Rapid determination of melamine and cyanuric acid in milk powder using direct analysis in real time-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The use of fast semi-automated method employing direct analysis in real time (DART) ion source coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) for analysis of melamine (MEL) and cyanuric acid (CYA) in milk powder and milk based products has been demonstrated in this study. Simple sample extraction procedure employing methanol–5% aqueous formic acid mixture, which enabled disruption of melamine–cyanurate complex, was followed by direct, high-throughput (30 s per run) examination of sample extracts spread on a glass rod by mass spectrometry under ambient conditions, without any prior chromatographic separation. After optimization of instrument parameter settings, limits of detection (LODs) 170 and 450 μg kg⁻¹ were achieved for MEL and CYA, respectively. In the final phase of study, the possibility of minimizing spectral interference, thus improving method performance characteristics through the use of ultrahigh resolving power offered by Orbitrap based mass analyzer is demonstrated.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定牛奶和奶粉中的二氰二胺、三聚氰胺和三聚氰酸

建立了一种超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定牛奶和奶粉中二氰二胺(DCD)、三聚氰胺(MEL)和三聚氰酸(CY)的分析方法。样品用5%(质量分数)三氯乙酸水溶液提取,无需净化和浓缩,用Acquity UPLC HSS T3色谱柱(50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 μm)分离,以乙腈和乙酸铵作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,电喷雾正、负离子(ESI^±)模式同时电离,多反应监测模式进行检测。结果表明:在5.0～200.0 μg/L范围内线性关系良好(r≥0.995)。牛奶中3种化合物在0.02、0.10、0.20 mg/kg的添加回收率为60.0%～105.8%,相对标准偏差(RSD, n=6)为4.2%～13.6%;奶粉中3种化合物在0.05、0.10、0.20 mg/kg的添加回收率为78.0%～115.0%, RSD (n=6)为2.7%～7.5%。牛奶中方法的定量限(信噪比为10)为0.02 mg/kg,奶粉中方法的定量限为0.05 mg/kg。该方法简单、快速、灵敏、准确,适合于牛奶、奶粉等乳及乳制品中DCD、MEL和CY的快速、高灵敏的分析检测。     

Using an on-line microdialysis/HPLC system for the simultaneous determination of melamine and cyanuric acid in non-dairy creamer

The recent revelation of melamine (MEL) contamination in foodstuffs in China has rocked the international public health community. Many food categories have been involved in this scandal, including non-dairy creamer (NDC). In this study, we investigated the use of hollow-fiber microdialysis (MD) sampling coupled on-line with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as an alternative to sample pretreatment for the direct determination of MEL and its analogue cyanuric acid (CYA) in NDC. After MD sampling, the dialysate was injected on-line into the chromatographic system for analysis of MEL and CYA with UV detection at 203 nm. We monitored the effects of various parameters affecting the MD efficiency, namely the characteristics of the MD probe membrane, the flow-rate and the nature of the polarity modifier in the perfusion stream, and the addition of salt in the sample solution. The optimal enrichment efficiency for collecting MEL and CYA from aqueous NDC samples occurred with MD sampling using a hollow polysulfone MD fiber and MeOH as the perfusate at a flow rate of 10 μL min⁻¹. The optimized chromatographic conditions involved using a reversed-phase phenyl column and a mobile phase of 5 mM phosphate buffer in 10% (v/v) MeOH, buffered at pH 6.5. Detection was linear in the concentration range from 0.02 to 5 ppm for MEL and from 2 to 100 ppm for CYA, with detection limits of 1 ppb for MEL and 30 ppb for CYA. The volume of perfusate required to extract MEL and CYA from the NDC solution was only 21 μL. The total MD sampling time was 2.1 min. This method allows the sensitive, eco-friendly, and rapid determination of MEL and CYA in NDC—a risk food for economically motivated adulteration.     

