China's quality watchdog on Friday denied reports that flour shipped to Kyrgyzstan last month contained melamine, the industrial chemical at the heart of China's milk contamination scandal.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) said both the producer and the GAQSIQ tested the batch of flour and found no indications of melamine contamination.

"After the goods arrived in Kyrgyzstan, the wheat flour was tested by quality agencies from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia and no test results showed melamine contamination," said Li Yingfeng, head of the GAQSIQ information section.

The GAQSIQ said after some media carried the reports, it re-inspected the flour sample kept in China and found no sign of melamine.

However, the GAQSIQ did not disclose the quantity and the producer of the flour.

Melamine, often used in the manufacture of plastics, has been added to diluted milk and other foods to make the protein levels appear higher.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2008)