Rapid on‐site determination of melamine in raw milk by an immunochromatographic strip

A rapid and simple method was established based on gold nanoparticle‐labelled monoclonal antibody probes for the detection of melamine pollution in raw milk. The conditions for conjugation between the antibody and gold nanoparticles were optimised (pH 8.0, antibody concentration 5 μg mL^?1). It gives a single proportional to melamine concentration with a performance time of only 3 min. A practical calibration curve was established with a reader system with limit of detection calculated as 4.47 and 8.34 μg L^?1 with naked eyes. Three structural analogues, atrazine, desethyl‐desisopropyl‐atrazine and cyromazine, were used to test the specificity of the immunochromatographic strip, and small colour changes on the strip test line were found even at the 500 ng mL^?1 spiked level. Fifty raw milk samples were detected with this strip method, and the resulting data coincided well with results from gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The above‐mentioned results showed that this test strip can be used for melamine screening in the daily monitoring of milk.