ICC - International Association for Cereal Science and Technology

What ICC - International Association for Cereal Science and Technology does

ICC - International Association for Cereal Science and Technology is a non-profit association (Verein) founded in 1955 in Hamburg and registered in Vienna, Austria, with a 14-person staff and a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary, ICC Services GmbH. It operates as the principal international body for the development, validation, and publication of analytical standard methods applied to cereals, cereal-based products, foods, and feeds, with a catalogue of approximately 190 ICC Standard Methods spanning sampling, ash, protein, moisture, falling number, gluten, beta-glucan, starch, and gluten quantification via approved immunoassays. These standards serve international trade, national and international legislation, and industry standards such as ISO and CEN, and are used by food manufacturers, control laboratories, regulators, equipment vendors (Bastak, Perten, CHOPIN, Brabender, Megazyme, R-Biopharm), and academic institutions.

ICC's commercial activities are conducted through tiered memberships (annual fees from €50 for Individual and Student Members, with National Delegates, Deputy National Delegates, and IA/TO Members receiving free standard-method access, Institutional Members receiving 50% discount, and Individual/Student Members receiving 10% discount) and through one-time perpetual PDF licences for individual standards (~€135) or the Complete Edition (€1,000). Additional revenue is generated from publications such as the ICC Handbook of Cereals, Flour, Dough & Product Testing (€119), the Multilingual Dictionary (€68), white papers, and conference and webinar registrations, including the Jubilee 70 Years ICC Conference (2025), the 8th International Whole Grain Summit (2025), and the 9th International Conference on Dietary Fibre (2026). Elsevier is the official journal publishing partner.

The organisation's strategic activities in 2025–2026 are anchored by a multi-year Standard Re-validation Project to refresh the full catalogue, continued operation of the ICC Academy recognition framework (Clyde H. Bailey Medal, Friedrich Schweitzer Medal, Harald Perten Prize), the new Mentoring Programme, and expansion of webinar series targeted at industry leaders. ICC is governed by an Executive Committee, National Delegates, and the ICC Academy, with no external investors, parent company, or PE/VC ownership.

Name

ICC - International Association for Cereal Science and Technology

Legal name

International Association for Cereal Science and Technology

Website

https://icc.or.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICC is a Vienna-based non-profit association that develops and publishes validated analytical standard methods for cereals and cereal-based products, serving food manufacturers, control laboratories, regulators, equipment vendors, and academic institutions across global markets since 1955.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cereal Science Standards and Testing Methods

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Matrix-Matched Standards & Spiking Materials (Food Contaminants/Residues) (AFALAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC), Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALAAAA), Regulatory Compliance Testing (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALADAA)

Keywords

• Cereal analytical standards
• Grain testing methods
• Flour quality assessment
• Cereal science publications
• Membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees starting from €50 for Individual and Student Members. National Delegates and Deputy National Delegates as well as IA/TO Members receive free access to all ICC Standard Methods. Institutional Members receive 50% discount on purchases.
2. Standards and Publications Sales: Sale of ICC Standard Methods (PDF downloads and print versions) and Publications including the ICC Handbook of Cereals, Flour, Dough & Product Testing (€119.00), ICC Multilingual Dictionary of Cereal Science and Technology (€68.00), and History of ICC 60 Years (€25.00). Complete Edition costs €1,000.00 for PDF.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICC develops, validates, and publishes internationally recognized analytical standard methods for cereal science and technology, covering sampling, chemical analysis, physical testing, and quality assessment of cereals, flour, and cereal-based products. These standards are sold individually or as a Complete Edition in PDF and print, alongside reference publications (handbook, multilingual dictionary, history, white papers), supported by a tiered membership program and a recognition/awards framework via the ICC Academy.

Product overview

ICC (International Association for Cereal Science and Technology) is a non-profit association that offers a comprehensive portfolio of analytical standard methods and publications for the cereal science and grain processing industries. The core offering consists of over 190 ICC Standard Methods covering sampling, moisture content, protein determination, gluten testing, enzyme activity (including Falling Number), mycotoxin analysis, and various chemical and physical testing procedures for cereals and cereal products. These methods are available as individual PDF downloads or as a Complete Edition bundle. Additionally, ICC publishes reference books including the Handbook of Cereals, Flour, Dough & Product Testing, and the Multilingual Dictionary of Cereal Science and Technology. The ICC Academy provides recognition programs including Fellowships, the Clyde H. Bailey Medal, Friedrich Schweitzer Medal, and Harald Perten Prize. ICC Standards serve international trade, national and international legislation, and industry standards such as ISO and CEN.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICC Academy: A forum within ICC established in 2005 to recognize individuals who made significant contributions to cereal science. Provides Fellowships and proposes recipients for ICC Medals, awards, and the Harald Perten Prize.
• Harald Perten Prize
• Clyde H. Bailey Medal
• Friedrich Schweitzer Medal

