INTRODUCTION Dairy foods are good sources of protein, calcium, ribo- flavin, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin D. The dairy group is one of the biggest contributors to calcium intake, which is extremely important for bone health 1 . The comsumption of cheese is of great nutritional interest, due in particular to its composition of micronutrients and especially minerals 2,3 . The trace metal content of cheese is variable because of factors such as differences between the types, the geographical area, the characteristics of the manufacturing procedures and possible contamination from the equipment during the process, packaging and storage. It is necessary to check the manufacturing process at each step in order to determine the source and levels of contamination and to ensure the desired product quality 4 . The composition of cheese, in terms of minerals, is rather variable and depends on such factors as: (i) the initial compo- sition of the milk, which in turn depends on the breed, the stage of lactation, the physiological condition of the animal composition of the feed and environmental 5 ; (ii) cheese making procedures 6 , which are different for diferent cheese types; and (iii) ripening condition, which includes not only the temperature and the relative humidity prevailing in the maturation room, but also the protocols of the surface salting and washing 5-7 . Seasonal Changes in Mineral and Trace Elements of Çanak Cheese S.S. KIRDAR 1,* , E. OCAK 2 , S. KÖSE 1 and E. ÖZER 3 1 Department of Food Processing, Vocational Higher Education School, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey 2 Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture,Yuzuncu Yil University, 65080 Van, Turkey 3 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus *Corresponding author: Fax: +90 248 2345604; Tel/Fax: +90 248 2134575; E-mail: skirdar@mehmetakif.edu.tr (Received: 13 July 2012; Accepted: 2 May 2013) AJC-13429 Seasonal changes of the ash content and mineral concentrations in Çanak cheese were studied. Mineral, trace and heavy metals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron and zinc were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry. At the end of the study, the ash content averaged 3.85 ± 0.26 % in the winter samples and 3.00 ± 0.14 % in the summer ones. The mean concentration of 63,92, 296,74 and 1571,60 mg/kg (in winter) and 56,69, 225,61 and 1221.46 mg/kg (in summer) were measured for Mg, K and Ca, respectively. The concentration of the tested metals was in the range Zn > Fe > Cu > Mn over two seasons. Differences in mineral contents in the cheese making season was statistically significant (p < 0.01) significant seasonal variation was found for Ca, K, Mn and Fe (p < 0.01). Key Words: Trace metals, Minerals, Atomic absorption spectrometry, Anatolia region, Cheese, Çanak cheese. The heavy metal present in the cheese is fundamentally related to the manufacturing practices and possible contami- nation from the equipment during the process 8-10 . The levels of trace elements, important for nutritional and/ or toxicological properties in some traditional and innovative dairy products, contribute to the characterization of the quality and adequacy of the Turkish diet 11 . The most famous variety of cheese in Turkey is Çanak cheese. This type of cheese is manufactured in small-scale dairies and also homemade, using raw milk without a starter, using traditional techniques 12 . This study attempts to contribute to the characterization of the mineral and trace element profile of Çanak cheese during the cheese making season. EXPERIMENTAL In total, 40 ripened Çanak cheese samples (ca. 250 g each) were purchased from randomly selected producers in the Yozgat province, in the Anatolia Region, over two seasons (summer and winter). The Çanak cheese samples were transported to the labo- ratory and kept at ca. 4 ºC until they were analyzed. The ash content of the cheese was quantified by dry ashing the samples in a muffle furnace at 550 ºC for 24 h. Before the samples were placed in the muffle furnace, they were dried in an oven at 105 ºC 13 . Asian Journal of Chemistry; Vol. 25, No. 11 (2013), 6177-6180 http://dx.doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2013.14304