Determination of melamine contamination in milk with various packaging: a risk assessment study

Abstract

Melamine is one type of monomer used as starting substance in manufacturing packaging lining in many countries worldwide. Environmental and food contamination is an issue constantly discussed. In the present study, the melamine content in milk samples with three package types was measured by HPLC/UV. Melamine is not a lipophilic compound. Therefore, the selected samples were low-fat milk. The melamine content in various packaged milk, including packet, polyethylene bags, and plastic packaging, is 790 ± 39.8, 50.7 ± 13, and 57.7 ± 24.54 ppb, respectively. According to the existing standards, the measured values in all the milk samples were lower than the permitted limits. The risk assessment for adults and children showed that the HQ value for both age groups was less than 1. Therefore, milk consumption will not pose a health risk in terms of contamination with melamine.