Determination of Macro and Trace Minerals as well as Toxic Trace Metals in Powdered Milk Application Note · novAA 800 D

Introduction

The popularity of milk and dairy products is growing worldwide, resulting in higher milk production and the demand for appropriate quality monitoring to guarantee nutritional value and food safety.

Milk plays an important role in the human diet, from early on with mother’s milk in early childhood to other sources of milk and dairy products in later stages of life, in providing healthy and balanced nutrition. Milk is regarded as an important source of diverse macro minerals crucial for healthy growth and for sustaining bodily functions. Calcium, which is strongly associated with milk, for example, is important for bone strength and dental health, but it also plays a role in the functioning of blood vessels and muscles and facilitates blood clotting. Magnesium is important for the transmission of nerve impulses, for blood pressure regulation, or in the synthesis of proteins and DNA. Potassium, which is also found in milk, is important for cardiac function and supports energy production from carbohydrates.

Furthermore, milk provides diverse trace minerals, such as iron, which is a major component in hemoglobin synthesis; zinc, which promotes enzyme-driven processes and plays an important role in the body‘s immune system; manganese, which is part of many enzymes involved in energy conversion; or copper, which is involved in the formation of red blood cells and plays a role in the function of the central nervous system.

In addition to containing healthy elements, milk may also be contaminated with toxic trace metals, such as arsenic or mercury, which can have adverse health effects and cause cancer or irreversible damage to organs. These elements can originate from contaminated pastures, animal feed, or water.

The following application note describes methods for determining macro minerals, trace minerals, and toxic trace metals in powdered milk, a dairy product used, for example, in manufacturing infant formula, chocolate and other sweets, baked goods, or cheese and yoghurt. It provides the advantages of longer shelf life, no need for refrigeration, and reduced bulk for easier transportation while almost maintaining the content of minerals. Furthermore, lactose powder and whey protein powder were analyzed.

The analysis was performed on a dual atomizer system for AAS, thus allowing simple routine analysis for monitoring the nutritional value using flame AAS as well as special element determination down to lowest detection levels to guarantee food safety by means of graphite furnace technique.