China melamine milk ban to be reviewed

India will be reviewing a decision that saw Chinese milk imports banned due to many products containing high levels of melamine.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now asked state governments within the country to test milk samples from China and submit individual quality surveys, the Business Standard reports.

Melamine can lead to fatal diseases if consumed in large quantities and India barred trade with its neighbour in 2008, which is due to come to an end in June of this year.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques may be used to separate chemicals in samples to ascertain melamine levels, with one FSSAI official claiming standards will be strict.

Not wishing to be named, the source told the news provider: "Despite the [Chinese] government's claim that the quality has improved, reports are coming in that the melamine issue is very much there."

Researchers at the University of Miami recently revealed a new cost-effective method of detecting melamine, which involves separating samples and applying gold nanoparticles to the resulting solution.