HEAVY METALS IN MILK INFANT FORMULAS

Abstract

Baby food can contain harmful components that are very dangerous to little consumers. One of the most common harmful factors is heavy metals, in particular lead. It is known that introducing one extra microelement into the body changes not only the concentration of this element, but also the concentration of other elements. Disturbing the physiological balance of microelements leads to changes in complex enzymatic processes, which in turn violates the structure of tissue cells of individual organs. Studies by Russian scientists (T. Suldina and others) have determined, in milk for newborns, the maximum levels of lead (0.02 mg/kg), of cadmium (0.02 mg/kg), of arsenic (0.05 mg/kg). While studying certain samples of baby food, the method for determining the content of lead and other heavy metals was improved. Depending on the lead concentration, characteristic lines of both the ultraviolet and the visible spectral regions can be used. Monitoring heavy metals in infant milk has shown that lead, copper, and zinc are the main contaminants of the product. The concentration of toxic agents in baby milk depends on the type of raw materials and on the environmental conditions of their manufacture. To detect lead in products quickly and accurately, a method was used based on the emission spectral analysis. To this end, spectrographs ISP-28 and ISP-30 widely employed in industry and laboratory studies were taken, but the detection limits were lowered compared to those in the methods that had been used previously. Besides, the field-proven method for determining lead is applicable to detecting zinc and copper, too. An excess of lead by 0.08 mg/kg, copper by 0.07 mg/kg, zinc by 0.45 mg/kg was observed in the baby milk “Malyatko Premium 2.” In the milk “Bellakt 2,” the excessive amount of copper was 0.05 mg/kg, of zinc 0.20 mg/kg, of lead 0.05 mg/kg. In the baby milk “Nitricia Malyuk Istrynsky,” only zinc was found to exceed the normal level (by 0.1 mg/kg). The baby milks “Nutricia Milupa 2,” “Nestle Nestogen 2,” “HiPP Organic 2” do not contain excessive heavy metals, and thus, can be recommended as safe for consumption.