Trace elements in bovine milk from different regions in Norway.

Dairy milk samples from 37 milk tours in 15 areas of Norway were collected during indoor feeding or on pasture in 2008 and analyzed with respect to 6 major elements (Ca, P, K, S, Na, Mg) and 28 trace elements (As, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Dy, Fe, I, La, Li, Mn, Mo, Nd, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sm, Sr, V, Y, Yb and Zn). Surprisingly, the least-square means of major and trace elements in milk did not vary much from one region to another. The concentration levels of iodine, copper, manganese and lithium in milk from the northern region were higher compared with milk from other regions. Milk from the south was enriched with respect to selenium, yttrium, cerium and bismuth, while milk from the western region was enriched with respect to rubidium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]