Reduction of Aflatoxin M1 Levels during Ethiopian Traditional Fermented Milk (Ergo) Production

Abstract

In this study, the reduction of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels during lab-scale ergo production was investigated through determination of the residual levels of AFM1 using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The results showed gradual and incubation time dependent reduction of AFM1 level in the raw milk samples being fermented to ergo. The maximum reductions of 57.33 and 54.04% were recorded in AFM1 in natural and LAB inoculums initiated fermentations, respectively, in 5 days of incubation. Although a significant difference ( = 0.05) in the AFM1 decrease in the two types of fermentations was recorded, such findings could vary with milk samples depending on initial load of the microorganisms as determined by hygienic conditions. However, the level of AFM1 in control (sterilized) samples showed only a 5.5% decrease during the entire period of incubation. Microbiological investigation showed increasing LAB counts with incubation time. A gradual decrease in pH of the milk samples was observed during fermentation. Considering the fact that both viable and dead bacterial cells could remove AFM1 during ergo production, the mechanism is proposed as predominantly involving noncovalent binding of the toxin with the chemical components of the bacterial cell wall.

Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in raw milk traded in peri-urban Nairobi, and the effect of boiling and fermentation

“…El Khoury recorded 87.6% binding in Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS) medium after incubating for 14 h at 37°C and 46.7% binding in milk after incubating for 6 h at 42°C [42]. Shigute and Washe [43] noted 54% decrease during fermentation using a stock of LAB culture, including L. bulgaricus, S. thermophiles, and L. mesenteroides after incubation for 5 days at 20-30°C. A gradual decrease in pH was also noted.…”

Degraded aflatoxin M1 in artificially contaminated fermented milk using Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum affected by some bio‐physical factors

“…As the reduction of AFM1 is a species‐dependent characteristic, at the beginning of the study, L. acidophilus bound over 90% of the AFM1 from the yoghurt and the AFM1 mitigation was raised by increasing the days up to 25 days of the investigation (Adibpour, Soleimanian‐Zad, Sarabi‐Jamab, & Tajalli, ), which was in line with other evidence (Elgerbi, Aidoo, Candlish, & Williams, ). Conversely, bacteria count was increased within the days the experiment elapsed and reduction in the level of AFM1 is associated with the increase of probiotic population (Shigute & Washe, ). The lower mitigation of AFM1 by the bacteria that occurred in milk could be attributed to the lack of pH change compared to the milk product such as yoghurt and Doogh.…”

“…They are more sensitive than adults and it is important that the ingested milk or its byproducts should be healthy for them (Giovati et al, ). Among the milk byproducts, Doogh, a fermented milk drink (known as Ayran in Turkey and Ergo in Ethiopia), is one of the most popular beverages in Africa and Asia particularly in Iran and Turkey (Sarlak et al, ; Shigute & Washe, ). Industrial Dough as a dairy product comes from adding water to yoghurt.…”

Use of Natural Dietary Spices for Reclamation of Food Quality Impairment by Aflatoxin

“…Alternatively, contaminated food crops are sometimes diverted into animal feed, which in turn can lead to reduced growth rates, illness, and death of the animals. Moreover, animals consuming a atoxin-contaminated feeds can produce meat and milk that contain the toxin residues and another toxic biotransformation product, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) [13].…”

“…Risk of human exposure to aflatoxin contamination of food and feed commodities is a major concern in Ethiopia due to the occurrence of the toxin in in different kinds of grains and dairy products [13,[16][17][18].…”