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Determination of melamine contamination in chocolates containing powdered milk by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

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Abstract

Melamine is widely being reported as a food adulterant. Although its toxicity is currently recognized, melamine adulterations of dairy products are ongoing to apparently increase the amount of protein. The study was conducted to investigate the determination of melamine amounts in chocolates containing powdered milk. In this study, 60 samples of chocolates containing powdered milk, both imported and domestic brands, were collected. The samples were prepared by solid phase extraction (SPE) and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). According to the results, melamine was found in about 94% of imported samples and about 77% of Iranian samples. Melamine concentration in imported samples ranged from 0.032 to 2.692 mg/kg, while in Iranian ones it ranged from 0.013 to 2.600 mg/kg. The mean melamine concentrations of foreign and Iranian samples were 0.685 ± 0.68 and 0.456 ± 0.73 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of melamine were 0.017 and 0.052 μg/ml, respectively. The recovery rate (R%) at fortified levels of 1–2 mg/kg was found to be 89.20–95.69% with an RSD (Relative Standard Deviation) of 1.8–2.7%. Based on the study results, melamine was present in 85% of all samples and the melamine level in one Iranian brand and one imported brand was higher than the Codex Organization standard. However, the consumption of chocolates containing these low levels of melamine does not constitute a health risk for consumers.

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Acknowledgments

This work is a part of MSc thesis in food safety and hygiene course in School of Public Health at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and This study has been funded and supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS); Grant no. 97-02-27-38033. The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by TUMS. Also, we appreciate the collaboration of the Department of Environmental Health Engineering Laboratories of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Roghayeh Abedini, Gholamreza Jahed Khaniki, Ebrahim Molaee Aghaee, Parisa Sadighara, Shahrokh Nazmara & Maziar Naderi

  2. Food & Drug Laboratory Research Center, Food & Drug Organization, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran

    Behrouz Akbari-Adergani

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  1. Roghayeh Abedini
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Correspondence to Gholamreza Jahed Khaniki or Behrouz Akbari-Adergani.

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Abedini, R., Jahed Khaniki, G., Molaee Aghaee, E. et al. Determination of melamine contamination in chocolates containing powdered milk by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). J Environ Health Sci Engineer 19, 165–171 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-020-00590-w

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