Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Codes of practice
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
Australian and international standards such as:
AS 1766.0-1995 Food microbiology - General introduction and list of methods
AS ISO 1000-1998 The international system of units (SI) and its application
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
Australia New Zealand Food Standards (ANZFS) Code
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines
calibration and maintenance schedules
data quality procedures
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
gene technology regulations
industry standards, such as Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) or American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) methods for colour, moisture, total ash, fats and proteins, nitrogen, fibre, micro-organisms and viscosity
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
material, production and product specifications (including maximum residue levels)
national measurement regulations and guidelines
principles of GLP
production and laboratory schedules
quality manuals, equipment and procedures manuals
SOPs and in-house methods
Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1009
test methods and SOPs involving, for example, sampling, sample preparation, storage, disposal, transport, data quality, waste minimisation, cleaning and hygiene and safety
nutrient analysis or food composition tables
Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) Code and User Guides
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) Accreditation programs requirements
Association of Analytical Communities International (AOAC International) Official Methods of Analysis
Analytical instruments
Analytical instruments may include:
Spectrometric instruments:
ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS)
infrared including Fourier transform infrared and near infrared
atomic absorption including flame and flameless
fluorescence, flame emission, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
chromatographic techniques and instruments:
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 (HPLC) such as liquid-liquid (LLC), liquid-solid (LSC), ion (IC), size exclusion (SEC)
gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS)
electrophoretic techniques, such as capillary electrophoresis
electrometric techniques:
ion-selective electrodes
potentiometric titrations
conductometric titrations
amperemetry
polarography
Sample preparation:
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 and temperature equilibration
culturing of micro-organisms
determination of, and if appropriate, removal of any contaminants or impurities
ultra-trace procedures requiring high purity solvents, clean rooms, ultra clean glassware and specialised glassware
Nutrient analysis may
Nutrient analysis may include:
percentage composition of foods for major macro-nutrients 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
micro-nutrients with positive or negative health implications
micro-nutrients that figure in Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) lists
enzymic and immunological assays
Ingredient composition
Ingredient composition, may include specification of:
gluten free, lactose free, wheat free, cholesterol, salicylates, amines, monosodium glutamate (MSG), alcohol, nuts, additives, such as maltodextrose, egg white, wheat varieties, antioxidants, flavins, soy and phytoestrogens, and 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
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
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
The test results
The test results may contribute to:
optimising production processes
nutritional information
labeling requirements
food safety
establishment, monitoring and troubleshooting of the HACCP process
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
biohazards:
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, animal tissue and fluids
mycotoxins
chemicals:
acids (e.g. sulphuric, perchloric and hydrofluoric)
hazardous materials, such as heavy metals and pesticides
anions (e.g. fluoride)
hydrocarbons (e.g. mono-aromatics)
sharps, and 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 and acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
dusts
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may include:
use of MSDS
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses and coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours and 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, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
minimising exposure to radiation ionising such as lasers, electromagnetic and ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements
OHS and environmental management requirements
all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
interpret client requests, test methods and procedures accurately
safely set up, start up and shut down equipment using enterprise procedures
check calibration/qualification status of equipment
handle, prepare and store samples and standards appropriately
choose and optimise procedures and equipment settings to suit sample/test requirements
operate equipment to obtain valid and reliable data
calculate analyte concentrations with appropriate accuracy, precision, uncertainty and units
recognise atypical data/results
troubleshoot common analytical procedure and equipment problems
apply theoretical knowledge to interpret data and make relevant conclusions
record and report data/results using enterprise procedures
maintain security, integrity and traceability of samples and documentation
follow OHS procedures and principles of GLP.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL925001A Analyse data and report results.
Resources may include:
standard laboratory with appropriate analytical instruments, laboratory reagents and equipment and samples
SOPs and test methods.

Method of assessment
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.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment.

This competency in practice
Industry representatives have provided the case studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Food processing (1)
A food laboratory technician is required to conduct nutritional analyses to meet Food Standards nutrition labelling requirements for a client's food sample. The client's product makes nutritional claims (for cholesterol and fatty acids) which require more than the standard format for a nutrition information panel (for energy, protein, total fat and saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium). The technical officer schedules the nutritional assays according to enterprise procedures, sets up and calibrates the equipment, and prepares the samples and controls. She/he performs all required analyses carefully, recording sufficient readings to obtain reliable data for all samples and controls and satisfying all quality assurance and client specific requirements. The technician presents the analytical data to her/his supervisor for checking and signing off within specified time frame and the results are released to client.
Food processing (2)
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 (AAS) on the ashed sample.