Flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses are usually promoted by the manufacturers as snacks for children and young people. An undeniable advantage of such products is the fact that they can be treated as convenience food because they have long expiry dates, they are ready to eat and available in packaging of various sizes. However, both milk and dairies can be a source of toxic metals, in particular Pb and Cd, for children. The research aimed to measure the level of Pb and Cd in fruit-flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses. The analyses involved 83 products: 42 yoghurts and 41 cream cheeses. The products were split into 11 groups, depending on the used flavouring. The content of Cd and Pb was determined using the GF AAS method. In addition, the safety of fruit-flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses was estimated for consumers aged 5 and 10. The analysed yoghurts contained on average 0.028 mg Pb and 0.008 mg Cd per 1 kg, whereas the cream cheeses – on average 0.02 mg Pb and 0.017 mg kg-1 Cd. The values were lower than acceptable. The highest (P < 0.05) content of Pb was recorded in mixed flavour yoghurts, whereas as regards cream cheeses – in stone fruit flavoured products. The highest (P < 0.05) content of Cd was recorded in vanilla-flavoured yoghurts and in mixed flavour and strawberry-flavoured cream cheeses. For a child, having one cup of fruit-flavoured yoghurt is equivalent to a daily intake of max. 7 % BMDL01 Pb and max. 18.3 % TWI Cd, whereas one cup of cream cheese – max. 28.5 % BMDL01 Pb and max. 33.5 % TWI Cd. The presented results indicated that one cup of fruit-flavoured yoghurt and cream cheese was safe for consumers in terms of Cd and Pb content. However, it should be noted that products most eagerly chosen by children (strawberry, peach) had the highest content of Pb and/or Cd per 1 cup, which means that their frequent consumption can be associated with a risk of increased intake of such toxic metals.

22.4.2017