Determination of Melamine in Fresh Milk with Hollow Fiber Liquid Phase Microextraction Based on Ion-Pair Mechanism Combined with High Performance Liquid Chromatography

In this work, a novel analytical method based on hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the analysis of melamine in fresh milk. The conditions of the HF-LPME were investigated and optimized. As a result, a supported liquid membrane containing 6-undecanone and di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) was selected. The extractions were made from 25 mL aqueous donor phase (prepared from milk) with pH 5.0 to a more acidic acceptor phase (36 µL 1 M HCl) and the mass transfer was driven by the proton gradient between these phases. Other optimum conditions of the HF-LPME were 60 min extraction time at 360 rpm stirring rate and an extraction factor of 21 times (extraction efficiency 3%) was obtained. The C8 column was operated at 1 mL/min at room temperature and the UV detection wavelength was 240 nm for HPLC. The mobile phase was 10 mM sodium n-octanesulfonate (pH 3.0) mixed with acetonitrile (85:15, v/v). The relative recovery of melamine for milk samples spiked with 0.5–25 mg/kg was in the range of 89.1–120.6% with the RSDs (n = 4) of 4.0–8.5%. It was found that the proposed method provided a linear range from 0.1 to 50 mg/kg (r ²  = 0.9993), method detection limit (MDL) of 0.003 mg/kg and method quantification limit (MQL) of 0.01 mg/kg. The obtained results demonstrated that HF-LPME combined with HPLC is a simple and cheap method for the determination of melamine in fresh milk.     

基于多齿功能单体的三聚氰胺印迹材料的制备及应用

以三聚氰胺(MEL)为模板分子, 采用沉淀聚合方法研究了以衣康酸(IA)为多齿功能单体, 乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯(EGDMA)为交联剂时, 组分之间摩尔比对三聚氰胺印迹聚合物(MIP)选择性的影响. 研究发现, 当MEL与IA摩尔比为1:1.5时, 所合成的MIP对三聚氰胺具有最佳选择性, 选择性系数k=10.41(以三聚氰酸为对照物). 此时IA的识别位点(羧基)与三聚氰胺的可识别位点(胺基)摩尔比为1:1, 因此, 不会出现由过量功能单体引起的非特异性吸附. Scatchard分析结果表明, 这种MIP能够在更宽的三聚氰胺浓度范围(1~100 mg/L)内只表现出特异性吸附. 以灭蝇胺为对照物时, k_NIP<1但k_MIP>1, 该结果证明MIP对分子的形状有良好的识别能力. 最后, 以制备的MIP为固相萃取吸附剂, 结合高效液相色谱/紫外检测器(HPLC/UV)建立了三聚氰胺测定方法. 当牛奶(奶粉)中MEL的加标浓度分别为15, 600和4500 μg/L(μg/kg)时检测的加标回收率为92.34%~109.4%.     

固相萃取-表面增强拉曼光谱法测定奶粉中三聚氰胺

建立了固相萃取-表面增强拉曼光谱法(SPE-SERS)测定奶粉中三聚氰胺的分析方法。待测物经乙腈提取、活性碳吸附及氢氧化钠溶液洗脱后进行SERS检测。该方法的线性范围为0.005 0~1.6 mg/L,检出限为0.100 mg/kg,回收率为75.3%~125%,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=5)不大于9.3%。该法灵敏度高、杂质干扰小、结果准确可靠,能满足奶粉中三聚氰胺的快速检测,在奶粉质量监控方面具有良好的应用潜力。     

表面增强拉曼光谱法同时检测奶粉中三聚氰胺和二聚氰胺

本文建立了奶粉中同时检测三聚氰胺及二聚氰胺的表面增强拉曼光谱法.奶粉样品经15％三氯乙酸溶液提取,中性氧化铝吸附杂质后进行拉曼光谱检测.三聚氰胺线性范围为0.0050～0.075 mg/L,检出限为0.0015 mg/L,回收率在79.5％～124％之间,相对标准偏差小于8.8％(n=5);二聚氰胺线性范围为0.50～l0mg/L,检出限为0.15 mg/L,回收率在76.5％～112％之间,相对标准偏差小于9.4％(n=5).该方法相比常规表面增强拉曼光谱法,仅通过一种样品前处理手段即可对奶粉中的三聚氰胺或二聚氰胺进行定性检出及定量分析,相比色谱等检测方法具有样品前处理过程简单、耗时短等优点,在奶粉质量监控方面具有良好的应用前景.     

