Residues of melamine and cyanuric acid in milk and tissues of dairy cows fed different doses of melamine

Melamine (1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine) may be degraded into cyanuric acid and some other compounds by rumen microorganisms. This study was conducted to assess the transfer of melamine and cyanuric acid in to milk and tissues by dairy cows fed different doses of melamine. Forty mid-lactation dairy cows (157 +/- 43 d in milk, 20.8 +/- 1.4 kg of milk/d) were divided into 4 groups (n = 10/group) using a completely randomized design. The groups were fed the following amounts of melamine (purity >= 99.5%) at 0 (control), 300 [treatment (Trt) 1], 500 (Trt 2), and 1,000 (Trt 3) mg/d per cow, respectively. The trial lasted for 18 d (12-d feeding period, followed by a 6-d clearance period). Milk samples were collected from the 4 groups on d 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 18, and analyzed for melamine and cyanuric acid. On d 13, 3 cows from Trt 2 and Trt 3 were randomly selected and slaughtered; tissue samples including kidney, liver, mammary, bladder, gluteus medius, and longissimus dorsi were collected for melamine and cyanuric acid analyses. Milk and tissue samples were analyzed for melamine and cyanuric acid using a simultaneous liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry procedure. Neither melamine nor cyanuric acid was detected in concentrated feed that was being fed to the cows. In melamine-treated groups, milk melamine concentration increased quickly and reached a stable level by d 4 and was at similar levels on d 8 and 12 after the first administration of melamine. Milk melamine levels in treated groups were 0.18, 0.27, and 0.50 mg/L for Trt 1, Trt 2, and Trt 3, respectively, and were highly correlated (R-2 = 0.91) with melamine dosing levels. No cyanuric acid was detected in any of the milk collected from the various groups. Melamine residue levels in tissues of Trt 3 were about 2-fold higher than that in Trt 2, with the highest concentration being found in kidney. No differences in cyanuric acid levels in tissues were found between Trt 3 and Trt 2. Liver, kidney, and bladder tissues were found to contain the highest cyanuric acid levels. This study shows a relationship between dietary melamine levels and cyanuric acid levels found in tissues, which might be the result of melamine being converted to cyanuric acid by microorganisms in the rumen.