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

Abstract

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) 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 AFM1 was detected in concentrations between 82 ng/kg and 1254 ng/kg. The mean level of AFM1 of positive samples was 412 ng/kg. AFM1 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 AFM1 in cheese samples of spring, summer, autumn and winter. However, the mean concentration of AFM1 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 AFM1 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.