Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of food-borne pathogens - Performance testing for thermal cyclers.

ISO/TS 20836:2005 provides basic requirements for the installation, performance and maintenance of thermal cyclers. Although thermal cyclers are robust technical equipment, they do require regular maintenance. Their cooling/heating elements have a limited lifetime. Proper functioning of the cooling/heating element depends both on the quality of the cooling/heating devices and proper use and care.

In addition to outlining the requirement for a defined maintenance programme, procedures are described for the determination of thermal cycler performance by biochemical or physical methods.