Copper, zinc, iron, and manganese accumulation in cattle from Asturias (northern Spain)

Monitoring levels of mineral concentrations in animal tissues is important for assessing the effect of contamination on animal health and safety of animal origin products in human nutrition. This study evaluated the levels of certain trace elements (copper, zinc, iron, and manganese) in cattle from an industrial and mining region in the north of Spain (Asturias). Samples of 312 animals aged 9–12 mo were collected from the whole region and analyzed after acid digestion using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The geometric mean concentrations obtained per wet weight for the liver, kidney, muscle, and blood were 34.3 mg/kg, 4.04 mg/kg, 1.65 mg/kg, and 0.651 mg/L for copper, respectively, and 38.5 mg/kg, 23.0 mg/kg, 47.0 mg/kg, and 2.44 mg/L for zinc, respectively. For iron, blood was not analyzed and results were 96.2 mg/kg, 105 mg/kg, and 56.0 mg/kg for the liver, kidney and muscle, respectively. For manganese, only the liver and kidney were analyzed, and the results were 3.11 mg/kg and 1.19 mg/kg, respectively. There was no evidence of an accumulation of toxic levels of trace metals in Asturian cattle. Females accumulated more iron in the liver (p<0.001, F1,310=18.4) and the kidney (p<0.001, F1,310=13.5) and more manganese in the liver (p<0.01, F1,310=9.55) than males.