engineers and developers in the dairy industry, regulatory authorities and research institutions, and the farming sector.