In the year 2008 there were several reports that high levels of melamine have been detected in food and feed from around the world which triggered large-scale melamine testing of food products. On investigation the adulteration of the food and feed melamine was traced back to China.
It was later established that certain unscrupulous individuals had carried out large-scale adulteration of food with melamine powder to falsely increase the protein content. When protein content was tested in the melamine contaminated foods the values were significantly higher value. This is due to the nitrogen content of melamine molecules. It was reported that more than 1 lakh children had become sick after consuming powdered milk and baby food which had been adulterated with melamine.
Based on these reports the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had issued an advisory in 2008 highlighting the incidence of melamine adulteration. The harmful effect of melamine along with toxicological references as well as a list of methods for melamine testing of food products was publicized.
FSSAI also had directed the State food authorities to carry out extensive melamine contamination testing of food materials and to enforce withdrawal of Chinese dairy products from the market if they contain more than 2.5 ppm of melamine.
On 5 January 2016 the Gazette notification was published on amending the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulation 2011. These amendments have come into force on the date of their publication. Through this amendment limits have been prescribed for melamine in products like powdered infant formula, liquid infant formula as well as other foods. The limits are given in the table below –
According to this amendment of the Food Safety and Standards regulation it is required that all food products undergo melamine testing to ensure compliance with standards.
Our food testing laboratory has been carrying out melamine testing in milk since the year 2008 and was one of the first laboratories to establish the LCMSMS method for highly sensitive and specific melamine test in a variety of food products.
Our laboratory is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and is also notified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) for testing of a large variety of food products.
Please feel free to contact us using the contact form on the right or you can call us now on +91-8588851888 and our team will be happy to provide you a proposal for melamine test in your samples.
