Determination of some elements in produced/consumed cheeses by atomic absorption and atomic emission spectrometry at around Trabzon

Contamination exposure of the air, soil and water threaten and become hazard for food safety in an increasing ratio. It was examined that principal contamination sources, mechanisms, its forming, usage of synthetic fertilizer, destroying of biologic structure and damages of agricultural products genetically modified organisms, industrial wastes, mine wastes, home wastes, air emissions, exhaust gases, insufficient or absence of infrastructures (contaminations or leasing of drainages or septic tanks), pollutions of the flowing water, sea, lake and dams etc. affect human health negatively. The milk and milk products playing an important role on human nutrition may be hazardous with respect to human health.In this study, concentrations of some mineral and trace elements (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Li, Ba, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, Cr, Co and Cd) in cheese samples collected at around Trabzon were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after microwave digestion. The concentration ranges in the samples were found to be 0.02-9.04, 0.13-0.54, 0.12-2.86, 0.03-0.16 %, 0.01-25.15, 0.15-7.79, 1.76-85.87, 0.55-7.69, 0.13-2.99, 3.85-122.11, 0.23-7.45, 0.15-5.59, 0.01-0.12 ve 0.55-0.61 mg/kg for those elements, respectively. The order of levels of the elements in the samples was determined to be Na > Ca > K > Mg > Zn > Fe > Cu > Ba > Li > B > Cd > Mn > Cr > Co. Statistical ANOVA test revealed that there is no significant difference between public and reference chesees.Key Words: Cheese, Mineral and Trace Elements, FAAS, ICP-OES, ANOVA Analysis,Cluster Analysis.