Melamine

Rapid CDIA^TM Melamine kits are intended for the detection of melamine in food.

Melamine is a widely-used intermediate, mainly employed as a raw material for producing melamine resin and is a chemical most often found in plastic materials. The practice of adding "melamine scrap" to animal feed in order to give the appearance of increased protein content is reported to be widespread in various countries. Melamine has also been intentionally added as a binding agent in fish and livestock feed. This practice can potentially contaminate animal products intended for human consumption such as meat and dairy products. Long-term or mass intake of melamine has toxic effects and may lead to reproductive damage or bladder or kidney stones, which can also lead to bladder cancer. Melamine testing is now one of the "must-do's" when exporting feed materials to the USA and EU.