Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
All operations and analytical methods must comply with relevant standards, appropriate procedures and/or enterprise requirements.

These procedures include or have been prepared from
Australian and international standards such as -
AS ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
Food Standards Code 2002 Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and amendments
AQIS Export Control Orders
NATA accreditation procedures
AOAC standards
Dairy Food Safety standards
ISO 9000 series Quality management and quality assurance standards
AS 2243 Safety in laboratories
AS 2830 Good laboratory practice
AS 2134.1 Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy
AS/766 Food microbiology
Therapeutic Goods Act
codes of practice such as GLP and GMP
material safety data sheets (MSDSs)
National Measurement Act
test methods and standard operating procedures (SOPs) involving for example: sampling, sample preparation, storage, disposal, transport; data quality; waste minimisation; cleaning and hygiene; safety
nutrient analysis or food composition tables
quality manuals, equipment and procedure manuals
equipment start-up, operation and shutdown procedures
calibration and maintenance schedules
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
production and laboratory schedules
material, production and product specifications.

Analytical instruments may include
spectrometric instruments such as
ultraviolet/visible
infrared including Fourier transform infrared and near infrared
atomic absorption including flame and flameless
fluorescence, flame emission, ICP optical emission, ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry)
chromatographic techniques and instruments such as-
paper such as ascending and descending
thin layer such as ascending, high performance, radical and descending
column chromatography
affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography
gas liquid and gas solid chromatography
high performance liquid chromatography such as Liquid-Liquid (LLC), Liquid-Solid (LSC), Ion (IC), Size Exclusion (SEC)
GC-MS
electrophoretic techniques such as capillary electrophoresis
electrometric techniques such as-
ion selective electrodes
potentiometric titrations
conductometric titrations
amperemetry
polarography.

Sample preparation may include
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
grinding to required particle size, milling, preparation of disks, digestion, dissolving, ashing, refluxing, extraction, filtration, evaporation, flocculation, precipitation, washing, drying, centrifugation, degassing, temperature equilibration
culturing of micro-organisms
determination of, and if appropriate, removal of any contaminants or impurities
ultratrace procedures requiring high purity solvents, clean rooms, ultra clean glassware, specialised glassware.

Nutrient analysis may include
percentage composition of foods for major macronutrients such as starch, sugars, fats, protein and fibre
percentage composition of foods for saturated, unsaturated (mono, poly and omega3) fats and trans fatty acids
soluble and insoluble fibre
micronutrients with positive or negative health implications
micronutrients that figure in Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) lists
enzymic and immunological assays.

Ingredient composition, in order to comply with FSANZ labeling regulations, may include specification of
gluten free, lactose free, wheat free, cholesterol, salicylates, amines, monosodium glutamate, alcohol, nuts, additives such as maltodextrose, egg white, wheat varieties, antioxidants, flavins, soy and phytoestrogens, glycaemic index (GI)
probiotic claims
genetically modified food, irradiation of foods or ingredients.

Ingredient composition involved with the development of new processes, new products, and flavours may include
quantitative analysis of oils in condiments and mustards
characterisation of probiotic and prebiotic foods
characterisation of flavins and phytoestrogens
characterisation of starch variants such as resistant starch
characterisation of tannins and polyphenols in beverages
analysis of ingredients that impart flavour and colour.

Checking for contaminants may include
identification of microbial contaminants
heavy metals
allergens
chemical contaminants that constitute either-
a public health risk with long term implications such as afflotoxin in peanuts
a food poisoning risk
spoiling of food leading to flavour changes and loss of sale.

Hazards may include
electric shock
biohazards such as microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, animal tissue and fluids; mycotoxins
chemicals such as-
acids for example, sulphuric, perchloric, hydrofluoric
hazardous materials such as heavy metals, pesticides
anions for example, fluoride
hydrocarbons for example, mono-aromatics
sharps, broken glassware
aerosols
flammable liquids and gases
cryogenics such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure such as hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography, acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
dusts
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services.

