ISO 16140-2:2016规定了验证食物链中微生物替代方法（主要是专有方法）的一般原则和技术协议。根据ISO 16140-2:2016的验证研究拟由参与方法验证的组织进行。 适用于微生物分析（检测或定量）方法的验证 -供人类消费的产品， -用于动物饲养的产品， -食品和饲料生产、处理和运输领域的环境样本 -初级生产阶段的样品。 它特别适用于细菌和真菌。ISO 16140-2:2016的一些条款可能适用于其他（微生物）生物体或其代谢产物。未来，ISO 16140:2016（所有部分）将包含其他生物体（如病毒和寄生虫）的指南。

ISO 16140-2:2016 specifies the general principle and the technical protocol for the validation of alternative, mostly proprietary, methods for microbiology in the food chain. Validation studies according to ISO 16140-2:2016 are intended to be performed by organizations involved in method validation. It is applicable to the validation of methods for the analysis (detection or quantification) of microorganisms in - products intended for human consumption, - products intended for animal feeding, - environmental samples in the area of food and feed production, handling, and - samples from the primary production stage. It is in particular applicable to bacteria and fungi. Some clauses of ISO 16140-2:2016 could be applicable to other (micro) organisms or their metabolites on a case-by-case-basis. In the future, guidance for other organisms (e.g. viruses and parasites) will be included in ISO 16140:2016 (all parts).