Abstract:
Milk and its products are
considered healthy due to their content of key
nutritional elements. Despite their essential
role in the human diet, they may be
susceptible to contamination with many
chemical pollutants from the surrounding
environment, most notably heavy metals such
as lead, which is considered toxic to
consumers. This study evaluated lead
concentrations in milk and dairy product
samples collected from various Egyptian
environments. The results showed significant
differences (p < 0.05) in Pb concentrations in
the samples collected from different
environments in Egypt (industrial, traffic and
rural). The average lead content in raw cow’s
milk, sterilised milk, Domiati cheese, Ras
cheese, processed cheese and yoghurt
samples from industrial areas were 2.23, 0.33,
3.19, 5.10, 0.11 and 0.09 mg/kg, respectively.
In traffic areas, lead concentrations were
1.83, 0.30, 2.72, 4.72, 0.13 and 0.09, and in
rural areas, they were 0.61, 0.27, 1.52, 3.13,
0.13 and 0.09. The data showed that Pb levels
in dairy product samples collected from
industrial areas are very high compared with
those collected from traffic areas. By contrast,
the lowest Pb concentrations were recorded in
samples from rural areas. It is recommended
that lead levels in different foods, especially
milk and its products, be evaluated at regular
intervals.
