National Measurement Institute

Abstract Indigenous foods are increasingly being incorporated into contemporary diets, yet many lack dietary safety data and documented histories of use. This provides uncertainty for suppliers and poses challenges for food regulators assessing traditionally used foods entering modern markets. We present a case study of an Australian native grain (ganalay; Astrebla lappacea), traditionally used by the Gamilaraay Peoples, and compare it to commonly consumed wheat using in vitro bioassays and chemical analyses. The native grain exhibited no greater cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, or inflammatory signalling than wheat in human monocyte and hepatocyte bioassays. Chemical analysis showed contaminant levels were below tolerable limits, and no chemical classes of concern were detected. These findings suggest that the tested grain sample poses no greater risk than wheat within the in vitro and chemical contexts examined. This study demonstrates a practicable, low-cost safety assessment framework that supports the inclusion of traditionally used Indigenous foods within contemporary diets, while enabling Indigenous-led development of culturally significant species. The framework provides an initial evidence base that can be interpreted alongside cultural knowledge and histories of use, offering an accessible pathway for communities seeking to understand the safety of their foods, regardless of whether commercialisation is an intended outcome.

Low vitamin D status (circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration < 50 nmol/L) affects nearly one in four Australian adults(1). The primary source of vitamin D is sun exposure; however, a safe level of sun exposure for optimal vitamin D production has not been established. As supplement use is uneven, increasing vitamin D in food is the logical option for improving vitamin D status at a population level. The dietary supply of vitamin D is low since few foods are naturally rich in vitamin D. While there is no Australia-specific estimated average requirement (EAR) for vitamin D, the Institute of Medicine recommends an EAR of 10 μg/day for all ages. Vitamin D intake is low in Australia, with mean usual intake ranging from 1.8–3.2 μg/day across sex/age groups(2), suggesting a need for data-driven nutrition policy to improve the dietary supply of vitamin D. Food fortification has proven effective in other countries. We aimed to model four potential vitamin D fortification scenarios to determine an optimal strategy for Australia. We used food consumption data for people aged ≥ 2 years (n = 12,153) from the 2011–2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, and analytical food composition data for vitamin D3, 25(OH)D3, vitamin D2 and 25(OH)D2(3). Certain foods are permitted for mandatory or voluntary fortification in Australia. As industry uptake of the voluntary option is low, Scenario 1 simulated addition of the maximum permitted amount of vitamin D to all foods permitted under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (dairy products/plant-based alternatives, edible oil spreads, formulated beverages and permitted ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTEBC)). Scenarios 2–4 modelled higher concentrations than those permitted for fluid milk/alternatives (1 μg/100 mL) and edible oil spreads (20 μg/100 g) within an expanding list of food vehicles: Scenario 2—dairy products/alternatives, edible oil spreads, formulated beverages; Scenario 3—Scenario 2 plus RTEBC; Scenario 4—Scenario 3 plus bread (which is not permitted for vitamin D fortification in Australia). Usual intake was modelled for the four scenarios across sex and age groups using the National Cancer Institute Method(4). Assuming equal bioactivity of the D vitamers, the range of mean usual vitamin D intake across age groups for males for Scenarios 1 to 4, respectively, was 7.2–8.8, 6.9–8.3, 8.0–9.7 and 9.3–11.3 μg/day; the respective values for females were 5.8–7.5, 5.8–7.2, 6.4–8.3 and 7.5–9.5 μg/day. No participant exceeded the upper level of intake (80 μg/day) under any scenario. Systematic fortification of all foods permitted for vitamin D fortification could substantially improve vitamin D intake across the population. However, the optimal strategy would require permissions for bread as a food vehicle, and addition of higher than permitted concentrations of vitamin D to fluid milks/alternatives and edible oil spreads.

