30.01.2013

ifp offers testing for dicyandiamide (DCD) in milk powder

ifp Institut für Produktqualität now also offers analytical services for the detection of dicyandiamide (DCD) in milk powder. The company is doing this in response to the recent discovery of DCD traces in New Zealand milk powder.

New Zealand dairy farmers had used the biologically degradable chemical DCD on their pastures, which reduces nitrate levels in the ground and surrounding waters. There are currently no official standards concerning acceptable DCD levels in food products. The residues found in the milk powder are not, however, considered a health hazard, which is why the dairy products affected have not been recalled.

New Zealand is home to the world’s largest dairy cooperative group, with the country’s dairy industry accounting for nearly a third of its exports. Accordingly, concerns about international trust crumbling due to recent DCD discoveries are high. New Zealand's two largest fertilizer producers have therefore suspended sales of their DCD-containing nitrate-reducing products at this point.

The chemical residue centre established by ifp Institut für Produktqualität at the technology centre in Berlin-Adlershof is now testing milk products for DCD fast and reliably. The company uses state-of-the-art analytical methods and instruments. After high-performance liquid chromatography separation of the sample extract, DCD is detected using tandem mass spectrometry in multi-reaction monitoring (LC-MS/MS). Along with DCD detection, ifp also performs testing for melamine for the milk industry.