Addressing hazards may include
use of material safety data sheets (MSDS)
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours, gases
use of appropriate equipment such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, materials safety data sheets and manufacturer's instructions
minimising exposure to radiation ionising such as lasers, electromagnetic and ultraviolet radiation.

Health, safety and environment
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
All operations assume the potential hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. Users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council and State and Territory Departments of Health. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence.
Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard. In particular, assessors should look to see that the candidate:

interprets client requests, test methods and procedures accurately
can safely set up, start up and shut down equipment using enterprise procedures
checks calibration/qualification status of equipment
handles, prepares and stores samples and standards appropriately
chooses and optimises procedures and equipment settings to suit sample/test requirements
operates equipment to obtain valid and reliable data
calculates analyte concentrations with appropriate accuracy, precision and units
recognises atypical data/results
troubleshoots common analytical procedure and equipment problems
applies theoretical knowledge to interpret data and makes relevant conclusions
records and reports data/results using enterprise procedures
maintains security, integrity and traceability of samples and documentation
follows OHS procedures and GLP.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

structure, properties and nutritional value of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, fibre
chemical composition of common food and beverages and the methods that can determine their composition
key food processing and preservation techniques and their effect on nutrients
packaging and controlled atmosphere storage and their effect on nutrients
glycaemic index and its significance
significance of digestion and absorption of macro and micronutrients in food and the implications of food additives and fortification on absorption of nutrients such as fortification of milks with Fe and Ca, breakfast cereal with Fe
interrelationships of specific nutrient composition with public health and health promotion issues
food labeling regulations and their implications for nutritional claims
micro-organisms responsible for food spoilage, contamination, food borne disease and used in food processing for preservation or probiotic application
quality control programs for raw materials, process control and finished product inspection
sample preparation methods and correct storage conditions for specific food samples and tests
principles and concepts related to instrument operation, material preparation and testing
function of key components and sub system of the instrument
effects on outputs and results of modifying instrumental variables
procedures for optimising instrument performance
basic procedure and equipment troubleshooting techniques
preparation and use of calibration charts and/or standards
calculation steps to give results in appropriate units and precision
sources of error in specific tests and reproducibility and accuracy of commonly used test method for nutrient analysis
enterprise and/or legal traceability requirements
basic equipment maintenance procedures
relevant health, safety and environment requirements.

Knowledge is also required of:

emerging character of pharmaceutical properties of foods and probiotics
public perception of food safety including genetically modified foods and food irradiation
role of and methods of production of genetically modified foods in the market
nature, structure and function of food additives
food allergies and intolerances
food legislation relevant for enterprise
HACCP procedures for enterprise.

Specific industry
Additional knowledge requirements may apply for different food processing industry sectors such as: dairy, grains, fruit and vegetables, meat, cereals.

Assessment context and methods
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of test data/results obtained by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, consistency and timeliness of results
inspection of test records and workplace documentation completed by the candidate
observation of candidate using instruments to conduct food analyses
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant principles, concepts, analytical techniques and enterprise procedures.
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

PMLDTA500B Analyse data and report results.

Resource Implications

Resources may include:

standard laboratory with appropriate analytical instruments, laboratory reagents and equipment, samples
standard operating procedures (SOPs) and test methods.

This competency in practice
A new breakfast cereal is going to be launched. The cereal has been developed, a manufacturing process devised and the marketing and legal teams have collaborated with the food technologists to determine what information needs to be on the label and what can be proclaimed on that label. The cereal has been fortified with iron and the laboratory team is requested to perform analyses on the product to confirm the nutrient analysis. This analysis will involve chemical and biochemical food analyses as well as computer nutrient analysis based on ingredient quantities computed for adding during manufacture. The technical officer is allocated the task of estimating iron levels by nutritional analysis (computer based) and using atomic absorption spectrophotometry on the ashed sample.

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation. The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit. These are stand-alone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Level (1) represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively
Level (2) represents the competence to manage tasks
Level (3) represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks.
Communicating ideas and information
(2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(2)

Planning and organising activities
(2)

Working with others and in teams
(2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(2)

Solving problems
(3)

Using technology
(3)