Product Description
MelamineSensor is a rapid assay in dipstick format detecting Melamine adulteration in milk samples.
Principle
Melamine-Sensor is a competitive test involving one specific antibody with high affinity for melamine molecules.
The test requires the use of two components:
- The first component is a microwell containing predetermined amount of antibody linked to gold particles.
- The second is a dipstick made up of a set of membranes with two capture lines. The “control” line is located above the “Test” line.
When the reagent from the microwell is re-suspended with a milk sample, specific antibodies will bind the analytes if present during the first incubation. When the dipstick is dipped into the milk, the liquid starts running vertically on the dipstick and passes through capture zones. When the sample is free of melamine, a colour development occurs at the “test” line, indicating the absence of melamine in the milk sample. On the contrary, the presence of melamine in the sample will not cause the coloured signal to appear at the “test” capture line.
Good to know
Melamine has been shown to be illegally added to dairy food products, to raise the apparent protein content (e.g. melamine crisis in China in 2008).
This adulteration of milk with Melamine represents a huge risk for the human health and necessitates a strict monitoring. Rapid daily controls are therefore necessary, to comply, on one hand, with the MRLs fixed by the european commission, and on the other hand, to ensure the final quality of the milk to consumers.
