Agriculture & Food, Volume 10, 2022

Abstract: The aim of the work was to determine the concentration of mutagenic elements arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and selenium (Se) in various types of milk and dairy products from two manufacturers from the supermarket in Slovakia. The samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) monthly for six months. Cd was below the level of detection in all products and the same for Cr in all types of milk. In the cheese, we found significant differences between the producers in the concentration of Mn, Cu, Cr, and Se. In other dairy products, we have found differences in the concentration of Se and Cu between producers of creamy white yogurt. Some of the elements were present in concentrations that, given the nature of the metals, could be hazardous. Arsenic in butter reached 2.244 and 2.603 mg/kg, which are very close to the limits and within the range of concentrations causing cancer. Cr concentrations in molten cheese were at the TDI level at normal daily consumption of 50 g of cheese and Pb values of 0.032 mg/kg in UHT whole milk exceeded the limit set by the European Commission (EC). Other elements do not pose any risk with the regular intake of these products. In the case of Co, Cu, Fe, and Mn they rather occurred in low concentrations. The concentration of Se in UHT semi-skimmed milk represents up to 500% of the daily requirement for an adult. Relationships between individual elements in milk and dairy products are rare in the literature. Therefore, the results of the work will contribute to the knowledge in this area. Several significant strong correlations between elements were found. The most common correlations were between Fe, Cu, and Ni. As milk and dairy products are among the staple foods consumed by the most vulnerable groups of people, namely children and the elderly, their presence in milk and dairy products needs to be monitored.