AOAC International

AOAC International is a non-profit scientific association with headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, that publishes standardised chemical analysis methods.AOAC 国际是一家总部位于马里兰州罗克维尔的非营利科学协会，出版标准化的化学分析方法。

Founded in 1884 and known as AOAC International since 1991, it counts around 3,000 members in more than 90 countries, and government agencies and civil organisations often require laboratories to use its official methods.该协会成立于 1884 年，自 1991 年起使用「AOAC 国际」之名，在 90 多个国家拥有约 3,000 名会员；政府机构与民间组织常要求实验室采用其官方方法。

History

• AOAC was founded on 8 September 1884 as the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists by the United States Department of Agriculture.AOAC 于 1884 年 9 月 8 日由美国农业部设立，初名「官方农业化学家协会」。
• Its original purpose was to establish uniform chemical analysis methods for analysing fertilizers.其最初的宗旨是为肥料分析建立统一的化学分析方法。
• In 1927 it was moved to the newly formed Food, Drug and Insecticide organization, which became the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.1927 年，它被划归新成立的食品、药品与杀虫剂机构，该机构于 1930 年成为美国食品药品监督管理局。
• From its initial scope of analysing fertilizer, it expanded its methods book to cover dairy products, pesticides, microbiological contamination and animal feeds.从最初仅分析肥料，它把方法手册的范围扩展到乳制品、农药、微生物污染与动物饲料。
• In 1965, reflecting its growing analytical scope, the name was changed to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists.1965 年，为反映其分析范围的扩大，名称改为「官方分析化学家协会」。
• The name then became the Association of Analytical Communities to reflect growing international involvement, before AOAC International was adopted in 1991 with AOAC no longer having any legal meaning.此后又改为「分析界协会」以体现日益增强的国际参与，最终于 1991 年采用 AOAC 国际之名，此时缩写已不再具有字面含义。
• Control of the organisation remained with the Food and Drug Administration until 1979, when it became completely independent, though it retains close links to both the FDA and the USDA.该组织的管理权一直归美国食品药品监督管理局直至 1979 年完全独立，但它至今仍与该局及农业部保持密切联系。
• Full membership was limited to government analytical chemists until 1987, when it was extended to industrial scientists.在 1987 年之前，正式会员资格仅限政府分析化学家，此后扩展至产业界科学家。
• Members, volunteers and partners now also come from academia, international organisations, private laboratories, contract research organisations, instrument manufacturers and rapid assay developers.如今的会员、志愿者与伙伴还来自学术界、国际组织、私营实验室、合同研究组织、仪器制造商与快速检测试剂开发者。

