Screening melamine adulterant in milk powder with laser Raman spectrometry

Melamine adulterant in milk powder was detected using a portable compact Raman spectrometric system. Melamine-free milk powder from a domestic brand was used as blank control after verification by HPLC tandem mass spectrometry. Melamine fortified in milk powder was identified with good reproducibility by two characteristic vibration modes at 673 and 982 cm−1. The intensity of the first mode was used to quantify melamine adulterant in milk powder. A detection limit (DL) of 0.13% and a good partial least squares (PLS) analysis model were obtained. As a fast-screening scheme, the method could be suitably applied to on-site quality control of dairy products and market surveillance.