CONCENTRAÇÃO DE MERCÚRIO EM LEITE E QUEIJO PRODUZIDOS NA REGIÃO DE MARABÁ-PA

Abstract

In the city of Maraba, in Para state, farmers, seek to establish a production system that guarantees an acceptable quality of life. Much of this production is milk and cheese. These products have wide acceptance in domestic and foreign markets; however there is no effective control of the quality of food. The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentration levels of mercury in milk and cheese sold in the markets of Maraba, employing the technique of direct analysis using the DMA-80 equipment. Mercury in cheese ranged from 0.002 mg.kg-1 to 0.015 mg.kg-1, this variation in milk was 0.008 mg L-1 to 0.040 mg L-1. Mercury can get milk and cheese from various sources, such as environmental pollution and soil contaminating pastures and water sources, the use of veterinary drugs in milk and contact with metal surfaces not tinned.

Index Terms - Food, toxicology, heavy metal