Overview
This Research Square preprint reports 22 elements measured by ICP-OES in raw camel, goat and ewe milk from four Egyptian desert regions, together with the animals’ drinking water and feed, and computes water-to-milk and feed-to-milk transfer factors. Camel milk lead ranged from 23.0 to 39.3 ppb and cadmium from 40.7 to 52.7 ppb across regions. It has not been peer reviewed.
Key numbers
- Camel milk lead “39.3Aa±14.2” ppb (Ras Sidr), “23.0Ba±9.2” (Matrouh), “30.0Aa±6.1” (Sidi Barani), “30.0Aa±9.5” (Halayeb & Shalateen) (Table 5).
- Camel milk cadmium “52.7Aa±15.0” to “40.7Aa±15.3” ppb; chromium “32.3Ba±5.7” to “48.7Aa±25.5” ppb (Table 5).
- Camel milk nickel “16.7Aa±1.65” to “22.0Aa±2.11” ppb (Table 4).
- Quoted limits: lead 20.0 ppb and cadmium 50.0 ppb in milk (Codex and Egyptian standard, as quoted).
Methods (brief)
Ten mL of milk was microwave digested with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, diluted to 20 mL and read by ICP-OES (PerkinElmer Optima 5300 DV) in triplicate. Results are mean ± SD by region and species. The method was validated for linearity, LOD/LOQ and accuracy (95 to 104 percent), but no certified reference material is named.
Evidence Fitness
Preprint, not peer reviewed. It measures raw camel milk directly with goat and ewe milk alongside, but per-region sample counts and collection dates are not stated, and the LOD/LOQ table appears misaligned: with its printed units, most trace and toxic milk means would sit below the LOQ. The lead and cadmium values are high relative to most camel milk surveys. Use as supporting, unreviewed evidence only; water and feed results are not milk findings.