Comments on: Melamine in Milk http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html Science Blog from Freelance Science Writer David Bradley Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:25:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: zakria http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-31#comment-638447 zakria Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:24:33 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-638447 The government machinery of Health need to be further strengthened as to provide safe milk formula. Indeed laws are there but are not implemented. The government machinery of Health need to be further strengthened as to provide safe milk formula. Indeed laws are there but are not implemented.

]]> By: rubina shah http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-31#comment-638036 rubina shah Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:06:50 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-638036 what other tests besides kjeldahl method could be performed to check the adulteration in amino acid content? what other tests besides kjeldahl method could be performed to check the adulteration in amino acid content?

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-31#comment-637003 David Bradley Tue, 18 May 2010 11:59:41 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-637003 An internal tracking system that would combat food fraud has been developed by a professor at the University of Saskatchewan. - http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/home_family/internal-tagging-system-could-help-track-food-thats-been-tampered-with-prof-93943549.html An internal tracking system that would combat food fraud has been developed by a professor at the University of Saskatchewan. – http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/home_family/internal-tagging-system-could-help-track-food-thats-been-tampered-with-prof-93943549.html

]]> By: Oh, really? http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-31#comment-636106 Oh, really? Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:47:32 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-636106 Dried milk trades for 3-4 dollars per pound...five times the price of melamine. Dried milk trades for 3-4 dollars per pound…five times the price of melamine.

]]> By: Oh, really? http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-31#comment-636105 Oh, really? Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:39:15 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-636105 Dear Barney, I admit you might not be a Chinese schill...but the jury is still out. Regarding pricing, two seconds of your time with google will give you some rough ideas of what price melamine trades for on the open market... ...and the answer is about $0.65/pound. CHEAP-O!!!!!! My search was instantaneous at finding this from ICIS market guide: ---------------- http://www.icispricing.com/il_shared/Samples/SubPage10100036.asp “Negotiations for 2010 quarter one (Q1) contracts were in progress with the majority of producers proposing a price hike of $200-300/tonne compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. One major southeast Asian producer pegged his target prices at $1,500-1,560/tonne CFR Asia, citing strong support from downstream segments. Fourth quarter (Q4) contracts were reported to have been largely settled within the range of $1,250-1,300/tonne CFR Asia. The majority of contracts were reported at $1,270-1,300/tonne CFR Asia with a small number of contracts settled earlier at $1,250/tonne CFR Asia.” And these are prices for the usable stuff...not the fouled or screwed up mixtures. And Barney, these prices fit with my experience in industrial research in wood flooring (such as MDF production). Compare to the price for powdered milk, around #3-4 per pound bulk pricing. Oh, and please consider the stoichiometric amounts of reactive nitrogen in melamine…which is 66% nitrogen by weight… a far higher content than that found in all natural protein rich products such as powered milk. … meaning that small quantities of melamine yield a big bang for the buck in jacking up the supposed protein content (as interpreted by proxy nitrogen using the Kjeldahl technique). Bottom line, Barney, Melamine is a cheap-o cheat that means $$$ of savings for cheating Chinese. Dear Barney,
I admit you might not be a Chinese schill…but the jury is still out.
Regarding pricing, two seconds of your time with google will give you some rough ideas of what price melamine trades for on the open market…
…and the answer is about $0.65/pound. CHEAP-O!!!!!!
My search was instantaneous at finding this from ICIS market guide:
—————-
http://www.icispricing.com/il_shared/Samples/SubPage10100036.asp
“Negotiations for 2010 quarter one (Q1) contracts were in progress with the majority of producers proposing a price hike of $200-300/tonne compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. One major southeast Asian producer pegged his target prices at $1,500-1,560/tonne CFR Asia, citing strong support from downstream segments.
Fourth quarter (Q4) contracts were reported to have been largely settled within the range of $1,250-1,300/tonne CFR Asia. The majority of contracts were reported at $1,270-1,300/tonne CFR Asia with a small number of contracts settled earlier at $1,250/tonne CFR Asia.”
And these are prices for the usable stuff…not the fouled or screwed up mixtures.
And Barney, these prices fit with my experience in industrial research in wood flooring (such as MDF production). Compare to the price for powdered milk, around #3-4 per pound bulk pricing.
Oh, and please consider the stoichiometric amounts of reactive nitrogen in melamine…which is 66% nitrogen by weight… a far higher content than that found in all natural protein rich products such as powered milk.
… meaning that small quantities of melamine yield a big bang for the buck in jacking up the supposed protein content (as interpreted by proxy nitrogen using the Kjeldahl technique).
Bottom line, Barney, Melamine is a cheap-o cheat that means $$$ of savings for cheating Chinese.

