NORTH GERMAN CONTROL MILK SAMPLES - A POS SIBILITY OF USING CONTROL MILK SAMPLES FOR THE CALIBRATION OF INFRARED INSTRUMENTS FOR DETERMINING FAT, PROTEIN AND LACTOSE CONTENTS

Milk collection areas are situated in different Lander of the Federal Republic of Germany, milk is dealt with across the frontiers of the La nder, the test results of the milk constituents paid are, however, fre quently critically questioned. Against this background the possibility of using control milk samples for the calibration of IR instruments i ncluding additionally calibration milk samples for checking the straig ht line is envisaged. A working group comprising representatives of mi nistries, milk testing stations and dairies from the Lander Brandenbur g, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommem, Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and S chleswig-Holstein has undertaken a test phase with control samples (No rth German control milk samples) and discussed the results obtained. S ince the test phase has immediately become a routine positive results were obtained. As regards the control samples particular attention is paid to reference analytics in several laboratories. The signing of a guideline for using the North German control milk samples is recommend ed as a particularly promising measure; the draft of the latter forms part of the work. At present this control milk is being used in Lower Saxony (''Kammergebiet Hannover'') and Schleswig-Holstein for examinin g milk samples within the framework of the Milk Ordinance and official milk recording as well as in a great number of dairy laboratories in several Lander. Meanwhile calibration milk samples have found still mo re application.