Main textThis comparison compared the standards used for the calibration of stopwatches from three national metrology institutes. The comparison was piloted by the National Metrology Institute of Malaysia, and supported by the National Measurement Institute, Australia. The National Measurement Standards - National Standardization Agency of Indonesia (SNSU-BSN) participated in the comparison in preparation of coordinating an international proficiency test for the APMP-APAC Joint Proficiency Testing Working Group. Two stopwatches with a resolution of 1 millisecond were used as the comparison artefacts. Time intervals of nominally 10 seconds, 3600 seconds (1 hour), and 10 800 seconds (3 hours) were measured. The comparison reference value at each time interval was calculated from measurements performed by the pilot laboratory. There was very good agreement between all the participants. The comparison was arranged by the APMP Technical Committee on Time and Frequency Working Group on Test and Calibration.To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database https://www.bipm.org/kcdb/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCTF, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Measurement of total bilirubin (TBil) concentration in serum is the gold standard approach for diagnosing neonatal unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. It is of utmost importance that the measured TBil concentration is sufficiently accurate to prevent under treatment, unnecessary escalation of care, or overtreatment. However, it is widely recognized that TBil measurements urgently require improvement in neonatal clinical chemistry. External quality assessment (EQA) programs for TBil assess for differences between laboratories and provide supporting evidence of significant differences between various methods, manufacturers and measurement platforms. At the same time, many countries have adopted or only slightly adapted the neonatal hyperbilirubinemia management guidelines from the USA or UK, often without addressing differences in the methodology of TBil measurements. In this report, we provide an overview of the components of bilirubin that are measured by laboratory platforms, the availability of current reference measurement procedures and reference materials, and therole of EQA surveys in this context. Furthermore, the current status of agreement in neonatal bilirubin against clinical decision thresholds is reviewed. We advocate for enhancements in accuracy and comparability of neonatal TBil measurements, propose a path forward to accomplish this, and reflect on the position of the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Working Group Neonatal Bilirubin (WG-NB) in this matter.

This paper presents preliminary results of phase angle error measurements of several radial thin-film micro-potentiometer resistors developed at the National Measurement Institute, Australia (NMIA). We explore the viability of using these resistors as references for phase error measurements of current shunts and precision resistors. The effects of common mode dependence and level dependence have been investigated. The measurements were made for a range of frequencies from 40 Hz to 100 kHz. Preliminary results demonstrate that the phase angle error of two resistors that are compared directly, and the sum of phase angle errors of two comparisons to a third resistor show agreement of better than 5 µrad.

Abstract Climate change is threatening our current food systems and countries around the world are seeking alternative food sources to safeguard against potential food insecurity and nutrient deficiency concerns. Various traditional foods used by Aboriginal groups of Australia have previously been shown to be highly nutritious, contain beneficial functional properties and can thrive in the harsh climatic conditions found across Australia. As interest in these traditional foods grows, Aboriginal groups are looking at developing a range of foods for modern markets. However, for many of these foods, there is still little known about their nutritional and functional properties. In this study, we report the nutrition composition and antioxidant properties of a native Australian grain species that is currently being developed for commercial markets by a collective of Aboriginal Traditional Custodians and compare its properties to a commonly consumed wheat variety. Compared with wheat, the native grain species contained 2-fold greater protein and total fats, and higher levels of essential minerals and trace elements, including 8-fold iron levels and >2.5-fold calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese levels. Functionally, the native grain contained 2.4-fold greater polyphenol content and displayed greater antioxidant potential in exposed human monocyte cultures. Importantly, the native grain was also found to contain a very low gluten content. Altogether, this shows that the native grain is nutritionally and functionally superior to commonly consumed wheat for the measured parameters and could potentially serve as a grain alternative or be used to fortify current wheat-based and gluten-free products.

Vitamin K is a multi-function vitamin that has emerging roles in bone, brain and vascular health. Vitamin K composition data remain limited globally and Australia has lacked nationally representative data for vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) in horticultural commodities. Primary samples (n = 927) of 90 Australian-grown fruit, vegetable and nut commodities were purchased in three Australian cities. We measured vitamin K1/phylloquinone in duplicate in 95 composite samples using liquid chromatography with electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry. The greatest mean concentrations of vitamin K1/phylloquinone were found in kale (565 μg/100 g), baby spinach (255 μg/100 g) and Brussels sprouts (195 μg/100 g). The data contribute to the global collection of vitamin K food composition data. They add to the evidence that vitamin K1/phylloquinone concentrations vary markedly between geographic regions, supporting development of region-specific datasets for national food composition databases that do not yet contain data for vitamin K. Such data are needed globally.

The "purity" of an organic compound typically refers, in practice, to an assignment of the mass fraction content of the primary organic component present in the material. The "purity" value of an organic primary calibrator material is the ultimate source of metrological traceability of any quantitative measurement of the content of that compound in a given matrix. The primary calibrator may consist of a Certified Reference Material (CRM) whose purity has been assigned by the CRM producer or a laboratory may choose to value-assign a material to the extent necessary for their intended application by using appropriately valid methods. This report provides an overview of the approach, performance and applicability of the principal methods used to determine organic purity including mass balance, quantitative NMR, thermal methods and direct-assay techniques. A statistical section reviews best practice for combination of data, value assignment as the upper limit values corresponding to 100 % purity are approached and how to report and propagate the standard uncertainty associated with the assigned values.