Dairy cattle when fed on aflatoxin B 1 may excrete aflatoxin M 1 in milk as a consequence of dietary exposure. Once AFM 1 is excreted in milk, it is present in dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, among others. This mycotoxin is quite resistant to temperature therefore heat treatments like pasteurization and ultra-pasteurization are not enough to inactivate it. In this context, this article provides an overview of the biological decontamination methods on milk and cheese of the last decade, as a contribution to evaluate the evolution of this strategy as well as its efficiency according to their authors. Relevant studies published between January 2009 and May 2019 were selected after a systematic search of the literature in PubMed, Science direct and Google Scholar databases. According with our research in the last decade few studies have been published on these methods and unfortunately none of the published studies tested such methods in cheese. Throughout the research many studies on decontamination methods were found, however, in phosphate buffered saline solution or in culture medium. Further studies on biological decontamination on milk and mainly on cheese are necessary for this technique to be better developed and applied to a large scale in the industries.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of two strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactococcus lactis, and a yeast strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, inactivated by heat (121 °C, 10 min), from binding to aflatoxin M 1 (AFM 1 ), as well as the interaction between these microorganisms, aflatoxin M 1 and the Minas Frescal cheese matrix after 2 and 30 days of storage. The ability of LABs and S. cerevisiae to bind AFM 1 to Minas Frescal cheese was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) composed of a fluorescence detector. The interaction between these microorganisms and AFM 1 was evaluated using a scanning electron microscope composed of a backscattered electron detector with a voltage of 15 kV and magnifications of 1000 ×, 5000 × and 8000 ×. The use of microorganisms as a biological method is efficient in reducing AFM 1 in Minas Frescal cheese and does not affect the microbiological parameters. AFM 1 reduction varied according to the microorganism used in the treatments. S cerevisiae showed greater capacity to bind AFM 1 over time, compared to LABs. Scanning electron microscopy was especially useful, confirming that lactic acid bacteria and S. cerevisae were able to bind AFM 1 particles in Minas Frescal cheese.

The aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs) in feed ingredients (corn and soybean meal) and finishing feed in a broiler operation system, as well was to evaluate their effect on the productivity of 20 batches of broilers produced and the histology status of broilers’ liver after slaughter. Corn samples presented the highest frequencies of AFs and FBs, at mean levels of 29.1 and 2,100µg/kg, respectively. Soybean samples presented mean levels of 1.5 and 70µg/kg for AFs and FBs, respectively. Batches of broilers receiving feed containing FB levels higher than 1,000µg/kg had lower weight gain and higher mortality rates, while those fed rations with AFs equal or above the limit of quantification (LOQ) of the analytical method presented higher scores of histological changes in the liver. A dilution effect was observed for AFs and FBs from ingredients, especially corn, to feed during manufacture, whilst not enough to prevent losses in productivity. Results of this trial highlighted the need for strict control of mycotoxins in corn intended for broilers.