Two year study of incidence of aflatoxin M1 in milk in the region of Serbia.

Abstract

Aflatoxin M1 as possible contaminant of milk and milk products, it is very important in assessment of the food safety of these products. Aflatoxin M1 represents a natural metabolite of aflatoxin B1, which occurs in the body of animals in the liver which consumed contaminated feed, and excreted in milk, feces and urine. Legislation European Union is one of the most restrain for this mycotoxin and allowed the concentration of 0.05 μg/l, while in other European countries which are not members of the EU, Asia, America and Africa, which have a legal framework for this mycotoxin, ten times higher amount is allowed, and it is 0.5 μg/l. In the period from 2007-2008, the total of the 90 analyzed milk samples are analyzed for the presence of aflatoxin M1 in milk, 23 samples of raw milk produced on the small individual farms and 67 samples of commercial milk bought in the local market. Analyzed from a total of 23 samples of raw milk (goat's, sheep's and cow's) from the small individual farms in 30.4% of samples found the amount of aflatoxin M1 which exceeds the allowable legislation the European Union, while in any of the sample was not found higher concentration than allowed by our legislation. Analyzed from a total of 67 commercial milk samples (34 samples pasteurized milk and UHT milk sample 31) in twenty (29.8%) samples of milk are found certain amount of aflatoxin M1, in the concentration that does not exceed EU legislation, or legislation, which is used in Serbia.