Beijing, March 4 - Assets of the bankrupt dairy company at the centre of China's melamine-tainted milk scandal sold for 617 million yuan ($90 million) on Wednesday, state media said.

Beijing Sanyuan Group Co Ltd won the bidding for all valid assets and stake ownership of Sanlu Dairy Group, Xinhua news agency said.

The auction came weeks after Tian Wenhua, the former Sanlu chairwoman, was jailed for life and fined $3.6 million for her role in the scandal.

At least six toddlers died and nearly 300,000 fell ill with kidney stones after drinking melamine-tainted formula, the latest in a series of health scares to batter the "made in China" brand.

Beijing Sanyuan Group, parent company of Shanghai-listed Beijing Sanyuan Foods Co, made the joint bid with its subsidiary, Hebei Sanyuan Foods Co Ltd.