Aflatoxin M1 in UHT and powder milk marketed in the northern area of Morocco

Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 in human breast and powdered milk in Tehran, Iran

AIM AND BACKGROUND

Aflatoxins, produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, are among the most toxic mycotoxins. Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), found in milk and dairy products from animals fed AFB1-contaminated feed. Consumption of AFM1 has related adverse effects on human health. Breast milk can be a source of contamination for infants due to the presence of AFM. AFM1 can also contaminate powdered milk, a significant product of the milk industry. Consequently, monitoring dairy products for these toxins is imperative.

STUDY METHOD

A total of 50 samples (25 samples of breast milk and 25 samples of powdered infant milk formula) were collected in Tehran from December 2021 to February 2022. HPLC method was used for the determination of AFM1 in samples.

RESULTS

and Discussion: AFM1 was detected in 72% of breast milk samples and 96% of powdered milk samples. AFM1 levels varied significantly between the two sample types (p < 0.05). The average amount of AFM1 in breast milk samples was 25.82 ± 4.72 ng/kg, while the average amount in powdered milk samples was 40.59 ± 7.76 ng/kg. Moreover, 44% of the breast and 68% of powdered milk samples exceeded the AFM1 content limit of the European Union and the Iranian national standard. This study concludes that given the importance of breast milk and formula to maternal and infant health, monitoring and regulating the toxin levels in these products in Tehran is crucial.

Exposure and Health Risk Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk and Cottage Cheese in Adults in Ethiopia

Aflatoxin M₁ (milk toxin) found in milk is formed from the hepatic biotransformation of AFB₁ (aflatoxin B₁) and poses a risk to human health when consumed. The risk assessment of AFM₁ exposure due to milk consumption is a valuable way to assess health risk. The objective of the present work was to determine an exposure and risk assessment of AFM₁ in raw milk and cheese, and it is the first of its kind in Ethiopia. Determination of AFM₁ was conducted using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results indicated that AFM₁ was positive in all samples of milk products. The risk assessment was determined using margin of exposure (MOE), estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard index (HI), and cancer risk. The mean EDIs for raw milk and cheese consumers were 0.70 and 0.16 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. Our results showed that almost all mean MOE values were <10,000, which suggests a potential health issue. The mean HI values obtained were 3.50 and 0.79 for raw milk and cheese consumers, respectively, which indicates adverse health effects for large consumers of raw milk. For milk and cheese consumers, the mean cancer risk was 1.29 × 10^-6 and 2.9 × 10^-6 cases/100,000 person/year, respectively, which indicates a low risk for cancer. Therefore, a risk assessment of AFM₁ in children should be investigated further as they consume more milk than adults.

Determination of organophosphorus in dairy products by graphitic carbon nitride combined molecularly imprinted microspheres with ultra performance liquid chromatography

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An OPP-based molecularly imprinted microsphere was synthesized.

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Composite material was synthesized by polymerizing the MIM on the surface of g-C₃N₄.

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A novel SPE cartridge was prepared by using the composite material MIM/g-C₃N₄.

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An SPE-UPLC method was developed for the detection of OPPs in dairy products.

Organophosphorus (OPPs) residues in dairy products are a potential threat to human health. To extract trace amounts of OPPs in dairy products, a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) was synthesized and combined with OPPs-based molecularly imprinted microspheres (MIM) to create a composite material (MIM/g-C₃N₄). Then, the MIM/g-C₃N₄ was used to prepare a solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge to detect the OPPs in dairy products with UPLC method. The specific surface area of MIM/g-C₃N₄ was 172.208 m²/g, good thermal stability under 300℃, and could reuse up to 15 times. The four OPPs had good linear relationship within the range of 1–10000 ng/mL (r² > 0.999). The limits of detection were 0.7–2.6 ng/mL, and recoveries from blank dairy samples were 86.4 to 95.3 %. In this study, MIM combined with g-C₃N₄ was firstly utilized for the detection of OPPs in dairy products, which indicated it might be an ideal adsorbent for dairy products pretreatment.

Mycotoxins occurrence in milk and cereals in North African countries - a review

North African countries; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia suffer from mycotoxin contamination. Various studies have indicated the presence of mycotoxins in raw milk and cereals (i.e. wheat, barley, maize and cereal-based products). Aflatoxins (AFs), Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), Ochratoxin A (OTA), Fumonisin (FB1) and Zearalenone (ZEN)-mycotoxin are the most detected due to climatic change in the region. In this review, we will present the kind of foods and feeds cereals and milk based products contaminated and the level of their contaminated mycotoxin. On the other hand, researchers try to find biologic methods to remove/mitigate mycotoxins in food and feed using bio-products. But the research works concerning legislations and mycotoxin risk assessment still rare. Therefore, it appears necessary to make review on the current status of mycotoxins in North African countries in order to explore data related to contamination of basic food in this region and to highlight the problem to the policy-makers to establish a serious legislation on this matter. On the other hand, to give more information to the worldwide readers about the impact of climate change on the food and feed pollution on mycotoxins in the Mediterranean Sea region.

