Overview
Crupi and colleagues bought 30 lactose-free dairy products (three each of yogurt and nine cheese types, including mozzarella) in Sicilian markets and measured 27 elements by ICP-MS. Toxic elements were low: lead and arsenic were at or below about 0.01 mg/kg, and the highest exposure share for any toxic element was 3.6% of the tolerable intake, for lead from mozzarella.
Key numbers
- Lactose-free mozzarella: lead 0.009 ± 0.005 mg/kg, cadmium 0.023 ± 0.003 mg/kg, arsenic 0.002 ± 0.001 mg/kg, mercury 0.010 ± 0.002 mg/kg (Table 4, p. 6).
- Cadmium was highest in primo sale (0.029 mg/kg) and lowest in processed cheese slices and pasta filata (0.010 mg/kg) (Table 4).
- Lead and arsenic were below the LOQ in cottage cheese, crescenza, robiola and primo sale (Table 4).
Methods (brief)
About 0.5 g of each product was microwave-digested in nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide and analyzed in triplicate by ICP-MS. Accuracy was checked with a skimmed milk powder reference material (cadmium and lead recoveries about 95%). Table 4 gives mean ± SD of 3 samples per variety.
Evidence Fitness
Peer reviewed with good QA, but only 3 samples per variety, and the LOQ table units are internally inconsistent. All products are lactose-free versions. The mozzarella samples are direct evidence for mozzarella (lactose-free mozzarella); pasta filata cheese is reported separately and is not labeled mozzarella.