Abstract
Aluminum is non-essential element for humans and is considered to be a toxic metal. dairy products are a major constituent of the daily diet, and its contamination with Aluminum may constitute a serious impact on consumers’ health. One hundred dairy products samples (butter, Damietta cheese, Kareish cheese and plain yoghurt) 25 each were collected randomly from artisanal producers at Damanhur city, West Delta, Egypt to be analyzed for aluminum (Al) concentration using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Aluminum was detected in examined samples of butter, Damietta cheese, Kareish cheese and plain yoghurt by 24%, 36%, 20% and 28% with mean concentrations (µg/kg) of 144.28, 232.76, 236.58 and 131.08, respectively. Consumption of raw milk in the area under investigation contributes to 1.44% (butter), 8.53% (Damietta cheese), 8.67% (Kareish cheese) and 3.05% (plain yoghurt) of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). The target hazard quotient (THQ) of Al metal via artisanal dairy products consumption was less than one. Therefore, regarding aluminum contamination, the results indicated that consumption of artisanal dairy products does not pose health hazard to local residents in Damanhur city, West Delta, Egypt. An effective control measures(e.g. HACCP and ISO series) must be applied to decrease contamination of dairy products with Al.

Key words: cheese,butter, yoghurt, Aluminum, PTWI, THQ,