Chinese scientists have created a means of detecting melamine in milk and in this procedure, gold particles are used. The melamine-detecting method is designed for use in milk and infant formula.

Farmers Journal has learned that Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Engineering Research Centre of Food Safety researchers have developed a new test for the detection of melamine, an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, in milk.

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The test uses gold nanoparticles and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The researchers said that the gold nanoparticles (AuNPS) are used because they can bind with melamine.

The test is colorimetric because a change of color is expected to happen once the gold nanoparticles bind with melamine. The solution is expected to turn to purple from its yellow state.

To measure the change quantitatively, the color change is read by the UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The amount of melamine present in the milk formula is then calculated.

In terms of efficiency, the procedure can be done within 50 minutes and it can detect melamine levels as low as two parts per million. Because of this, the new technique is deemed very suitable for on-site and field screening of milk, infant formula and other milk products.

"Therefore, this method is of low cost and is fast, which can satisfy the requirement for on-site rapid monitoring of trace melamine in raw milk products," researchers noted in their study.

In 2008, over 1,250 babies were sickened after consuming melamine-containing milk from a Chinese manufacturer, Science Media Centre reported.

In total, 300,000 fell ill and six infants were documented to have died due to melamine ingestion.

The controversy put milk manufacturers under the spotlight because ingestion of melamine can lead to kidney damage in children.

This is seen as a big help since China manufacturers have been accused of adding melamine into the milk products they produce.

The new method was described by researchers in a study published in the Journal of Food Quality.

According to Dairy Reporter, melamine is typically used in the manufacture of adhesives, plastics, whiteboards and dishware, and though it isn't toxic in adults, it is not supposed to be present in milk and milk products. 

TagsMelamine, Milk, gold