INORGANIC ELEMENTS IN COW AND SHEEP RAW MILK SAMPLES FROM NATIONAL PARK OF GARGANO

A study about cow and sheep raw milk collected from different farms in the National Park of Gargano was carried out. A number of 93 raw milk samples (50 cow milk and 43 sheep milk) were analysed for the detection of several trace element (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Mn, Pb, Se, Zn) and artificial gamma radionuclide (Cs-134, Cs-137) content. Data analysis shows a significant statistical difference between the two species. Cow milk mean values are always lower than sheep ones for Cu, Fe, Mn and Pb. Artificial longterm gamma radionuclide activity was not detected in all samples, resulting lower than the minimum detectable concentration (MDC). All inorganic contaminant concentration levels actually don’t represent a primary health concern. This research is also a contribution in the risk assessment related to the consumption of these products and confirm both sheep and cow milk as a good environmental pollution indicator. Furthermore, this investigation is a contribution to enhance safety and quality of typical dairy products from National Park of Gargano.