The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS), in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has evaluated and approved BactoScan™ 5, documented in a dedicated 2400 Form available on the NCIMS website.
This adds to the MicroVal certification BactoScan™ 5 already holds. MicroVal is a European certification body that validates alternative methods for microbiological analysis of food and beverages. The MicraVal’s approval of BactoScan™ 5 was completed by the time of the launch in April 2025 and was carried out in accordance with ISO 16140-2:2016, ISO 16297:2020, and ISO 21187:2021 - the standards covering method validation, evaluation of alternative bacterial count methods, and conversion between alternative and anchor method results.
BactoScan™ 5 joins its predecessors, BactoScan™ FC and BactoScan™ FC+, as a rapid method carrying these major approvals.
FOSS introduced the first BactoScan in 1980, and the technology has since become an industry standard for raw milk bacteria testing, with instruments installed in milk testing laboratories worldwide. These approvals extend that position to the fifth generation.Why total bacteria count matters
Total bacteria count is a key parameter in milk payment and a direct measure of the hygienic quality of raw milk. It reflects how the milk is produced, cooled, stored, and transported, and in most markets, it feeds directly into what a dairy farmer is paid.
