Determinación de metales pesados en leche cruda en una hacienda modelo de la parroquia de Tarqui y Victoria del Portete del cantón Cuenca, provincia del Azuay

Abstract

There is currently a great concern on the part of Health Agencies worldwide on the issues of food toxicology and the contamination of food by the presence of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) constituting a possible toxicological risk to man, In addition to the irreversible toxic effects on target organs, such as lead, which damages the central nervous system and interferes with globulin synthesis, causing saturnism, while cadmium and arsenic can cause gastrointestinal problems and renal failure. These metals are considered to be of high toxicological and ecotoxicological risk because, as they do not degrade, their concentration increases in nature through the trophic chain until they reach cattle through fodder contaminated with heavy metals, which, when ingested through grazing, are excreted in cow's milk, which is sold to the general population and can be consumed by humans, constituting a risk to human health. Also, the presence of heavy metals in milk is considered an indicator of environmental contamination from different anthropogenic activities. For this reason, this study was carried out to determine the concentrations of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic in raw milk from a farm in the parish of Tarqui and Victoria del Portete. 20 samples were analyzed using the analytical technique of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This is an observational, descriptive study of cross-sectional convenience, in which sampling was performed for 20 samples where values above the permissible limits were found. In the case of lead, a maximum concentration value of 5,640 mg/kg was obtained in the processed samples, of which the reference value is 0,02 mg/kg, according to the requirements of the NTE INEN 9:2012 standard for raw milk. On the other hand, for cadmium, a maximum value of 0,365 mg/kg was found, of which the reference value is 0.01 mg/kg as established in the Sanitary Hygiene Standard for maximum limits of heavy metals in food of the Romanian Technical Regulation NTR order 975/ 1998. For arsenic, the Official Mexican Standard NOM-184-SSA1-2002 on milk health specifications indicates that the reference value for arsenic is 0,2 mg/kg, and the maximum value found was 0.514 mg/kg.