The National Institute of Standardization (INN in Spanish) has published 2 Chilean Standards on Food Chain Microbiology.

• NCh-ISO7218:2026
  Food chain microbiology – General requirements and guidance for microbiological analysis. This standard specifies the general requirements and provides guidance on microbiological analyzes. It is applicable to: — the implementation of specific horizontal or vertical standards developed by ISO/TC34/SC9 or ISO/TC34/SC5 for the detection or enumeration of microorganisms, hereinafter referred to as “specific standards”; — good laboratory practices for microbiology laboratories testing samples from the food chain; — guidance for microbiological laboratories testing samples from the food chain on the technical requirements to comply with ISO/IEC 17025. The requirements of this general standard replace those of existing specific standards. Additional instructions for analyzes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are specified in ISO 22174. This standard is applicable to the analysis of bacteria, yeasts, and molds and, if complemented with specific guidance, can be used for parasites and viruses. It does not apply to the analysis of toxins or other metabolites (e.g., amines) of microorganisms. This standard is applicable to the microbiology of the food chain, from the primary production stage to food products and feed, including the places where food or feed production and handling take place. It is also applicable to the microbiological analysis of water when it is used in food production or considered a food according to national legislation.

• NCh3084:2026 ISO 19036:2019
  Food chain microbiology – Estimation of measurement uncertainty for quantitative determinations. This standard describes the requirements and provides guidelines for the estimation and expression of measurement uncertainty (MU) associated with quantitative results in the field of food chain microbiology. It is applicable to the quantitative analysis of: — products intended for human consumption or animal feed; — environmental samples collected from the food production and handling area; — samples from the primary production stage. Normally, quantitative analyzes are performed by enumerating microorganisms using a colony counting technique. This standard is also generally applicable to other quantitative analyzes, including: — techniques based on the most probable number (MPN); — instrumental methods such as impedimetry, techniques based on adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and flow cytometry; — molecular biology methods such as those based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The uncertainty estimated using this standard does not include systematic effects (bias).