Mission and activities

• Its technical contributions centre on the creation, validation and global publication of reliable analytical test methods.其技术贡献集中在可靠分析检测方法的建立、验证与全球发布。
• Areas of focus include the safety of foods, beverages and dietary supplements, as well as fertilizers, animal feeds, soil and water and veterinary drugs.其关注领域包括食品、饮料与膳食补充剂的安全，以及肥料、动物饲料、土壤与水、兽药。
• Its methods aim to evaluate the purity of materials used in the production of foodstuffs and their ingredients.其方法旨在评价用于食品及其配料生产的原料纯度。
• The Official Methods of Analysis programme is its premier programme for developing food testing methods that are recognised and legally defensible worldwide.「官方分析方法」项目是其首要项目，用于开发在全球获得认可并具法律效力的食品检测方法。
• The AOAC Research Institute's Performance Tested Methods programme develops, improves and validates proprietary kit-based food safety testing methods.AOAC 研究所的「性能验证方法」项目开发、改进并验证专有的试剂盒式食品安全检测方法。
• Its Proficiency Testing programme helps laboratories demonstrate that they meet international standards for accuracy, reliability and compliance.其能力验证项目帮助实验室证明其达到关于准确度、可靠性与合规性的国际标准。
• Its Cannabis Analytical Science Program provides a forum for discussing hemp and cannabis analysis and developing related standards and methods.其大麻分析科学项目为讨论大麻分析并制定相关标准与方法提供平台。
• The Analytical Solutions Forum brings global stakeholders together to identify emerging needs and technologies in the scientific analysis of food and related products.「分析解决方案论坛」汇聚全球利益相关方，识别食品及相关产品科学分析中的新兴需求与技术。
• Its Botanical Ingredients and Dietary Supplement Integrity program coordinates consensus-driven development and validation of methods for botanical ingredients and supplements.其植物成分与膳食补充剂完整性项目协调以共识驱动的方法开发与验证，用于各类植物成分与补充剂分析。
• The Stakeholder Program on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals develops consensus-based standards and methods to make such products safer to consume.婴幼儿配方与成人营养品利益相关方项目制定基于共识的标准与方法，使这类产品食用更安全。
• The Stakeholder Program on Agent Detection Assays brings together experts from the biothreat community to foster uniform analysis and detection of biothreat agents.生物威胁因子检测分析利益相关方项目汇集生物威胁领域的专家，推动生物威胁因子的统一分析与检测。
• Its Microbiological Standards programme addresses capability gaps in laboratory testing, emerging microbial threats to food safety and standards for cutting-edge technologies.其微生物标准项目针对实验室检测的能力缺口、食品安全面临的微生物新威胁以及前沿技术的标准制定。
• The Gluten and Food Allergens program coordinates methods for analysing food-associated allergens and gluten.麸质与食物过敏原项目协调分析食物相关过敏原与麸质的方法。
• Its training and education programme offers scientific, regulatory and professional development courses at its Annual and Midyear Meetings and online.其培训与教育项目在年会与年中会议以及线上提供科学、法规与职业发展课程。
• Its Annual Meeting and Conference is typically held in August or September and moves among major cities in the United States.其年会与大会通常在 8 月或 9 月举行，并在美国各大城市之间轮换。
• It maintains 15 active sections, five in North America and ten elsewhere, including China, India, Japan, South-East Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Europe, the Lowlands, the Middle East and Africa, and Central and South America.它设有 15 个活跃的分会，其中 5 个在北美、10 个在其他地区，包括中国、印度、日本、东南亚、台湾、泰国、欧洲、低地国家、中东与非洲，以及中南美洲。

Organization and governance

• AOAC International is a 501(c) non-profit scientific association governed by its membership and board.AOAC 国际是 501(c) 非营利科学协会，由会员与理事会治理。
• It was established by a United States government department and remained under federal control until 1979, when it became completely independent.它由美国政府的一个部门设立，并在 1979 年完全独立之前一直处于联邦管理之下。
• Despite its independence it retains close links with both the FDA and the USDA.尽管已独立，它仍与食品药品监督管理局及农业部保持密切联系。
• Its programmes are run through volunteer expert communities, which develop and validate methods before publication.其各项目由志愿专家社群推进，方法在发布前须经开发与验证。
• Its sections, spread across five continents, connect members in different regions to the association's method work.其分会遍布五大洲，把不同地区的会员与协会的方法工作连接起来。
• The association also works with instrument manufacturers and assay developers, reflecting how modern methods are commercialised.协会还与仪器制造商及检测开发者合作，反映出当代方法商业化的方式。

Membership and funding

• Membership stands at around 3,000, based in more than 90 countries.其会员约 3,000 名，分布于 90 多个国家。
• Full membership was restricted to government analytical chemists until 1987, when industrial scientists became eligible.在 1987 年以前，正式会员仅限政府分析化学家，此后产业界科学家才获得资格。
• As a non-profit association it is financed by membership dues, publications, proficiency testing and meeting income rather than by commercial profit.作为非营利协会，其经费来自会员会费、出版物、能力验证与会议收入，而非商业利润。
• Its Official Methods of Analysis is published both in hard copy and through an online database, which subscribers use to identify official methods.其《官方分析方法》既有纸质版，也有在线数据库，订阅者借此查询官方方法。
• The Journal of AOAC International has been published bimonthly since 1915.《AOAC 国际期刊》自 1915 年起双月出版。
• Inside Laboratory Management is published online bimonthly for members.《实验室管理内参》以双月为周期面向会员在线发布。
• At its annual meeting the association presents awards for scientific excellence in standards development and for exceptional service, including the Harvey W. Wiley Award and the William Horwitz Award.协会在年会上颁发标准制定卓越奖与服务奖，其中包括 Harvey W. Wiley 奖与 William Horwitz 奖。

