Concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in milk and its product: a systematic review and meta-analysis and health risk assessment study

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in milk and its products. The related studies regarding the concentration of PTEs in milk and its products were investigated in international databases such as Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Finally, the health risk assessment was performed using Total Target Hazard Quotient (TTHQ) by the Monte-Carlo Simulation model. According to the results of 30 included articles among 981 retrieved studies, the ranking of metal concentration was Zn > Fe > Se > Cu > As > Ni > Cd > Pb and Zn > Se > Pb > Cu > As > Ni> Fe > Cd in milk and Butter, as well as Fe > Cu > Pb > Se > Zn > Ni> Cd> As and Fe> Zn> Se> Cu > Ni> > As> Cd> Pb in cheese and Yoghurt, respectively. Based on the type of continents, the highest concentrations of As (0.16 µg/kg), Cd (0.49 µg/kg), and Pb (0.49 µg/kg) were found in yoghurt, cheese, and butter, which was related to Western Pacific Region (WPRO) and European Region (EURO), respectively. Regarding trace elements, the highest concentrations of Fe (3.94 µg/kg), Zn (5.90 µg/kg), and Ni (0.23 µg/kg) were observed in yoghurt, butter, and yoghurt belonging to WPRO and Pan Americas Region (PAHO), respectively. In addition, Se (0.78 µg/kg), Cu (0.57 µg/kg), and Se (0.78 µg/kg) represented the highest concentrations in yoghurt and cheese and were associated with WPRO and PAHO, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risk assessment of the PTEs indicated a different risk pattern in various countries, and the TTHQ level in adult groups in all countrieswas lower than 1 except for Italy. Thus, the consumption of milk and its products is safe to the health of consumers.

KEYWORDS:

• Cheese
• cream
• yoghurt
• butter
• PTEs
• health risk assessment
• meta-analysis

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the Deputy of Research and Technology, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences for their financial support in this research.

Author contribution

All participants provided written informed consent. A.R participates in the process of doing work, E.G Participation in statistical work and F.M participate in the process of doing work and writing article.

Conflict interest

All authors declared no conflict of interest regarding this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

The research protocol was approved by the review committee of the Ethics Committee of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.