SAGL Internal Quality Control
As an independent grain and oilseed testing laboratory in Southern Africa, SAGL strives to ensure accurate results and customer satisfaction with good laboratory practices (glp) and internal quality control processes. The SAGL’s good laboratory practices for facilities and environmental conditions, analysis methods and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), as well as calibration and verification of equipment are carried out according to ISO/IEC 17025 and SAGL Quality Policy and Procedures. The internal quality policies and procedures apply to all methodologies performed in the laboratories.
Since technical training of personnel forms an integral part of generating accurate test results, method validation data is statistically processed on completion to confirm technical competency of laboratory personnel.
Quality Control
Control samples are analysed on a daily basis for every method and results plotted on control charts to enable easy interpretation of data. SAGL analyses on average 14 557 control samples annually.
Reference standards are also available for several methods and are used to validate methodology and equipment.
To benchmark the laboratory against international laboratories, SAGL participates in international proficiency schemes as listed in the table below.
| PROFICIENCY SERVICE PROVIDER | FREQUENCY OF PARTICIPATION – # OF SAMPLES PER YEAR | MATRIX | ANALYSIS | ACCREDITED |
| American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI) United States of America | 6 | Wheat Flour | Moisture & Alveograph | √ |
| Hard Wheat Flour | Moisture, Protein, Ash, Falling number and Diastatic activity* | √ | ||
| Feed Samples | Moisture, Protein, Ash, Crude fat (EE) and Crude fibre | √ | ||
| Different Grain Based Matrices | Moisture & Total dietary fibre | √ | ||
| Hard Wheat Flour | Moisture & Farinograph | √ | ||
| Wheat Flour | Moisture & Mixograph | √ | ||
| Different Matrices | Moisture, Vitamins & Minerals | √ | ||
| 12 | Different Matrices | Moisture & Sugar* (Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose, Maltose and Lactose) | ||
| Bureau Interprofesionnel der Etudes Analitiques (BIPEA) France | 10 | Wheat Flour (Different types) | Moisture, Protein, Falling Number, Ash, Damaged starch*, Gluten (Wet & Dry)*, Gluten index*, Alveograph | √ |
| Wheat Flour (Different types) | Moisture and Farinograph | √ | ||
| Different Matrices | Mycotoxins | √ | ||
| 5 | Amino Acids (Animal feed) | Protein, Free and Protein bound amino acids | ||
| The Food and Environmental Research Agency (FAPAS) United Kingdom | 10 | Various Mycotoxin Matrices | Mycotoxins | √ |
| 1 | Milk Powder | Melamine | ||
| 5 | Bread Crumbs / Biscuits / Cereal / Soy bean meal / Poultry ration | Moisture, Ash, Nitrogen, Starch*, Total dietary fibre, Crude fat, Crude fibre* and Sodium | √ | |
| AgriLASA South Africa | 12 | Various Feed Samples | Moisture*, Protein, Ash, Crude fat, Crude fibre*, Dietary fibre, Starch* and Minerals | √ |
| Romer Labs Check-Sample-Survey | 1 | Maize Wheat | Deoxynivalenol Zearalenone | √ |
| Aflatoxin Proficiency Testing and Control in Africa, Asia and Americas (APTECA) | 2 | Maize meal | Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 | √ |
| Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO) | 1 | 4 different pesticides | *Different active ingredient content | |
| National Laboratory Association – South Africa (NLA) | 3-4 | Pesticide formulations | *Tests: Active ingredients content *Physical tests: Suspensibility, Emulsion stability, Foaming, pH range, Density |
Internal Audits
SAGL’s dedicated Quality Controller carries out internal audits, including management (Quality System), technical (laboratory) and vertical (methods) audits for both accredited and non-accredited methods on a twelve to eighteen month audit cycle. Corrective actions are raised and addressed within the SAGL’s Quality System to improve quality policies and procedures and to ensure quality of test results.