Reception

• Government agencies and civil organisations often require laboratories to use official AOAC methods, giving them a quasi-regulatory standing.政府机构与民间组织常要求实验室采用 AOAC 官方方法，使其具有准监管地位。
• Its methods are designed to increase confidence in the results of chemical and microbiological analyses.其方法旨在提升化学与微生物分析结果的可信度。
• The association traces its lineage to the earliest era of American food and fertilizer regulation, having been founded by the Department of Agriculture in 1884.该协会的渊源可追溯至美国食品与肥料监管的最早期，由农业部于 1884 年创办。
• Its expansion from fertilizer to dairy, pesticides, feeds and now cannabis and allergens tracks the widening scope of analytical chemistry in regulation.它从肥料扩展到乳制品、农药、饲料，再到如今的大麻与过敏原，映射出分析化学在监管中的范围不断扩大。
• The Official Methods of Analysis programme is described as its premier programme for legally defensible food testing methods.「官方分析方法」项目被称为其打造具法律效力食品检测方法的首要项目。
• Its proficiency testing programme lets laboratories benchmark themselves against international expectations of accuracy and compliance.其能力验证项目使实验室得以对照国际对准确性与合规性的要求进行自我基准比较。
• Because it was government-run for nearly a century, its methods carry the authority of public testing practice rather than of a purely private body.由于在近一个世纪里由政府管理，其方法带有公共检测实践的权威性，而非纯粹私立机构的性质。
• Its fifteen sections, from China and India to Central and South America, give the association an unusually broad international footprint for a standards body.其从中国、印度到中南美洲的 15 个分会，使这一标准机构拥有异常广泛的国际覆盖面。

Notable people

• Harvey Washington Wiley, the chemist and consumer advocate, is recorded as the association's founder, and its highest award is named after him.化学家与消费者权益倡导者 Harvey Washington Wiley 被记为协会的创始人，其最高奖项即以他命名。
• William Horwitz, whose name is attached to one of the association's top honours, is commemorated for his contributions to analytical standards.William Horwitz 之名被用于协会最高荣誉之一，以纪念其对分析标准的贡献。
• The association's work is carried out by volunteer expert communities that develop and validate methods.协会的工作由开发并验证方法的志愿专家社群承担。
• Its members, volunteers and partners now include academics, private laboratories, instrument manufacturers and rapid assay developers alongside government chemists.其会员、志愿者与伙伴如今包括学术界人士、私营实验室、仪器制造商与快速检测开发者，而不再只有政府化学家。
• Its International sections are led by members in China, India, Japan, South-East Asia, Europe and the Middle East and Africa.其国际分会由中国、印度、日本、东南亚、欧洲以及中东与非洲的会员领导。
• AOAC's ties to the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture date from its founding and its long period of federal control.AOAC 与食品药品监督管理局及农业部的联系可追溯至其创立及其漫长的联邦管理时期。
• Its methods cover foods, beverages, dietary supplements, fertilizers, animal feeds, soil and water and veterinary drugs.其方法涵盖食品、饮料、膳食补充剂、肥料、动物饲料、土壤与水，以及兽药。
• Its programmes are developed by volunteer expert communities working through a consensus process.其各项目由志愿专家社群以共识流程开发。
• Its proficiency testing programme helps laboratories demonstrate accuracy, reliability and compliance to international standards.其能力验证项目帮助实验室证明其准确度、可靠性与对国际标准的合规性。
• The Journal of AOAC International has appeared bimonthly since 1915, and Inside Laboratory Management is issued online for members.《AOAC 国际期刊》自 1915 年起双月出版，《实验室管理内参》则以在线方式面向会员发行。
• Its stakeholder programmes address specialised problems such as agent detection assays for the biothreat community.其利益相关方项目处理专门问题，例如面向生物威胁领域的试剂检测分析。
• Its annual meeting awards recognise scientific excellence in standards development and exceptional service to the association, including the fellow designation.其年会奖项表彰在标准制定中的科学卓越表现与对协会的突出服务，其中包括会士称号。
• Because official AOAC methods are cited in regulation and procurement, the association's consensus process has effects beyond its own membership and shapes testing practice in many jurisdictions.由于 AOAC 官方方法会被法规与采购引用，该协会的共识流程所产生的影响超出其会员范围，并在许多司法辖区塑造检测实践。