Melamine

What is melamine and how is it used?

Melamine (2,4,6- triamino- 1,3,5-triazine) is an industrial chemical compound used mainly in the production of plastics, primarily for countertops, utensils, fabrics, adhesives and flame retardants. It is also a metabolite of the insecticide cyromazine.

 

Form Melamine

Is it present in foods?

Melamine is not approved as a food ingredient in Europe, which applies to both domestic and foreign manufacturers whose products enter the European food supply chain. However, very low levels of melamine may be present in food resulting from use of pesticides, industrial processing and in-home preparation (involving plastic packaging, food contact surfaces and tableware). The concentration of melamine in food is typically less than 1 mg/kg and does not pose a food safety risk. In Europe, the migration limit of melamine from plastics to food content is fixed at 30 mg/kg food.

 

In 2008 in China, melamine was reported to have been added illegally to some powdered milk and related dairy products including infant formula to make them appear rich in protein and to overestimate their nutritional quality. Other food products such as biscuits and confectionary made with the adulterated powdered milk were also contaminated. In addition, melamine was detected in egg and soya products, ammonium bicarbonate (raising agent) and animal feed.

 

What are the consequences of ingesting melamine?

Melamine is non-toxic in low doses. In Europe, the tolerable daily intake (TDI) is fixed at 0.5 mg/kg body weight, which corresponds to a TDI of 30 mg melamine per day for an adult of 60 kg, and 2.5 mg melamine for an infant of 5 kg.

 

At high levels and in combination with cyanuric acid (a chemical present in melamine as an impurity), melamine can form insoluble crystals, leading to the formation of kidney stones. This can lead to severe health effects such as kidney failure in vulnerable individuals, such as babies and young children. In China, the highest concentration of melamine reported in infant formula reached about 2,500 mg/kg.

 

Are Chinese imported foods safe to consume?

The European Commission immediately banned the import of Chinese food containing milk-related and soya-related products for infants and small children. Since this decision was taken, further strict controls have been put in place to protect the European consumer. All Chinese food and feed containing milk, milk products, soya or soya products, as well as of baking powder have been tested for melamine before importation to Europe. Products already on the market have also been tested. Any product with a melamine concentration higher than 2.5 mg/kg cannot be imported or have to be withdrawn from the market.

Melamine in the Kitchen

Rice Cultivation

During Song times, new developments in rice cultivation — especially the introduction of new strains of rice from what is now Central Vietnam, along with improved methods of water controland irrigation — spectacularly increased rice yields. Rice was used primarily as food, but was also used to brew the wine consumed in homes and taverns.

Rice was grown primarily south of the Yangzi River. This area had many advantages over the north China plain, as the climate is warmer and rainfall more plentiful. The mild temperatures of the south often allowed two crops to be grown on the same plot of land — a summer and a winter crop.

The many rivers and streams of the region facilitated shipping, which reduced the cost of transportation and, thus, made regional specialization economically more feasible. During the Song period,the Yangzi River regions became the economic center of China.

 

Map showing borders of the Northern Song (960-1126) and Southern Song (1127-1279) dynasties, with the Yangzi River in orange.

       All rice cultivation is highly labor intensive. Rice is generally grown as a wetland crop in fields flooded to supply water during the growing season. Transplanting seedlings requires many hours of labor, as does harvesting.Mechanization of rice cultivation is only minimally advanced. Rice cultivation also demands more of other inputs, such as fertilizer, than most other crops.

                                                                         Rice Fields

Rice is highly prized by consumers as a food grain, especially in south China, and per capita consumption has risen through the years. Also, as incomes have risen, consumers have preferred to eat more rice and less potatoes, corn, sorghum, and millet. Large production increases in the early 1980s and poor local transportation systems combined to induce farmers to feed large quantities of lower quality rice to livestock.

Topography of China

 The following image we can see the topography of China where shows the topography in feet of different elevations.

Interesting Place in China.

The most famous attraction in Hangzhou is West Lake (Xi Hu /sshee hoo/). West Lake is man-made and created after the Chinese love for garden style parks for recreation.Hangzhou's West Lake Scenic Area, in the southwest of the city, covers 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), of which West Lake itself occupies 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles).

Location : Hangzhou, East China.

Location West Lake by Google Earth.

West Lake is a place of tranquility where urbanity becomes a silhouette on the northeast horizon and mountains near and far surround it on the other three sides. The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridge add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands and hills.

Province of China

Here is a map of the Province of China.