A proposal for using previous experience in designing microbiological sampling plans based on variables

A microbiological sampling system on the basis of variables is presented which requires only small numbers of replicates (n greater than or equal to 2). The system uses previous data on standard deviations of numbers of micro-organisms in batches and is particularly useful for in-plant situations. The discriminating power of the system is comparable to that of the current International Committee on Microbiological Specifications for Foods sampling schemes but uses more replicates.