三聚氰胺磁性印迹固相萃取材料的制备及其应用

采用磁性氧化石墨烯(GO)为载体,三聚氰胺(MEL)为模板分子,甲基丙烯酸(MAA)为功能单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯(EGDMA)为交联剂,制备了新型三聚氰胺磁性印迹聚合物。 采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微（TEM）、差热分析(TG)和样品振动磁强计(VSM)对该磁性印迹聚合物进行表征和分析,结果表明,在氧化石墨烯表面成功制备磁性印迹聚合物。 结合高效液相色谱分析技术对该印迹聚合物的吸附性能进行检测,结果表明,该磁性印迹聚合物对三聚氰胺表现出特异性吸附性能,最大吸附容量为33.11 mg/g;相对于环丙氨嗪和三聚氰酸,三聚氰胺的选择因子(β)分别是2.43和2.84。 结合磁固相萃取与液相色谱检测技术,实现了牛奶样品溶液中三聚氰胺的分离、富集和检测。     

高效毛细管电泳法测定牛奶和奶粉中残留的三聚氰胺

建立了牛奶和奶粉中三聚氰胺的高效毛细管电泳-二极管阵列检测器(HPCE-DAD)检测方法。使用长度58.5 cm、内径75 μm的毛细管柱,分离电压25 kV,进样量3.5 kPa (35 mbar)×8 s,分离温度25 ℃,缓冲溶液20 mmol/L 柠檬酸-40 mmol/L 磷酸氢二钠(pH 2.6),检测波长232 nm。分析物在1~100 mg/L 范围内线性良好,r2>0.997;牛奶和奶粉的定量限分别为0.5 mg/kg和1.0 mg/kg。在添加水平为定量限浓度至50 mg/kg时的回收率为72.2%~97.3%,相对标准偏差为2.1%~3.9%。     

Melamine detection by mid- and near-infrared (MIR/NIR) spectroscopy: a quick and sensitive method for dairy products analysis including liquid milk, infant formula, and milk powder

Melamine (2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine) is a nitrogen-rich chemical implicated in the pet and human food recalls and in the global food safety scares involving milk products. Due to the serious health concerns associated with melamine consumption and the extensive scope of affected products, rapid and sensitive methods to detect melamine's presence are essential. We propose the use of spectroscopy data-produced by near-infrared (near-IR/NIR) and mid-infrared (mid-IR/MIR) spectroscopies, in particular—for melamine detection in complex dairy matrixes. None of the up-to-date reported IR-based methods for melamine detection has unambiguously shown its wide applicability to different dairy products as well as limit of detection (LOD) below 1 ppm on independent sample set. It was found that infrared spectroscopy is an effective tool to detect melamine in dairy products, such as infant formula, milk powder, or liquid milk. ALOD below 1 ppm (0.76 ± 0.11 ppm) can be reached if a correct spectrum preprocessing (pretreatment) technique and a correct multivariate (MDA) algorithm—partial least squares regression (PLS), polynomial PLS (Poly-PLS), artificial neural network (ANN), support vector regression (SVR), or least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM)—are used for spectrum analysis. The relationship between MIR/NIR spectrum of milk products and melamine content is nonlinear. Thus, nonlinear regression methods are needed to correctly predict the triazine-derivative content of milk products. It can be concluded that mid- and near-infrared spectroscopy can be regarded as a quick, sensitive, robust, and low-cost method for liquid milk, infant formula, and milk powder analysis.     

基于QuEChERS前处理技术和弱阳离子交换色谱的牛奶和奶粉中三聚氰胺的快速检测方法

应用QuEChERS前处理技术,并结合弱阳离子交换色谱,建立了牛奶和奶粉中三聚氰胺的快速检测方法。样品使用医用酒精(乙醇含量75%)和一种新型脂肪吸附(LAS)材料超声振荡处理,在沉淀(吸附)蛋白质和脂肪的同时提取三聚氰胺,然后经8000 r/min离心,上清液过膜直接分析。色谱分析在弱阳离子交换色谱柱(WCX)上进行,采用2 mmol/L pH为3.8的磷酸二氢钾水溶液为流动相,在5 min内实现分离分析。结果表明,该方法在0.02～20 mg/L内线性相关系数大于0.9999。在1～50 mg/kg添加浓度范围内,牛奶的平均回收率为98.9%～105.2%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.9%～3.4%;奶粉的平均回收率为86.4%～102.9%, RSD为1.5%～6.7%。本方法的检出限为0.05 mg/kg(牛奶)和0.1 mg/kg(奶粉)。整个分析检测过程没有使用有毒有害有机溶剂,是一种绿色的分析方法。     

