The New Nation - Internet Edition

Following detection of melamine in milk powder some imported brands of powdered milk have been tested and presence of melamine confirmed. But what about the locally produced milk powders, for example, Milkvita and condensed milk?

Meanwhile I have some doubts about the channel of entering melamine in milk. I have scientific reason to believe that melamine, an organic base containing 66 per cent non-protein nitrogen (NPN) transferred to milk through plants and animals long before its detection and it was already above the acceptable range.

Some pesticides/herbicides, disinfectants, bleaching agent containing cyromazine when ingested by mammals converts into melamine through metabolism. In the same way when plants intake cyromazine through pesticides melamine is produced and enters into the food chain.

Moreover, Cyanuric acid present in some non-protein nitrogen additives used in animal feed and drinking water also converts to melamine after consumption.

Melamine in low dose is non-toxic but intake in higher amount particularly by the children can cause fatal kidney stones due to the formation of an insoluble melamine cyanurate.

In my opinion, instead of killing time in unjust debate on determining what percentage of melamine contain in which brand, it is better to devote nationally and internationally to find out means to get melamine out of milk as well as from the food chain.

Professor M Zahidul Haque

Chairman,

Department of Agricultural Extension & Information System,

Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University,

Dhaka