Incidence of Aflatoxin M1 in Milk and Milk Products from Punjab, Pakistan, and Estimation of Dietary Intake

In the present study, 124 samples of milk and milk products were analyzed for the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), which were purchased from the central cities of Punjab, Pakistan. The analysis was carried out using reverse-phase liquid chromatography, which was equipped with a fluorescence detector. The results showed that 66 samples (53.8%) of raw milk and milk products were found to be contaminated with detectable levels of AFM1 above ≤50 ng/L, and 24.2% of the samples had levels of AFM1 higher than the permissible limit of the European Union (EU; 50 ng/kg). In total, 53.6% of the raw milk, 57.8% of the UHT (ultra-heat-temperature) milk, 45% of the powdered milk, 57.1% of the yogurt, 55.5% of the cheese, and 50% of the buttermilk samples had levels higher than the LOD, i.e., 4 ng/L. The highest mean of 82.4 ± 7.8 ng/kg of AFM1 was present in the positive samples of raw milk. The highest dietary intake of AFM1 was found in infants’ milk (5.35 ng/kg/day), UHT milk (1.80 ng/kg/day), powdered milk (5.25 ng/kg/day), and yogurt (1.11 ng/kg/day). However, no dietary intake was detected in the cheese and butter milk samples used for infants. The results from the undertaken work are beneficial for establishing rigorous limits for AFB1 in animal feed, especially considering the high prevalence rate of hepatitis cases in the central cities of Punjab, Pakistan.

Multi-mycotoxin occurrence in feed, metabolism and carry-over to animal-derived food products: A review

The world requests for raw materials used in animal feed has been steadily rising in the last years driven by higher demands for livestock production. Mycotoxins are frequent toxic metabolites present in these raw materials. The exposure of farm animals to mycotoxins could result in undesirable residues in animal-derived food products. Thus, the potential ingestion of edible animal products (milk, meat and fish) contaminated with mycotoxins constitutes a public health concern, since they enter the food chain and may cause adverse effects upon human health. The present review summarizes the state-of-the-art on the occurrence of mycotoxins in feed, their metabolism and carry-over into animal source foodstuffs, focusing particularly on the last decade. Maximum levels (MLs) for various mycotoxins have been established for a number of raw feed materials and animal food products. Such values are sometimes exceeded, however. Aflatoxins (AFs), fumonisins (FBs), ochratoxin A (OTA), trichothecenes (TCs) and zearalenone (ZEN) are the most prevalent mycotoxins in animal feed, with aflatoxin M₁ (AFM1) predominating in milk and dairy products, and OTA in meat by-products. The co-occurrence of mycotoxins in feed raw materials tends to be the rule rather than the exception, and the carry-over of mycotoxins from feed to animal source foods is more than proven.

Aflatoxin M1 in Africa: Exposure Assessment, Regulations, and Prevention Strategies - A Review

Aflatoxins are the most harmful mycotoxins causing health problems to human and animal. Many acute aflatoxin outbreaks have been reported in Africa, especially in Kenya and Tanzania. When ingested, aflatoxin B1 is converted by hydroxylation in the liver into aflatoxin M1, which is excreted in milk of dairy females and in urine of exposed populations. This review aims to highlight the AFM1 studies carried out in African regions (North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa), particularly AFM1 occurrence in milk and dairy products, and in human biological fluids (breast milk, serum, and urine) of the populations exposed. Strategies for AFM1 detoxification will be considered, as well as AFM1 regulations as compared to the legislation adopted worldwide and the assessment of AFM1 exposure of some African populations. Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria have the highest number of investigations on AFM1 in the continent. Indeed, some reports showed that 100% of the samples analyzed exceeded the EU regulations (50 ng/kg), especially in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Sudan, and Egypt. Furthermore, AFM1 levels up to 8,000, 6,999, 6,900, and 2040 ng/kg have been reported in milk from Egypt, Kenya, Sudan, and Nigeria, respectively. Data on AFM1 occurrence in human biological fluids have also shown that exposure of African populations is mainly due to milk intake and breastfeeding, with 85-100% of children being exposed to high levels. Food fermentation in Africa has been tried for AFM1 detoxification strategies. Few African countries have set regulations for AFM1 in milk and derivatives, generally similar to those of the Codex alimentarius, the US or the EU standards.