Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in traditional cheese consumed in Esfahan, Iran

Abstract

Aflatoxin M 1 (AFM 1 ) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 88 samples of traditional cheese consumed in Esfahan city of Iran. In 47 of 88 samples (53.4%), the presence of AFM 1 was detected in concentrations between 82 ng/kg and 1254 ng/kg. The mean level of AFM 1 of positive samples was 412 ng/kg. AFM 1 in 28 (31.8%) samples was higher than the maximum tolerance limit (250 ng/kg) accepted by some countries. Statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the mean concentrations of AFM 1 in cheese samples of spring, summer, autumn and winter. However, the mean concentration of AFM 1 in cheese samples from spring and summer was significantly lower than autumn and winter ( P =0.05). It can be concluded that the high occurrence of AFM 1 in cheese is probably due to the presence of aflatoxin in the feed and cheese milk. This condition should be considered as a probable hazard for human health.