Qualitative Analysis The process of testing for a substance to determine what it is and what its components are. The results are reported in terms of the presence or absence of particular components, based on the size of the sample used in the analysis, the number of samples analyzed, and the testing method. An example of qualitative analysis would be testing for the presence of the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in a specific food.
Qualitative Risk Assessment A risk assessment that is based on qualitative data or giving a qualitative result. The results are often stated in an estimated range, such as “there is a moderate to high risk of a certain outcome occurring”
Quantitative Analysis The process of testing for a substance to determine how much of it there is and the numerical value of each of its components. An example would be testing for the amount or concentration of a certain chemical or microorganism, such as E. coli, in a food.
Quantitative Risk Assessment A risk assessment that uses modeling to determine the probability(s) of what can go wrong, how likely it is to happen, and how severe is the health impact. The results are stated in numerical terms, such as “there is a 42% probability that one illness may occur from eating a serving of X food with a certain health outcome.”
