Objective: To observe the variety of fat analysis of prepackaged foods from different labs of China.
Methods: Thirteen foods from seven kinds were selected as food samples: cereal products, bean products, meat products, dairy products, beverages, nuts, snacks, according to national prepackaged foods consumption survey results in 2000. The sample fat contents were analyzed parallelly for three times by national standard methods in seven labs from all the country.
Results: The 93.4% of results were up to grade by Grubbs, Cochran and Dixon screening methods. The accuracy of fat analysis was expressed by variety coefficiency (C. V%). The C. V% of inner labs and inter labs were from 1.89% to 5.39% and from 2.64% to 24.14%, the total and average C. V% level were from 3.32% to 24.60% and 11.51%. Besides the fish tin and fat-free milk powder (with very low fat content), the relative expanded uncertainties of fat detection were from 6.48% to 34.80% (average 17.62%).
Conclusion: Fat analysis level in labs from all the country was fit for national standards. If fat labeling were focused on its middle and high content prepackaged foods, the uncertainty of analysis should be controlled in 20%.