Survey of the occurrence of Aflatoxin M1 in ovine milk by HPLC and its confirmation by MS

Abstract

During the period of October-July 2000, 240 samples of dairy ewes milk, obtained from farms of Enna (Sicily, Italy), were checked for Aflatoxin M(1) (AFM(1)) by HPLC using a fluorimetric detector. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 250 ng/L for AFM(1). All the positive milk samples for AFM(1) were confirmed by LC-MS. AFM(1) was detected in 81% of milk samples, ranging from 2 to 108 ng/L. Three samples were over the legal limits (50 ng/L). Mean contamination of samples obtained from stabulated ewes was higher than that from grazing ewes (35.27 vs. 12.47 ng/L). Furthermore, samples collected in the period September-October showed higher contamination than samples collected during the other months (42.68 vs. 10.55 ng/L). Both differences are related to the administration of compound feed. Based on current toxicological knowledge we concluded that the AFM(1) contamination levels recorded in ewe milk did not present a serious human health hazard. However, as ewe milk is exclusively used to produce cheese due to its higher protein content, and also considering the preferential binding of AFM(1) to casein during coagulation of milk, a potentially high concentration effect could occur, thus the surveillance of contamination levels should be more continuous and widespread.

Highly Efficient Intramolecular Electrochemiluminescence Energy Transfer for Ultrasensitive Bioanalysis of Aflatoxin M1

“…14 The maximum residue level of AFM1 in dairy products was strictly formulated worldwide due to the stability of AFM1 in milk sterilization (China and the U.S. have a legal limit of 0.5 ng/g). 15 As we known, the traditional method for quantification of the remnant AFM1 suffers from the disadvantages of expensive instrument and relatively lower sensitivity, 16 so it is urgent to find a new way to achieve ultrasensitive detection in dairy products. Over the past years, nucleic acid amplification have became increasingly promising strategies for sensitive bio-detection.…”

The Level of Aflatoxin M1 in Raw and Pasteurized Milk Produced in Alborz Province, Iran

“…It is also resistant to autoclaving, pasteurization and thermal inactivation (7). Carcinogenicity of AFB1 is ten times more than that of AFM1 (8). For this reason, AFB1 was considered as the primary and AFM1 as the secondary groups for carcinogenic compounds by the International Agency for Cancer Research (9).…”

Aflatoxin M1 levels in sow milk

“…They can bind covalently to nucleic acids, alter structure and function of proteins, block RNA polymerase and ribosomal translocase. Liver metabolism of AFs can result in the production of M1 and M2 metabolites, which can be incorporated into milk and milk products (Bognanno et al, 2006;Prandini et al, 2008;Chaytor et al, 2011;Bianco et al, 2012). The amount of converted AFB1 from feed in AFM1 in milk is influenced by several factors including breed, health, type of diet, milk production, rate of ingestion and digestion, etc.…”