Rapid determination of melamine in milk and milk powder by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and using cyclodextrin-decorated silver nanoparticles

We have synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) decorated with α-cyclodextrin (CD) by using the traditional silver mirror reaction in the presence of CD. The CD-AgNPs were used as substrate in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for determining melamine. The intensity of the Raman band of melamine at 704 cm^?1 was used to determine melamine in milk and milk powder. The use of CD-AgNPs as the SERS substrate rather than classical silver nanoparticles makes the method more sensitive in giving an enhancement by a factor of up to?~?10⁶ in scattering efficiency. The effects of the volume of solutions (of CD-AgNPs, NaCl, NaOH, melamine) and of mixing time were optimized. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The correlation coefficient of the calibration plot is 0.9995, and the limit of detection is 3.0 μg L^?1. The method was successfully applied to the determination of melamine in milk and milk powder, with relative standard deviations of <10 % and recoveries between 89 and 104 %.

Development of nanofibrillated cellulose coated with gold nanoparticles for measurement of melamine by SERS

The objective of this study was to develop nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC)-based substrate for rapid detection of melamine in milk by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). NFC were served as a highly porous platform to load with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which can be used as a flexible SERS substrate with nanoscale roughness to generate strong electromagnetic field in SERS measurement. The NFC/AuNP substrate was characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Milk samples contaminated by different concentrations of melamine were measured by SERS coupled with NFC/AuNP substrate. The spectral data analysis was conducted by multivariate statistical analysis [i.e. partial least squares (PLS)]. Satisfactory PLS result for quantification of melamine in milk was obtained (R = 0.9464). The detection limit for melamine extracted from liquid milk by SERS is 1 ppm, which meets the World Health Organization’s requirement of melamine in liquid milk. These results demonstrate that NFC/AuNP substrate has improved homogeneity and can be used in SERS analysis for food safety applications.     

高效毛细管电泳浊度法检测牛奶及奶粉中的三聚氰胺

建立高效毛细管电泳(HPCE)浊度法检测牛奶和奶粉中三聚氰胺的方法。样品中加入三氯乙酸水溶液,加热样品至沸腾后自然冷却,使蛋白质充分凝聚、沉降,并提取三聚氰胺。色谱条件为:毛细管柱长度50cm、内径75μm,分离电压13kV,进样量12.3kPa×3s,分离温度25℃,检测波长236nm。加标回收率为83%～98%之间,定量限为1mg/kg。测量结果的相对标准偏差为1.8%～3.4%(n=5)。该法可用于大量牛奶和奶粉样品中三聚氰胺的快速检测。     

Melamine contamination

In the summer of 2008, serious illnesses and deaths of babies in China were linked to melamine-tainted powdered infant formula. Melamine contains several metabolites, such as ammeline, ammelide, and cyanuric acid, and has been used for the adulteration of foods or milk to increase their apparent protein content. It is assumed that melamine and its metabolites are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and precipitate in the kidney to form crystals. A new tolerable daily intake of 0.2 mg kg^?1 body weight was adapted by the World Health Organization in 2008. This paper reviews the variety of analytical methods that have been used for the analysis of melamine in food. The limit of detection of these various methods is 0.05–100 ppm. The maximum acceptable concentration in food has been set at 50 ppb by the US FDA. A fast and ultrasensitive procedure for screening, detection, and characterization of melamine and its derivative compounds needs to be established. Currently, mass-spectrometry technologies provide an alternative to derivatization for regulatory analysis of food.     

