Jenna Klingsick1, Carolyn Q. Burdette1,*, Colleen E. Bryan Sallee1, Michael Winchester2, Catherine A. Rimmer2, Bailey Moritz3, Charles Yarish3,4,5,6
1Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Charleston, SC 29412, United States, 2Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, United States, 3World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC 20037, United States, 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Stamford, CT, United States, 5Applied Ocean and Physics Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States, 6GreenWave Organization, New Haven, CT, United States
*Correspondence: Carolyn Q. Burdette, carolyn.burdette@nist.gov
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are collaboratively working to advance the global seaweed farming industry. A major component of these efforts is the need for certified reference materials and methodologies for the compositional analysis of seaweed. In the spring of 2022, NIST’s Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP) was leveraged to identify discrepancies across the industry and identify methodologies that require standardization. While NIST QAP exercises are not proficiency tests (PT) and are not intended to pass strict evaluation of laboratory performance, they are conducted according to ISO/IEC 17043 and are designed to assist participants in evaluation and improvement of their measurement capabilities. Additionally, industry stakeholders can observe measurement challenges and NIST gains knowledge to guide the production and maintenance of reference materials.
Studies offered within the DSQAP Exercise 1 included the analysis of key elements, vitamins, per- and poly-fluoro alkyl substances (PFAS) contaminants, phenolic content, and proximates in different seaweed species (i.e. Saccharina latissimi, Ascophyllum nodosum). Seventy-five laboratories registered for at least one study and received samples from NIST for analysis. Results were returned to NIST and evaluated for accuracy, precision, and method bias.
This presentation will summarize the results of DSQAP Exercise 1 and provide technical recommendations for the seaweed measurement community. In the near future, NIST and WWF will organize a workshop for DSQAP participants and anyone else who is interested to provide more details on DSQAP findings, connect the seaweed farming measurement community, and discuss next steps.