**4.2 Sample amount**

Many national and international standards give the food quantity to be analyzed as 10 g (mL). This value is valid for quantitative analyses only. Pathogens are usually analyzed by present/absent test in 25 grams of food.

While 10 grams of sample is sufficient for a standard analysis, usually 25 grams of food is required for every additional pathogen test in accordance with special homogenization requirements as mentioned above. According to this, at least 60 grams of sample including10 grams for total bacteria, coliform group bacteria, yeast and mold and staphylococcus and 25 grams of each for *Salmonella* and Lysteria analysis should be brought to the laboratory.

The requirement that how many items should be taken from a sample mostly causes confusion. In daily controls performed in food industry, only 1 sample is sufficient.

More samples should be taken from foods that have high pathogenic risk such as *Salmonella*, Lysteria etc.
