About the Program
The One Sample Strategy standardizes corn sampling and testing procedures to reduce variability of aflatoxin and fumonisin test results. When grain operators
utilize official methods, the Texas grain industry benefits from:
- Accurate, defensible and timely test results for crop insurance settlement, purchasing decisions and regulatory purposes
- Food safety from the first point of commerce to the consumer
- Market confidence for producers, grain operators, merchandisers, retailers and regulators
The One Sample Strategy is a voluntary public-private partnership that extends the benefits and responsibilities of official testing to commercial
grain operations, including grain elevators, feed mills and commercial laboratories. All Texas grain operators are invited to create a customized Sampling and
Testing plan based on the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards (GIPSA) official methods described in the
One Sample Strategy handbook.
Participants contribute:
- A customized sampling and testing plan
- Time to train employees and follow official procedures
- Talented employees who are qualified to issue official test results
- Equipment
The Office of the Texas State Chemist (OTSC) serves as the program administrator to ensure that:
- Rapid test kits are validated to accurately measure aflatoxin and fumonisin in corn
- Aflatoxin and fumonisin reference material is produced according to
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
requirements and is made available free of charge to participating locations
- Employees at grain operations are qualified to sample, grind and test according to official methods
- Grain operation employees, who are credentialed as OTSC designees, adhere to official methods and issue official results
- Official results continue to be recognized for crop insurance indemnification by the USDA Risk Management Agency
Naturally contaminated corn is used to produce reference material.
We Measure Prevention in Grams, Not Ounces
As an approved ISO 17034-2016 Reference Material Provider, the Office of the Texas State Chemist
provides free aflatoxin and fumonisin reference material to all One Sample Strategy participants. Reference material is developed from naturally contaminated
corn and is produced according to the ISO 17034:2016 standard in order to establish the target mycotoxin concentration, confirm product homogeneity and determine stability.
One Sample Strategy analysts analyze aflatoxin and/or fumonisin reference material (i.e., control samples) to evaluate the reliability of the testing system and
correct problems before testing official samples.
OTSC field staff regularly visit approved labs to monitor results, check records and collect file samples for verification testing. File samples are analyzed by
the OTSC’s Agricultural Analytical Service using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for aflatoxin testing, and Ultra‐high Performance Liquid Chromatography
with a Tandem Mass Spectrometry Detector (LC/MS/MS) for fumonisin. The OTSC Quality Assurance Manager reviews control sample records and verification results, and works
with One Sample Strategy labs to improve performance.
For more information about Mycotoxin testing in Texas, please see: