Risk of Exposure to Aflatoxin M1 through Consumption of Cow’s Milk among Children in Magadu Morogoro

Abstract

Abstract Aflatoxins M1 contamination of milk affect the general population, and with particular attention to children who frequently consume milk as part of complementary food. This study determined AFM1 contamination of cow’s milk and estimated the risk of exposure to these toxins through consumption of cow’s milk among children (6 to 36 month) in Magadu ward of Morogoro region in Tanzania. A total of 165 mother-baby pairs were recruited and interviewed on child feeding practices with focus to feeding of cow’s milk in the past 24-hours. Alongside interview, 100 raw cows’ milk samples were collected from subsampled respondent households and were analyzed for AFM1 using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The results showed that, about 35% of the surveyed children consumed cows’ milk in form of plain milk, incorporated in porridge and/or tea. Amount consumed varied from 62.5-500 ml with median of 125 (125, 250) ml at a frequency of 1 to 2 times a day. All raw cows’ milk (100%) samples (n=100) were found contaminated with AFM1 at concentration ranging from 0.052 to 9.310 µg/L, median 2.076 µg/L (1.27, 2.48). All samples were contaminated by AFM1 at levels above the limits of 0.05 µg/L of raw milk set by Tanzania Bureau of Standard and the European Union, while 97% exceeded 0.5 µg/L set by the US Food and Drug Authority. Exposure to AFM1 due to consumption of cow’s milk ranged from 0.0024- 0.077 µg/kg bw per day with a median of 0.019 (0.0016, 0.026) µg/kg bw per day, while the Margin of Exposure (MOE) ranged from 5.19- 166.76, median 20.68 (15.33, 25.40) implying high risk of public health concern. This study recommends that, advocacy for consumption of cows’ milk to combat undernutrition in children should consider a holistic approach that takes into account the safety aspect of the milk.