This proficiency trial was carried out in 19 European National Reference Laboratories (NRLs), which undertake poultrymeat moisture and nitrogen/protein determinations to enforce the Poultrymeat Marketing Regulation (Commission Regulation 243/2008). This Regulation set limts for the uptake of technically unavoidable water content during the preparation and processing of poultrymeat by determining the water/protein ratio. In the proficiency trial, three different pre-homogenised chicken samples (fillets, drumsticks and carcasses) were distributed and analysed. Only one NRL produced unsatisfactory results. In the homogenisation study, NRLs were supplied with uniform fillet, drumstick and carcass materials, and homogenisation was performed according to the NRLs in-house methods. In this case, 5 NRLs did not return satisfactory results, and the scattering of individual results was higher for drumsticks compared to fillets and carcasses. Whereas these 5 NRLs had produced satisfactory results in the pre-homogenised trial, the problem was down to their homogenisation practices, and standardisation is therefore advisable.
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