Leigh
10-23-2008, 12:19 AM
http://www.who.int/csr/media/faq/QAmelamine/en/index.html
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=why-is-melamine-in-baby-formula-you-2008-09-24
Chinese food companies use the nitrogen-based compound in wheat flour and other products to make these products appear to have more protein. Normally, proteins are the only source of nitrogen in food, so by looking for that element in tests, one can figure out relative protein concentrations. "Whenever someone looks at nitrogen in food, almost always they are looking at the amount of protein in food," Lora Sporny, a professor of nutrition education at Columbia University in New York, told ScientificAmerican.com last year.
During a press conference held during last year's pet food scandal, FDA official Stephen Sundlof said it was possible that the tainted grub was deliberately spiked with melamine to make it appear to have higher protein levels. "The motivation would be economic in that you can take a product that is low in protein," he said, "and add a substance that from a chemistry standpoint makes the product appear to have a higher protein content than it does so it can be marketed at the price."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_protein_export_contamination
Both the wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate were found to actually be wheat flour, which contains wheat gluten as a component and is less expensive than separated gluten. Melamine and cyanuric acid were most likely added to fraudulently increase the apparent protein content of the flour to allow them to pass as concentrated vegetable proteins.
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=why-is-melamine-in-baby-formula-you-2008-09-24
Chinese food companies use the nitrogen-based compound in wheat flour and other products to make these products appear to have more protein. Normally, proteins are the only source of nitrogen in food, so by looking for that element in tests, one can figure out relative protein concentrations. "Whenever someone looks at nitrogen in food, almost always they are looking at the amount of protein in food," Lora Sporny, a professor of nutrition education at Columbia University in New York, told ScientificAmerican.com last year.
During a press conference held during last year's pet food scandal, FDA official Stephen Sundlof said it was possible that the tainted grub was deliberately spiked with melamine to make it appear to have higher protein levels. "The motivation would be economic in that you can take a product that is low in protein," he said, "and add a substance that from a chemistry standpoint makes the product appear to have a higher protein content than it does so it can be marketed at the price."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_protein_export_contamination
Both the wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate were found to actually be wheat flour, which contains wheat gluten as a component and is less expensive than separated gluten. Melamine and cyanuric acid were most likely added to fraudulently increase the apparent protein content of the flour to allow them to pass as concentrated vegetable proteins.