National Center for Food Safety and Technology develops new method for the detection of melamine in food

Introduction

When the presence of melamine was discovered in animal food sources in early 2007, the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) needed to quickly learn more about the effects of food processing on the chemical to learn how to accurately detect the presence of melamine in food. The NCFST in Chicago, Illinois, is a research consortium involving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and the food industry. The NCFST incorporates the FDA Division of Food Processing Science and Technology and was established in 1988 by the FDA to form a link with industry to share expertise in food technology. The NCFST enables industry representatives to work collaboratively with FDA scientists on food safety and technology research projects.

This cooperation enables early insight into emerging food safety issues and the safety of new technologies that may be important for innovation. The NCFST enlisted the advanced analytical technology of the Thermo Scientific TSQ Quantum Ultra triple stage quadrupole mass spectrometer to develop a new LCMS/ MS method for the detection of melamine in food sources. The sensitivity and robustness of the TSQ Quantum Ultra were essential in developing this high-priority methodology to help ensure the safety of the nation's food supply.

"The system [TSQ Quantum] has come into its own for the analysis of melamine. We can readily achieve a signal-to-noise ratio of better than 3800 to 10 ppb of melamine in catfish."

Dr. Peter Varelis, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago