Melamine contamination and associated health risks: Gut microbiota does make a difference

Abstract

Melamine is a nitrogenous organic compound containing high amounts of nitrogen, which is interpreted as high protein in various standard protein measuring tests, therefore added to foods to boost the protein content. Illegal addition of melamine has been in practice by food manufacturers, which leads to toxicity and stone formation in kidneys of individuals consuming melamine-contaminated milk products. A focused and thorough structured search of bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed researches reported in the literature was carried out with a focused attention on melamine contamination, associated health risks, and the role of gut microbiota. The overall outcomes of the research and review articles pertaining to searched keywords along with analysis of the interventions have been described employing a deductive qualitative content analysis approach. Current review focuses on the various health risks associated with consumption of melamine-contaminated foods and the need to develop better and effective methods for its testing. Moreover, the importance of gut microbiota in mediating toxicity due to melamine has also been discussed as there is a link between toxicity and activities of gut microbiota.

Electrochemical Methods for the Analysis of Milk

“…Melamine (1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine) is generally used in the production of melamine-formaldehyde resins. There is a history of adulteration of milk with melamine to inflate protein levels, so monitoring its presence and concentration in milk products is necessary as high levels of melamine can cause kidney damage and even death . High levels of melamine ingestion through food or milk can be detrimental to the urinary and reproductive systems and leads to bladder stones or even bladder cancer .…”

“…Currently one of the main quality concerns for the industry is the risk of contaminants in milk and dairy products, such as medical residues (e.g., antibiotics, hormones), − adulterants (e.g., melamine, − hydrogen peroxide, − baking soda, urea, washing soda, salt, unclean water), , pathogens (e.g., bacteria, fungus, etc. ), surfactants (e.g., sodium dodecylbenzene sulfate, 4-nonylphenol), furfural, bisphenol A, , toxins (e.g., aflatoxin, etc.…”

Endocrine Disruptors in Baby Formulas: A Literature Review

“…Products made of melamine-formaldehyde plastic can also be found in food as a result of use in materials, including box coatings, paper, cardboard, and adhesives (Ebner et al, 2020). It is illegally used in food or feed products to increase the content of the false protein (Rajpoot et al, 2020).…”

In-silico designing of a potent ligand molecule against PTEN (Phosphatase and tensin homolog) implicated in Breast Cancer

“…Cancer is attributed to the unregulated and uncontrolled division of cells, which may become malignant and spread into the neighboring tissues of the body. Genetic changes are encountered at the DNA level when cancer becomes malignant (Rajpoot et al 2021). In the current scenario, breast cancer is known to affect one in every eight women during their life span worldwide (Momenimovahed and Salehiniya 2019).…”