Comparative assessment of heavy metal contamination in plain and fruit flavored yogurts

Heavy metal contamination in dairy foods poses a growing public health concern, particularly in fruit-flavored yogurts that undergo additional processing and include multiple ingredients that may introduce contaminants. This study aimed to compare the levels of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) in fruit-flavored yogurts (mango, peach, and strawberry) with those in plain yogurt sold in Assiut, Egypt. A total of 20 samples representing several commercial brands were collected and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations. Results showed that plain yogurt consistently exhibited the lowest concentrations of all three metals, whereas fruit-flavored yogurts, especially strawberry yogurt, showed substantially higher levels (p < 0.05). Cd increased from 0.0048 ppm in plain yogurt to 0.2262 ppm in strawberry yogurt (p < 0.05), while Cr rose from 0.3522 ppm to 3.6132 ppm across the same comparison (p < 0.05). Pb contamination was particularly alarming, with strawberry yogurt averaging 26.3476 ppm, and one sample exceeding 100 ppm (p < 0.05), surpassing international safety limits. These findings confirmed that fruit-flavored yogurts may pose a greater risk of heavy metal exposure than plain varieties. To conclude, these results make it clear that yogurt producers need to strengthen quality control, carefully monitor the ingredients they use, and improve their production practices to better protect consumers, especially children and people who eat yogurt regularly.