ABSTRACT
Milk and dairy foods are considered to be one of the main food groups that are important in a healthy balanced diet, and can be valued as a natural and traditional food. However, milk has been found with contaminants such as heavy metals like lead, chromium and cadmium. Forty samples of fresh milk were collected from Okada and Eyaen. The proximate analysis was done using standard AOAC procedures while samples for mineral analysis were subjected to wet digestion and the respective mineral concentrations using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS model: SOLAR 968 Unicam series) for Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg) and Zinc (Zn); Flame Photometer for Sodium (Na) and Potassium (K). The results obtained at (p<0.05) level of significance from the proximate composition of fresh milk samples collected from Okada showed that pH, MC, CP, EE, ASH, CF, NFE was 4.333, 91.37%, 2.917%, 1.3100%, 3.010%, 0.000, 1.397% respectively, while from Eyaen, pH, MC, CP, EE, ASH, CF, NFE was 4.290, 90.89%, 2.333%, 1.3333%, 3.180%, 0.000, 2.267%, 4.290% respectively. The mineral composition of fresh milk collected from Okada revealed the following minerals Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Sodium (Na) and Zinc (Zn) was 2416 mg/l, 67.50 mg/l, 1715 mg/l, 1826 mg/l, 13.040 mg/l, 872.1 mg/l, 49.25 mg/l respectively, while from Eyaen Ca, Fe, K. Mg, Mn, Na and Zn was 2459 mg/l, 67.45 mg/l, 1865 mg/l, 1826 mg/l, 14.507mg/l, 860.1 mg/l, 60.08 xii mg/l respectively at (p<0.05) level of significance. The heavy metal composition from Okada and Eyaen shows that Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr) and Lead (Pb) was 0.6467 mg/l, 7.627 mg/l, 0.0133 mg/l and 0.7867 mg/l, 7.157 mg/l, 0.0200 mg/l respectively. Cadmium (Cd) in Okada (0.6467 mg/l) and Eyaen (0.7867 mg/l) was not significant (p<0.05), Chromium (Cr) in Okada (7.627 mg/l) and Eyaen (1.340 mg/l) was significant (p<0.05) and Lead (Pb) (0.0133 mg/l) and (0.0200 mg/l) was not significant (p<0.05) in fresh milk samples that was collected from Okada and Eyaen. Conclusively, the proximate composition was in the recommended range except for pH which was lower than the recommended range due to fermentation and fat because of the time of milk collection which was done during late lactation period. The mineral composition was within the recommended range. The concentration of heavy metals, lead and cadmium in this study was within the recommended range except for chromium which can be attributed to contamination of milk, which results from cows consuming contaminated hay, grain and water and the kind of herbicide used on crops to prevent excessive buildup of the toxic metals in the food chain.