Determination of urine melamine by validated isotopic ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Little is known about melamine (MEL) analysis in children's urine. In this study, an isotopic ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) method was developed and systematically validated for the analysis of MEL in urine. The method is easily performed and comprises acidification, solid‐phase extraction (SPE) and UPLC/MS/MS analysis. ¹³C₃N₃(¹⁵NH₂)₃ was used as the internal standard (IS) for calibration. Transition ions m/z 127 > 85 of MEL and m/z 133 > 89 of the IS were used for quantification and m/z 127 > 68 of MEL was used for quantitative confirmation. Recovery and precision were assessed to guarantee the applicability of the method. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.01 µg/mL while the calculated method detection limit was 0.006 µg/mL. The mean recoveries ranged from 96–99%. The method was then applied to analyze urine samples from children who had potentially consumed MEL‐tainted dairy products during screening in Taiwan. Ten nephrolithiasis cases and 20 age‐ and gender‐matched controls were selected for this study. Three out of the 10 nephrolithiasis cases had elevated levels of MEL. Comparatively, twenty age‐ and gender‐matched non‐nephrolithiasis controls consuming Taiwan brand milk powder all showed MEL levels lower than the detection limit except for two children with background levels of 0.02 µg/mL. The background level in these children urine samples was established by UPLC/MS/MS analysis. Positive results of urine MEL tests might be associated with nephrolithiasis in these candidates. Measurement of urine MEL concentration can be helpful in confirming MEL‐related nephrolithiasis, but its clinical application needs further clarification. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrochemical Detection of Melamine

Poly(caffeic acid) polymer was immobilized onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode via electropolymerization. Voltammetry shows a signal related to the two‐electron oxidation of the immobilized hydroquinone groups in the caffeic acid monomer units. The modified electrode in aqueous solution shows complexation of the electrogenerated o‐quinone species with melamine thus allowing in the electrochemical detection of melamine by recording the shift in potential of the oxidation signal of the polymer. Melamine detection was investigated in pure aqueous solutions and in the presence of milk powder solutions and the proposed analytical method of melamine detection in milk powder was applied successfully with an average recovery of ca. (91±7.9)%.     

高效液相色谱法测定奶粉和液态奶中的三聚氰胺

建立了奶粉和液态奶中三聚氰胺的高效液相色谱（HPLC）检测方法。经阳离子交换固相萃取柱净化后的样品采用HPLC测定。优化的色谱条件：C18柱（4.6 mm ×200 mm,5 μm）,流动相为乙腈-0.01 mol/L庚烷磺酸钠（pH 3.3）（体积比为10∶90）,流速为1.0 mL/min,检测波长为236 nm,柱温为40 ℃,进样量为20 μL。方法的线性范围为1~500 mg/L,检出限为0.2 mg/kg （S/N=3）,定量限为1 mg/kg （S/N=15）,回收率为81.4%~83.7%,相对标准偏差为3.3%~8.5%（n=6）。     

Detection of Melamine in Powdered Milk Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering with No Pretreatment

We detected a trace amount of melamine in powdered milk using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on gold surfaces at an excitation wavelength of 632.8 nm. A detection limit of ～100 ppm (μg/g) melamine in milk was attained within a few minutes by the gold nanoparticle substrate from chemical reduction; whereas, better sensitivity, as low as ～200 ppb (ng/g), was achieved by the roughened gold substrate. Our method has the advantage of fast and sensitive detection of melamine in powdered milk without pre-treating the samples.     

固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定乳粉和果冻中的氯化胆碱

建立了固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定乳粉和果冻中氯化胆碱的分析方法。样品在10 mL 0.02mol/L乙酸铵溶液(冰乙酸调节pH至3.0)中水解3 h后离心,上清液经DIKMA ProElut PLS固相萃取柱(60 mg/3 mL)净化后,用Agilent ZORBAX 300 SCX色谱柱(150 mm×2.1 mm,5μm)进行分离,通过电喷雾正离子(ESI~+)模式电离,多反应监测(MRM)模式进行定性和定量分析。方法的检出限(LOD,S/N=3)和定量限(LOQ,S/N=10)分别为0.15 mg/kg和0.50 mg/kg,加标回收率为70.8%~100.2%,相对标准偏差(RSD)均不大于6.83%(n=6)。目标化合物在0.05~8.0 mg/L范围内线性关系良好,线性方程为Y=2.05×10~5X+3.24×10~4,相关系数(r)为0.996。对市售乳粉和果冻中的氯化胆碱进行检测,结果表明,乳粉和果冻中氯化胆碱的含量分别为251.0~2 448 mg/kg和0.261~0.314 mg/kg。该法准确可靠、灵敏度高,适用于乳粉和果冻中氯化胆碱的测定。