In pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution，HAuCl4 was reduced by 3，5-dihydroxybenzonic acid（DBA） to form nanogold particles that exhibited a strong resonance scattering（RS） peak at 610 nm.However，in the presence of malemine（MA）， DBA would not reduce HAuCl4 but react with MA to form a stable complex by means of polyhydrogen bonds，which could result in the decrease of RS intensity.The decreased RS intensity was proportional to the MA concentration.Based on this，a RS method was developed for the detection of MA.Under the optimal conditions，the calibration curve was linear in the range of 5.0×10-6-4.0×10-5 mol?L-1 with correlation coefficient of 0.996 8.The method was applied in the determination of MA in milk with satisfactory result.