Aflatoxins in Milk and Dairy Products: Occurrence and Exposure Assessment for the Serbian Population

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to assess the exposure associated with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) of the adult population in Serbia from consumption of milk and dairy products. This assessment was performed using concentration values of AFM1 in raw milk (385 samples) and dairy products (556 samples) based on the analyses conducted in the period between 2015 and 2018. In parallel, a dairy products consumption survey was completed during 2018 based on ‘one-day’ and ‘seven-day’ recall methods. In order to estimate the intake of AFM1 from the consumption of dairy products for both recall methods, a Monte Carlo simulation was conducted. The study revealed that pasteurized milk and yogurt are dairy products mostly consumed by the Serbian adult population. Estimated daily intake of AFM1 was in the range of 62–74 × 10−3 ng/kg bw/day, depending on the recall methods and scenarios employed. Although the results show moderate exposure risks compared to similar studies worldwide, climatic conditions and weather extremes that have occurred recently may have negatively influenced the contamination of feed and, consequently, AFM1 contamination of milk. As a result, it is justifiable to promote continuous monitoring in feed and dairy supply chains in Serbia and provide an update of exposure assessment.

Predicted Aflatoxin B1 Increase in Europe Due to Climate Change: Actions and Reactions at Global Level

“…The exposure of Serbia's adult population to AFM 1 from milk and dairy product consumption in 2015-2018 was examined by Djekic, et al [64] and confirmed the previous data. In fact, these authors showed a moderate exposure risk compared with similarly managed studies worldwide, but the research underlined the importance of promoting continuous monitoring of feed and dairy supply chains and providing exposure assessment updates, with the exposure variable depending on the monitoring year.…”

Toxic elements in eggs and egg‐based products: occurrence, exposure assessment and risk characterisation for the Serbian population

“…The average bw of the interviewees was 73.36 kg, which is in line with the EFSA recommendation that the average bw of an adult European citizen is around 70 kg (EFSA, 2012a). One‐third of the interviewees were overweight with BMI >24.9, which coincides with the results of a study on the consumption of dairy products in Serbia during 2020 (Djekic et al ., 2020). Data from a national survey indicated that half of the population (54.5%) in Serbia during 2006 had a BMI above 24.9 (out of a total of 19 796 participants) (Grujic et al ., 2010).…”

“…The fitting analysis showed normal distribution for bw and positively skewed distributions of daily/weekly intake of EEBP. Based on the distribution results, all data were randomised 100 000 times to perform Monte Carlo simulation, and EDIs were calculated (Djekic et al ., 2020). Exposure calculation was based on the mean value of all toxic elements (Table 4) since, over time, it is expected that an individual will be exposed to this concentration in EEBP (FAO/WHO, 2009).…”

Seasonal Occurrence of Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk during a Five-Year Period in Croatia: Dietary Exposure and Risk Assessment

“…In Serbia during the period 2015-2018, 46.2% of raw milk samples exceeded the EU MRL, with the highest frequency of 65.4% and maximal mean level of 220 ng/kg in autumn [43]. Another study conducted in Serbia in 2015-2016 also showed that 30% samples exceeded the EU MRL, and in relation to the frequency of contamination during the seasons, those two years showed significant differences, i.e., the highest frequency in 2015 was determined in autumn (47%) and summer (22%) while in 2016 the highest was in winter (52.7%) and spring (33%) [44].…”