Short communication: Prevalence of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid in Powdered Dairy Products in Egypt.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Cairo University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Giza, 12211 Egypt

2 Food Hygiene and control, faculty of Veterinary medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

3 Cairo University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Control, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

This study was conducted to screen melamine and cyanuric acid in powdered dairy products, which becomes a high safety concern, as considered one of the scanty surveys in Egypt. A total of 140 samples (fifty whole milk powder, thirty samples of each; skim milk powder, powdered infant milk formula, and dried milk-cereal-based infant formula were collected from Egyptian markets and pharmacies. Samples were analyzed for the presence of melamine and cyanuric acid using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Melamine was detected in 15/50 of whole milk powder, 22/30 of skim milk powder, 20/30 of powdered infant milk formula, and 25/30 milk-cereal-based infant formula samples. Meanwhile, cyanuric acid couldn't be detected in any examined samples, as its concentration was < 0.05 mg/kg. This investigation initially proceeded in Egypt for melamine and cyanuric acid detection in milk-cereal-based infant formula and skim milk powder. It is targeted for re-attention from concerned authorities to these toxic chemicals.

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