]]> By: Barney http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-30#comment-636101 Barney Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:57:43 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-636101 I need to reply to "Oh, really?" If you know where this cheap, waste-product melamine can be purchased, I'd like to know. I can find an industrial use for it where it will not affect the health of people or animals. Melamine is manufactured from urea in a relatively complicated, high pressure process. The only cheap-o grade of melamine that I know of is material that was manufactured off-spec. The continued contamination problems in China illustrate the many problems facing the Chinese as they grow into a world power. Off spec chemicals continue to be a major problem around the world and China is a dumping ground for these chemicals including chemicals from the US. I need to reply to “Oh, really?”
If you know where this cheap, waste-product melamine can be purchased, I’d like to know. I can find an industrial use for it where it will not affect the health of people or animals.
Melamine is manufactured from urea in a relatively complicated, high pressure process. The only cheap-o grade of melamine that I know of is material that was manufactured off-spec.
The continued contamination problems in China illustrate the many problems facing the Chinese as they grow into a world power. Off spec chemicals continue to be a major problem around the world and China is a dumping ground for these chemicals including chemicals from the US.

]]> By: Oh, really? http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-30#comment-636014 Oh, really? Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:20:15 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-636014 1) You say: "The melamine problem appears to have been resolved." ...uh, no, it continues. "Discovery of Melamine-Tainted Milk Shuts Shanghai Dairy" - 01/02/2010 NYTimes. 2) You say: "This theory is bolstered by the fact that melamine is more expensive". You are, again, very wrong. Chinese penny pinching is what this on going scandal is all about. Industrial grade Melamine, the waste-product employed in this ongoing scandal, is cheap, far cheaper than natural food protein powders. I presume you're indexing analytical grade melamine, the expensive stuff, not the waste melamine that's used. 3) You say "contaminant in the melamine that caused the problems, not the melamine itself". Wrong...almost correct, but it won't fly, pal. The cheap-o grade melamine that's used to spike foods is contaminated...and the melamine combines with the contaminant to form kidney stones and kidney failure. Melamine stones are what is formed. (This post edited to remove personal references) 1) You say: “The melamine problem appears to have been resolved.”
…uh, no, it continues. “Discovery of Melamine-Tainted Milk Shuts Shanghai Dairy” – 01/02/2010 NYTimes.

2) You say: “This theory is bolstered by the fact that melamine is more expensive”. You are, again, very wrong. Chinese penny pinching is what this on going scandal is all about. Industrial grade Melamine, the waste-product employed in this ongoing scandal, is cheap, far cheaper than natural food protein powders. I presume you’re indexing analytical grade melamine, the expensive stuff, not the waste melamine that’s used.

3) You say “contaminant in the melamine that caused the problems, not the melamine itself”. Wrong…almost correct, but it won’t fly, pal. The cheap-o grade melamine that’s used to spike foods is contaminated…and the melamine combines with the contaminant to form kidney stones and kidney failure. Melamine stones are what is formed.

(This post edited to remove personal references)

]]> By: Gerald http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-30#comment-635773 Gerald Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:30:03 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-635773 Well, I'm not sure what actually caused the kidney failure but I do know that my family and I do not buy any food if it is labelled as coming from China. I try not to buy Chinese products at all but that is next to impossible. This choice is not because I dislike the Chinese (although I have some serious issues with the Chinese government's rule) but I do not want to buy anything from a society that so clearly shows a widespread disregard for consumer safety. Until that culture changes, I will be avoiding their products and so should everyone. That is the only way a situation like this will change. Well, I’m not sure what actually caused the kidney failure but I do know that my family and I do not buy any food if it is labelled as coming from China. I try not to buy Chinese products at all but that is next to impossible. This choice is not because I dislike the Chinese (although I have some serious issues with the Chinese government’s rule) but I do not want to buy anything from a society that so clearly shows a widespread disregard for consumer safety. Until that culture changes, I will be avoiding their products and so should everyone. That is the only way a situation like this will change.

]]> By: Barney http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-30#comment-631184 Barney Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:26:39 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-631184 David, thanks for keeping this website. It is a good informational source. However you seem to be attracting some conspiracy theorists and paranoids. The melamine problem appears to have been resolved. As I wrote a couple of years ago, I thought that it was a contaminant in the melamine that caused the problems, not the melamine itself. This theory is bolstered by the fact that melamine is more expensive per pound than real protein. I do not have references, but have heard in the chemical industry that cyanuric acid was likely the major contaminant. And no, Huntsman does not make melamine. There is no conspiracy by President Obama or even ex vice President Dick Chaney. David,
thanks for keeping this website. It is a good informational source. However you seem to be attracting some conspiracy theorists and paranoids. The melamine problem appears to have been resolved. As I wrote a couple of years ago, I thought that it was a contaminant in the melamine that caused the problems, not the melamine itself. This theory is bolstered by the fact that melamine is more expensive per pound than real protein. I do not have references, but have heard in the chemical industry that cyanuric acid was likely the major contaminant.
And no, Huntsman does not make melamine. There is no conspiracy by President Obama or even ex vice President Dick Chaney.

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html/comment-page-30#comment-630115 David Bradley Tue, 12 May 2009 16:20:02 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=2070#comment-630115 What information do you actually need Peter, there is a lot on this site and more at the sites to which this and other melamine posts here link to What information do you actually need Peter, there is a lot on this site and more at the sites to which this and other melamine posts here link to

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