Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched a programme focused on assisting government and food testing labs in the development of melamine analysis methods for food products imported from China.
The programme comes in response to the recent alert issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
US FDA Import Alert 99-30 sets forth guidelines requiring the 'Detention without physical examination of all milk products, milk-derived ingredients and finished food products containing milk from China due to the presence of melamine and/or melamine analogues.' This alert is expected to put new pressures on food producers and retailers and increase demand for timely testing by commercial laboratories.
The alert includes specific guidelines for product testing as well as requirements that need to be met before a detained product can be released.
Melamine, an inexpensive industrial chemical used primarily in the manufacture of plastics, and cyanuric acid, a byproduct of melamine, have been linked to food contamination primarily in milk-based products and food additives.
Melamine is added to increase the perceived protein content of milk products.
Humans and animals cannot metabolise melamine and cyanuric acid, which can eventually crystallise in the kidneys, resulting in a variety of illnesses.
Melamine contamination has also been linked to several deaths in China.
While the current FDA alert is focused on milk and milk-based products, melamine has also been found in pet foods, eggs and produce.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has developed a testing method based on a Thermo Scientific liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (TSQ Quantum LC-MS/MS) system.
This method is being used as a reference by the labs under the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) in China to develop an LC-MS/MS method for the detection of melamine in milk and infant formula.
In addition to the LC-MS/MS solution, Thermo Fisher Scientific can provide screening and confirmation techniques based on its Thermo Scientific gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technologies.
The company's ITQ Series quadrupole ion trap GC/MSn, or its TSQ Quantum triple quadrupole GC/MS with highly selective reaction monitoring (H-SRM), can perform quick and accurate analysis of melamine in complex samples such as milk and baby formula.
Thermo Fisher's offerings also include a range of sample collection, sample preparation and data management products.
Completing the workflow solution is a portfolio of chemicals, consumables and equipment, along with e-commerce and supply chain services available through the company's Fisher Scientific brand.
