Between September 2006 and September 2007, 236 samples of raw (n=140), pasteurized (n=48) and UHT (n=48) milk were collected from supermarkets and from bulk milk tanks of eight dairy plants in the cities of Esfahan and Shahr-e Kord, Iran. All samples were analyzed for aflatoxin M 1 (AFM 1 ) contamination by ELISA and 213 (90.3%) were positive with mean concentrations 65 ng.l −1 . These concentrations are lower than the standards of Codex Alimentarius and FDA (500 ng.l −1 ), but 119 samples (55.9%) had higher concentrations than the maximum tolerance accepted by some European countries (50 ng.l −1 ). Mean concentrations of AFM 1 in raw, pasteurized and UHT milk were 68, 56, and 65 ng.l −1 , respectively. Mean concentrations of AFM 1 in autumn and winter samples were significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of spring and summer but differences between AFM 1 concentrations of spring and summer samples were not significantly different.Concentrations of AFM 1 in milk from Shahr-e Kord were significantly lower (P≤0.05) than those from Esfahan.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.