Changes in Concentration of Aflatoxin M1 during Manufacture and Storage of Skim Milk Powder

Abstract

In this study, skim milk powder was produced from cow's milk contaminated artificially with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) at two different levels, 1.5 and 3.5 μg/liter (ppb), and the effects of process stages on the AFM1 contents were investigated. Pasteurization, concentration, and spray drying caused losses of about 16, 40, and 68%, respectively, in AFM1 content of the milk contaminated with 1.5 μg/liter AFM1, and losses of 12, 35, and 59%, respectively, in the milk contaminated with 3.5 μg/liter AFM1. These losses were found to be statisticially significant at the level of P < 0.01. After 3- and 6-month storage periods, AFM1 content of the skim milk powder produced from milk with 1.5 μg/liter AFM1 decreased by 2 and 5%, respectively, whereas these rates were 2 and 4%, respectively, for the skim milk powders made from milk with 3.5 μg/liter AFM1 (after adjustment for sample weight). Changes in AFM1 content of milk powder samples were found statistically insignificant (P > 0.05 and P > 0.01) for 3- and 6-month storage periods.