U of M develops cheap, quick test for melamine

The formula contamination case that killed six babies and sickened one-hundred-fifty-thousand in China woke the world up to the dangers of melamine.

The World Health Organization called for a new, faster test that would reveal the industrial chemical and researchers answered, with help from the U of M's BioTechnology Institute.

The U of M has developed the MaxDiscovery Melamine Test Kit with Texas Company Bioo Scientific.

Lawrence Wackett, professor at the BioTechnology Institute says the U of M's contribution is the enzyme that goes into the kit.

He says that enzyme, discovered by graduate students Jennifer Seffernick and Mervin DeSosa years ago, is what makes the kit work. Wackett says, "We became aware a number of years ago about an enzyme that breaks down melamine."

The research wasn't too useful then. But then melamine turned up in baby formula in China, an attempt by some to falsely boost protein levels, with horrible health consequences for children. Wackett says, "Melamine, it turns out, came to be used because it has a lot of nitrogen in the chemical structure. It turns out when people test milk for protein they test total nitrogen."

Milk could be watered down and then melamine added to make it look like high quality milk. Testing for melamine was expensive and results took days. So the U of M used it's enzyme research to create the cheaper, portable, quicker test that takes just minutes.

Wackett explains, "The enzyme basically reacts with melamine and it releases an ammonia molecule. And then this ammonia molecule reacts with another chemical to make a blue color." When the enzyme is added to a milk sample and it turns blue, it means the milk is contaminated.

The test kits cost $550 each but include supplies to test 42 different samples. That means each individual test costs about $13 which is much cheaper than the hundreds it would cost otherwise to test for melamine.

The U of M is now producing mass quantities of the enzyme on campus for the test kits. According to Wackett, its' proof that basic research at an educational institution can ultimately benefit society.

He says, "This is why we do basic research." The new test kits will not only make China's food supply safer, but the world's as well. Wackett says, "The reality is that we do buy foods from all around the world."

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