Quantification of trace elements in raw cow’s milk by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Abstract

The levels of trace elements are an important component of safety and quality of milk. While certain elements such as chromium are essential at low levels, an excess can result in deleterious effects on human health. International quality control standards for milk are published by the Codex Alimentarious Commission and levels of heavy metals in milk intended for human consumption are routinely monitored. This paper describes a new method for demonstrating the levels of V, Cr, Mn, Sr, Cd and Pb in raw cow’s milk, using an ICP-MS. Samples (n = 24) of raw cow’s milk were collected from dairy farms close to mines in Gauteng and North West Provinces of South Africa. In order to destroy organic matrix, each freeze dried milk sample was mineralised by using a microwave assisted digestion procedure. Concentrations of trace elements in digested milk samples were measured by ICP-MS. A whole milk powder reference material (NIST SRM 8435) was used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. It was found that the levels of V, Cr, Mn, Sr, Cd and Pb obtained using the new method showed concordance with certified values.