THE LEVELS OF CADMIUM, NICKEL, MANGANESE LEAD, ZINC, IRON, TIN, COPPER AND ARSENIC IN THE BRINED CANNED JORDANIAN CHEESE

The levels of cadmium, nickel, manganese, lead, zinc, iron, tin, coppe r and arsenic in fresh sheep's milk, white brined cheese preserved in glass jars and in tin containers and their corresponding brines, salt and tin plates were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results have been compared with those reported in recent years. A lthough metal levels were comparable with other investigators' data, o ur data shows that white brined cheese picked-up metals from tin conta iners and from the naturally contaminated salt, on the contrary brined cheese in preserved glass jars showed lower levels of metals. We reco mmend a purified salt for brine preparation and glass jars for white c heese preservation in order to minimize cheese contamination with meta ls from tin cans and salt.