Melamine levels in food products of animal origin in Iran

During recent years, an increasing number of infants have been sickened by dairy products contaminated with melamine. As a result, many countries have adopted additional testing requirements for food products of animal origin; however, Iran has not yet adopted regulations to control levels of melamine. The present study is to assess levels in poultry meat (50 samples), hen eggs (50 samples), ultra-filtered cheese (50 samples), and dairy cream (50 samples) from Iran. Results showed that melamine was detected in all of 200 samples that 90th percentile levels were 1.31, 1.41, 1.29 and 1.30 (mg/kg), respectively; determined by high-performance liquid chromatography was defined. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 0.2 mu g/mL for this method. Results were within International Standards (FDA), confirming low health risks for these four products. Considering the sources of contamination, melamine levels in other food products should also be carefully monitored.