IMPROVEMENT OF METHODS OF LABORATORY QUALITY CONTROL OF FOOD RAW MATERIALS IN THE CONDITIONS OF HARMONIZATION OF UKRAINIAN LEGISLATION WITH EU REQUIREMENTS

Abstract

Relevance. Improvement of methods of laboratory quality control of food raw materials is of particular importance in the conditions of harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with the requirements of the European Union, since a modern control system must ensure not only the detection of individual deviations, but also analytical accuracy, reproducibility, efficiency and regulatory suitability of results. The relevance of the problem is enhanced by the complexity of food raw materials themselves as an object of control, which is characterized by a combination of microbiological, toxicological and chemical risks.
Purpose of the study. To study the current state of improvement of methods of laboratory quality control of food raw materials in the conditions of harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with EU requirements. 
Methods of analysis. Bibliographic, analytical, comparative and generalizing methods were used. A systematization of modern scientific publications devoted to microbiological, molecular, chromatographic-mass spectrometric and multi-residue approaches to the control of food raw materials was carried out, and their significance for the adaptation of national laboratory practice to European requirements was assessed.
Results. It was established that the modern improvement of laboratory control occurs in three key areas: expanding the multicomponent analysis, implementing regulatory validated methods and integrating the laboratory result into the system of official risk-based control. It is shown that in the field of microbiological control there is a transition from mainly classical cultural schemes to rapid molecular and sensory methods that reduce the duration of analysis and increase the efficiency of response. In the toxicological and chemical segments, a sharp increase in the analytical capacity of methods has been identified, which made it possible to simultaneously control a wide range of mycotoxins, pesticides, antibiotics, biocides and veterinary drugs in different types of raw materials. At the same time, it was found that along with technological progress, the problems of interlaboratory unification, standardization of the interpretation of multicomponent results, overcoming matrix effects and widespread implementation of high-tech platforms in routine practice persist.
Practical value of the work. The practical value lies in the generalization of modern directions of modernization of laboratory control of food raw materials and the identification of those methodological approaches that are most promising for implementation in the national system of official control in conditions of harmonization with EU requirements.
Conclusions. Improving laboratory quality control of food raw materials should be considered as a transition to a comprehensive, standardized and regulatory compatible analysis. The main results of such improvement are increasing the analytical capacity of methods, reducing the time to obtain results, expanding the spectrum of controlled contaminants and bringing laboratory practice closer to the European model of official control. At the same time, further development of this area requires unification of methods, strengthening interlaboratory validation and increasing the availability of high-tech analytical equipment.