title: Characterization of newfound natural luminescent properties of melamine, and development and validation of a method of high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for its determination in kitchen plastic ware.
abstract: Experimental studies of the natural photoluminescence of melamine in aqueous solutions showed that its fluorescence intensity (at 250/365 nm) was appropriated for analytical purposes. The exploitation of such melamine property provided the basis of development of a new, simple, precise and accurate method based on high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-Fluo) to determine melamine in kitchen plastic ware following aqueous extraction using a microwave oven. Optimization of analytical parameters such as solvent composition, pH and extraction conditions led to limits of detection and quantification of melamine of 0.0081 and 0.027 μg mL(-1), respectively, with a linear range up to 10 μg mL(-1). Sample extracts fortified with melamine at three concentration levels produced an average recovery of 98±6%, which was in agreement with the results achieved with a reference HPLC-UV method. Different samples of kitchen plastic ware analyzed by the developed and optimized method showed melamine concentrations in the aqueous extract up to 17 µg mL(-1), which corresponded to 86.0 mg kg(-1) in these utensils. The results obtained indicate that the use of kitchen plastic ware made of melamine can contaminate food with this compound after heating in a microwave oven.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal Fluminense-Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Instituto de Química, Outeiro de São João Batista, s/n, 24020-141 Centro Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio--Av. Brasil, 4365 Manguinhos, CEP 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Virginia de Lourdes Mendes
authors.initials: Vde L
authors.lastname: Finete
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio--Av. Brasil, 4365 Manguinhos, CEP 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Martins
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gouvêa
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio--Av. Brasil, 4365 Manguinhos, CEP 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Ferreira de Carvalho
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio--Av. Brasil, 4365 Manguinhos, CEP 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Electronic address: annibal@vm.uff.br.
authors.forename: Annibal Duarte Pereira
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Netto
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D003297:Cooking and Eating Utensils; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D049449:Luminescence; D008872:Microwaves; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D014227:Triazines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D012997:Solvents; D014227:Triazines; C011907:melamine
keywords: Fluorescence of natural melamine; HPLC–fluorescence detection; Kitchen melamine plastic ware; Melamine determination