Determination of Melamine in Food by SPE and CZE with UV Detection

A novel method for the determination of melamine residue in food was developed using solid-phase extraction and capillary zone electrophoresis with UV detection. Spiked samples were extracted with 1% trichloroacetic acid while 0.03 g sodium deoxycholate was used to precipitate protein in the real samples. After centrifuging and clean-up by solid-phase extraction cartridge, the extract was directly analyzed by CZE–UV. The method was validated and good results were obtained with respect to precision, repeatability and spiked recovery. The limit of detection for melamine varied between 0.25 and 0.5 mg kg^?1. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of melamine in food with total recoveries ranging from 94 to 102% in the spiked range of 0.5–5 mg kg^?1, and the relative standard deviations were between 1.5 and 4.1%.