How can Melamine in Our Food?

Because of want to make it appear higher proteinnya womb, milk products in China mixed melamine. No half-hearted, at least four infants died and to this day is more than 13,000 babies have been treated.

Fact that similar cases have occurred widely years ago due mixing melamine in animal feed from China. As a result, hundreds of dogs and cats died and thousands of other suffering kidney failure.

What is melamine? Is this same with melamine that is used for the equipment we eat? What danger? What lessons can be drawn from this case? Short paper will try to give the following answers to the things that.

It is different with tools

The danger melamine is the organic compound with the formula C3H6N6 basa, contain of nitrogen up to 66 percent, usually obtained as white crystals. Melamine is usually used to make plastics, glue, and fertilizer.

Of melamine plastic, because the nature of heat-resistant, used for wide kitchen utensil. Therefore, the dangerous melamine is different plastic with tools. That material is basic plastic melamine.

Based on the information on the WHO site, the melamine was mixing with the water. Due to this dilution, make matrix of milk protein is down. Because the manufacturer of raw materials of milk is usually to check the womb through the determination of protein nitrogen contents, the addition of melamine checks are intended to deceive in order to make normal contents of protein.

Data security of melamine

The addition of melamine to food is not allowed by the authority of supervisors of any food. The studies on the effects of melamine on humans have not yet, the results on the extrapolation from animal studies can be used to estimate the effect on humans.

This is when the melamine appears to have joined the polluter melamine will form crystals which can be a kidney stone. Kidney stones have been visible on the animals sacrifice case of mixing melamine years ago. This is the kidney stones that can clog small channel in the kidney and can stop the production of urine, kidney failure, even death.

Has been known that melamine is carsinogen on animals. Symptoms observed due to melamine contamination found in the blood in the urine, the urine production slightly, or not produced at all, signs of kidney infection, and high blood pressure.

Food and Drugs Administration (Food and Drugs Agency) declares the United States, which can be daily Feed tolerated (tolerable daily intake / TDI) melamine is 0.63 mg per kg body weight. In the European community, supervisory authorities will set a lower standard of 0.5 mg per kg body weight.

The Lessons

This case gives us many lessons. First, the analysis of protein in the food with the method of determining nitrogen in this case appeared can be cheat with the another high nitrogen womb . In fact, there are other means for analysis of protein than with the determination of nitrogen contents, in which case such as this needs to be done.

Second, knowledge about the dangers of the use of additional substance for food should be given to all, and is involved in food production. Desire greater profit, which may be combined with ignorance, the impact is very large.