1 VETERINARSKA STANICA 50 (1), 2019. ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE / IZVORNI ZNANSTVENI ČLANAK Macro- and microelement contents in sterilized milk of different manufacturers from Croatia and the EU N. Bilandžić*, M. Sedak, B. Čalopek, M. Đokić, B. Solomun Kolanović, I. Varenina, Đ. Božić Luburić and I. Varga Nina BILANDŽIĆ*, Grad. Biotechnol. Eng., PhD, Scientifc Advisor, (corresponding autor, e-mail: bilandzic@veinst.hr), Marija SEDAK, Grad. Food Technol. Eng., PhD, Bruno ČALOPEK, Grad. Food Technol. Eng., Maja ĐOKIĆ, Grad. Chem. Technol. Eng., PhD, Božica SOLOMUN KOLANOVIĆ, Grad. Food Technol. Eng., PhD, Ivana VARENINA, Grad. Biotechnol. Eng., PhD, Đurđica BOŽIĆ LUBURIĆ, Grad. Biotechnol. Eng., Ines VARGA, Mag. Appl. Chem., Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia Introduction Cow’s milk is an important foodstuf containing many essential amino acids, lipids, vitamins, soluble fbre, and signifcant quantities of essential elements. Considering the large number of bioactive compounds in milk and dairy products, this food category has a strong positive efect on human health (Król et al., 2017). The main areas of the biological activity of milk involve the proper development of infants, gastrointestinal development, immune Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the diferences in macro- (Ca, Na, Mg) and microelement (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se, Zn) concentrations in processed cow milk samples. Sterilized UHT (ultra- high temperature) milk with 2.8% milk fat produced by fve diferent milk producers in Croatia and one milk producer in the European Union (EU) were randomly purchased from large marketplaces in the Croatian capital, Zagreb. Element concentrations were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mean element concentrations were in the range (mg/kg): Ca 1111-1285, Na 361.1-453.3, Mg 101.2-113.7, Zn 3.85-4.33; (µg/kg): Fe 180.7- 269.1, Cu 36.2-45.1, Mo 33.3–47.7, Mn 22.9- 31.1, Se 14.7-26.4, Cr 1.91-5.24, Co 0.19-0.32. Signifcant diferences in the content of Ca, Cr, Na, Mn, Mo, Se and Zn were determined between milk samples of diferent producers. There were no signifcant diferences in the concentrations of Cu or Co. Milk of Croatian producers showed signifcant diferences in Mg, Fe, Mo, Mn, Se and Cr levels compared to milk from the EU producer. The highest concentrations of Fe, Cr and Co were found in the EU milk. Given the importance and frequency of use of processed cow’s milk as a foodstuf, the measurement of macro- and microelement contents plays an important role in the evaluation of its nutritional value. Key words: sterilized milk; macroelements; microelements; ICP-MS; Croatia; EU