Mineral Contents and Heavy Metal Contamination in Kashar Cheeses Consumed in Erzurum Province, Turkey

This study was carried out to determine the mineral substances and heavy metal contents of fresh and ripened kashar cheeses consumed in Erzurum province,Turkey. A total 50 samples (37 fresh and 13 ripened kashar samples) were obtained randomly from retail outlets. Mineral substances and heavy metals contamination levels were detected with inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The average levels of the mineral substances and heavy metals in the kashar cheeses were determined as; calcium 2265.57 +/- 614.14 mg/kg, potassium 1555.46 +/- 552.31 mg/kg, sodium 4693.31 +/- 1886.12 mg/kg, magnesium 129.34 +/- 32.05 mg/kg, iron 1.65 +/- 0.80 mg/kg, zinc 15.66 +/- 3.41 mg/kg, copper 0.39 +/- 0.35 mg/kg, manganese 0.15 +/- 0.09 mg/kg, nickel 0.27 +/- 0.24 mg/kg, lead 1.77 +/- 1.72 mg/kg and arsenic 0.0001 +/- 0.001 mg/kg. It was not determined any statistical differences in mineral substances and heavy metal levels between fresh and ripened kashar cheese samples.