Products and services

• ICC Standard Methods - Complete Edition Comprehensive collection of all ICC-approved analytical standard methods covering safety and quality assessment of cereals, crops, cereal-based products, foods and feeds. Available as PDF download or print edition.
• ICC Standard Method 101/2 - Sampling of Cereal Grains ICC standard method for sampling of cereal grains used by quality control laboratories, food processors, and testing facilities for analytical testing pipelines.
• ICC Standard Method 104/1 - Determination of Ash in Cereals ICC standard method for determining ash content in cereals and cereal products, sold as PDF and used by testing laboratories and food manufacturers.
• ICC Standard Method 105/2 - Determination of Crude Protein ICC standard method for determining crude protein content in cereals and cereal products for food and feed applications.
• ICC Standard Method 107/1 - Determination of Falling Number (Hagberg-Perten) ICC standard method for determining the Falling Number according to Hagberg-Perten as a measure of the degree of alpha-amylase activity in grain and flour.
• ICC Standard Method 109/1 - Determination of Moisture Content Basic reference method for determining moisture content of cereals and cereal products; widely used as a baseline moisture testing protocol.
• ICC Standard Method 121 ICC-approved analytical standard method for cereal science and technology applications, featured as a recently approved standard on the ICC store.
• ICC Standard Method 182/1 - RIDASCREEN Gliadin Enzyme Immunoassay ICC standard method covering the RIDASCREEN enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative analysis of gliadins and corresponding prolamines as a measure of gluten in unprocessed and processed foods.
• ICC Standard Method 158 - Gluten Index Method ICC standard method for assessing gluten strength in durum wheat (Triticum durum) using the gluten index technique.
• ICC Standard Method 166 - Determination of Beta-Glucan ICC standard method for determining beta-glucan content in barley, oat, and rye grains and products.
• ICC Standard Method 168 - Measurement of Total Starch Content ICC standard method for measuring total starch content of cereal grains and food/feed products using the alpha-amylase/amyloglucosidase method.
• ICC Handbook of Cereals, Flour, Dough & Product Testing Comprehensive handbook covering cereals, flour, dough, and product testing methodologies and techniques, sold as a printed reference book for cereal science professionals.
• ICC Multilingual Dictionary of Cereal Science and Technology Multilingual dictionary covering terminology in cereal science and technology, available as a printed reference book for researchers, translators, and industry practitioners.
• White Paper - Wheat and Gluten Intolerance White paper approved in 2016 addressing wheat and gluten intolerance and providing scientific guidance on the topic for industry, regulators, and consumers.
• History of ICC 60 Years (1955-2015) Historical publication documenting 60 years of ICC activities and achievements from 1955 to 2015, sold via the ICC store.
• ICC Academy Recognition Program Recognition program for individuals who have made significant contributions to cereal science and technology; awards Fellowships, the Clyde H. Bailey Medal, Friedrich Schweitzer Medal, and proposes Harald Perten Prize recipients.
• ICC Standards Overview Service Information and consultative service providing an overview of ICC's validated analytical standards, applicable to safety and quality assessment across the cereal, food, and feed value chain, and supporting international trade and regulatory compliance.
• ICC Membership Program Tiered annual membership program (from €50) granting free or discounted access to ICC Standard Methods and publications, including National Delegates, Institutional Members (50% discount), and Individual/Student Members (10% discount).

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ElseviercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElsevier is the official journal publisher for ICC, publishing the official journal of the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology.
• University of DebrecenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Debrecen is an academic member of ICC.
• Wilmar InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilmar International is a corporate member of ICC, the leading agri-business group in Asia.
• Mondelez InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMondelez International is a corporate member of ICC.
• AxionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxion is a member company of ICC.
• Grain Improvers B.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrain Improvers B.V. is a member company of ICC.
• Max Rubner Institute (MRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMax Rubner Institute (MRI) is a German research institute and member of ICC.
• AHDBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) is a UK organization and member of ICC.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP): Global non-profit association focused on food safety science, providing methods, education, and events that overlap thematically with ICC's work on cereal safety and quality testing, though IAFP's scope is broader across all food categories.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): The world's largest developer of voluntary international standards, including ISO standards for cereals and food testing; ICC Standard Methods often feed into or compete with ISO methods, and ISO represents both a collaboration partner and a higher-level alternative for regulatory buyers.
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN): European regional standards body whose food and feed testing standards (EN standards) overlap with ICC's portfolio; ICC methods are referenced in CEN work, making CEN both a partner and a competing reference for European laboratories and regulators.
• Codex Alimentarius Commission: Joint FAO/WHO international food standards body whose cereals, pulses, and legumes commodity standards rely on validated analytical methods; ICC's methods are inputs into Codex work, positioning Codex as both a customer and an overarching regulatory incumbent.

Direct peers

• International Dairy Federation (IDF): Non-profit federation that develops science-based standards and methods for the dairy sector in cooperation with ISO; structurally analogous to ICC as a single-commodity international standards association, with a comparable member, publication, and method-validation model.
• AOAC International: Global standards developing organization for analytical methods, including methods for cereals, foods, and feeds; competes with ICC in method validation, Official Methods of Analysis publication, and laboratory proficiency programs serving food testing labs.
• Cereals & Grains Association (formerly AACC International): The leading US-based scientific association for cereal and grain scientists; publishes its own Approved Methods of Analysis that directly overlap with ICC Standard Methods, serves overlapping food manufacturer and academic members, and competes for the same global cereal science community.
• International Seed Testing Association (ISTA): Non-profit association developing international standard methods for seed testing, structurally very similar to ICC (non-profit, member-based, publishes validated methods used in trade and regulation), making it a comparable operating model even though its commodity focus is seeds rather than cereals.

Emerging players

• EUROLAB: European federation of national testing laboratory associations; shares ICC's mission of supporting validated testing and quality assurance, and overlaps on laboratory best-practice and proficiency testing content for food and agricultural labs.

Others

• Megazyme: Specialist provider of analytical test kits and reagents (e.g., for starch, dietary fiber, beta-glucan) whose products are referenced in ICC Standard Methods; comparable as an enabling technology provider in the cereal analytical testing ecosystem rather than a competing standards publisher.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icccereals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICC - International Association for Cereal Science and Technology