ISO TS 29843-1-2010 PDF

Full title and description

ST ISO/TS 29843-1:2010 — Soil quality — Determination of soil microbial diversity — Part 1: Method by phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) and phospholipid ether lipids (PLEL) analysis. This technical specification specifies an extended laboratory method for extraction and determination of both PLFA and PLEL from soils to characterise microbial community composition and diversity.

Abstract

ISO/TS 29843‑1:2010 defines an extended analytical procedure for the extraction and measurement of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and phospholipid ether lipids (PLEL) in soil samples. The method covers lipid extraction, fractionation, derivatization and chromatographic analysis to provide biomarkers useful for assessing soil microbial community structure.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed as current after systematic review).
• Publication date: 2010-10 (Edition 1, 2010).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.080.30 — Biological properties of soils.
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2010).
• Number of pages: 9.

Scope

This Technical Specification specifies an extended method for extraction and determination of both phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and phospholipid ether lipids (PLEL) from soils. It is intended to provide a standardised laboratory procedure for isolating lipid biomarkers that represent living microbial biomass and major microbial groups, supporting comparative studies of soil microbial diversity and community composition. The document focuses on sample preparation, lipid extraction and fractionation, derivatization for analysis, chromatographic identification and quantification, and reporting of results.

Key topics and requirements

• Standardised extraction of PLFA and PLEL from soil matrices.
• Fractionation and cleanup steps to separate phospholipid-derived fractions.
• Derivatization procedures (e.g., methylation) to prepare fatty acids for chromatographic analysis.
• Chromatographic identification and quantification (typical use of GC-FID and GC-MS) and assignment of lipid biomarkers to microbial groups.
• Quality assurance/quality control recommendations for reproducible results and reporting conventions.
• Interoperability with the simpler PLFA-only procedure described in ISO/TS 29843-2 (Part 2).

Typical use and users

Environmental and soil testing laboratories, soil ecologists, agronomists, microbiologists, remediation consultants, and research organisations use this standard to characterise soil microbial communities, monitor ecosystem changes, evaluate impacts of land management or contamination, and support comparative studies of soil biological quality.

Related standards

Closely related documents include ISO/TS 29843-2 (Part 2: PLFA-only simple extraction method), and other soil-quality and sampling standards (for example standards addressing soil sampling and handling for microbiological assessments such as the ISO 10381/ISO 18400 family). These related standards support appropriate sampling, handling and complementary analytical methods for soil biological characterisation.

Keywords

soil quality, microbial diversity, PLFA, PLEL, phospholipid fatty acids, phospholipid ether lipids, lipid biomarkers, lipid extraction, GC-MS, GC-FID, soil microbiology, ISO/TS 29843

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/TS 29843-1:2010 is a technical specification that defines an extended laboratory method for extracting and analysing phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and phospholipid ether lipids (PLEL) from soils to assess microbial community composition and diversity.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers procedures for lipid extraction, fractionation/cleanup, derivatization of lipids for analysis, chromatographic identification and quantification of PLFA and PLEL biomarkers, and guidance on quality control and reporting.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Analytical and research laboratories, soil scientists, ecotoxicologists, environmental consultants and organisations performing soil biological monitoring and research use the standard.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO/TS 29843-1:2010 is published and was confirmed as current during ISO's systematic review process; users should check for any later revisions or related updates to the ISO 29843 series.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 1 of the ISO/TS 29843 series on soil microbial diversity methods; Part 2 provides a simpler PLFA-only extraction method and has a later edition (ISO/TS 29843-2:2021).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: PLFA, PLEL, soil microbial diversity, lipid biomarkers, soil quality, lipid extraction, GC-MS, GC-FID, ISO/TS 29843.