Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXXI, Issue 2
Written by Alexandru GUȘOI, Emanuela BADEA
Several essential and toxic elements were determined from cow milk and hair samples. The studied individuals (n = 10) were all females from the Romanian Spotted breed, raised through extensive farming, exclusively involving animals from local households. ICP-MS was used to determine the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni, Hg, Al, Zn, Cu, and Ca. Statistical analysis showed that Pb, Ni, Al, Zn, and Cu concentrations in milk and hair samples differ significantly (p < 0.05), all being higher in hair samples. Several strong significant correlations were observed between the analysed elements, such as the negative correlation between Ca levels in hair and Cd levels in milk (ρ = –0.875, p = 0.001) and the positive correlation between Ca and Ni concentrations in milk (ρ = 0.855, p = 0.002). The findings of this research mainly support existing knowledge regarding toxic and essential element interactions, while highlighting the importance of minimizing environmental pollution, as elements from the environment can bioaccumulate in the animals’ organism and transfer through milk, and other animal-based products, to consumers.
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