Geographical Variation in the Mineral Profile of Xinjiang Camel Milk and Cross-Species Mineral Research

To investigate geographical and species-based variations in mineral element content of camel milk, this study collected milk samples from Bactrian camels in Tacheng, Altay, and Ili regions of Xinjiang, China, along with cow milk, goat milk, and horse milk from Tacheng. Specifically, eight samples each were obtained from: Bactrian camels in Tacheng (Camel-milk group, Ca), cows in Tacheng (Cow-milk group, Co), goats in Tacheng (Goat-milk group, Go), and horses in Tacheng (Horse-milk group, Ho). Additionally, eight Bactrian camel milk samples were collected from Fuhai County (Altay) and eight from Huocheng County (Ili). All samples were obtained from grazing animals without supplementary feeding during mid-lactation (90-120 days postpartum). The contents of 22 mineral elements (K, Ca, P, Na, Mg, Zn, Fe, Sr, Ba, Ni, Se, Cu, Cr, As, Mo, Be, Co, Cd, V, Sb, Mn, and Ti) were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).