Determination of Melamine in Food by Ion Chromatography

Metrohm has released a simple and accurate method for the determination of melamine in milk powder and other food using ion chromatography after inline sample dialysis. The new method requires only moderate spending on instrumentation and is sensitive enough to quantify melamine contents well below the limits set by food safety regulatory authorities around the world.

Melamine is an industrial chemical in the production of resins, which are used in laminates, glues, adhesives and plastics. It has won a sad notoriety as an illicit adulterant to simulate higher protein levels in milk powder and other food.

The new method to detect melamine contamination in food relies on the high accuracy and sensitivity of the 844 UV/VIS Compact IC, Metrohm’s all-in-one system for the spectrophotometric determination of polar substances, anions and cations. Sample preparation is perfectly convenient due to Metrohm’s patented inline sample dialysis. This kind of Metrohm inline sample preparation effectively eliminates the organic matrix. The new Metrohm IC Application Note on the determination of melamine in food by ion chromatography can be downloaded from the Metrohm website.