China's quality watchdog said on Saturday the latest tests on Chinese milk powder found no trace of melamine.

It was the seventh round of tests for the industrial chemical since the the report of the tainted baby formula scandal that left at least three infants dead and sickened more than 50,000 others, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The tests covered 105 batches of baby formula from 20 brands in 10 provinces and 161 batches of other milk powder from 52 brands in 15 provinces, the agency said.

So far, 804 batches of baby formula from 66 brands and 1,126 batches of other milk powder from 161 brands produced after Sept. 14 have been tested and none contained melamine.

Earlier on Friday, the agency said the 12th round of tests found that Chinese liquid dairy products met the new temporary restrictions on melamine.

So far, the quality watchdog had conducted sample tests on 5,797 batches of liquid dairy products manufactured after Sept. 14 from 136 brands and found all safely under the limit.

Last week, the government set temporary melamine content limits in dairy products of a maximum of 1 mg per kg of infant formula and a maximum 2.5 mg per kg for liquid milk, milk powder and food products that contained at least 15 percent milk.

Melamine, often used in the manufacturing of plastics, was added to sub-standard or diluted milk to make the protein levels appear higher.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2008)