Prevalence OF Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Milk Produced in Tropical State (Qena, Egypt) and Imported Milk Powder

Aflatoxins are natural toxic compounds produced by fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Due to higher temperature and humidity, fungi are continuously grown and contaminated the cereals and cereal by-products with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Dairy cows fed AFB1 contaminated feeds can produce milk contaminated with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether raw milk produced in the Qena Province, Egypt, is contaminated with AFM1. Raw milk samples (n=48) were collected from various dairy farms in the Qena and investigated for the presence of AFM1. Additionally, 30 dry powdered milk samples were also purchased from supermarkets in the Qena, Egypt. The concentration of AFM1 samples was determined with enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Results showed that the occurrence of AFM1 was 97.92 % (47 samples out of 48 samples were positive) and the mean level of AFM1 was 62.81±32.10 ng/L ranging from 2 ng/L to 110 ng/L. The level of AFM1 in 53.19 % of raw milk samples was higher (79.85 ± 17.30 ng/L) than the maximum tolerance limit (50 ng/L) established by European Union (EU). According to the Egyptian regulation, the amount of AFM1 in the positive samples (47 from 48 samples, 97.92 %) goes beyond the regulations, suggesting that the contamination of raw milk is very high, probably due to the higher contamination of cattle feeds with AFB1 in the study area. On the other hand, only 18 samples (60.0%) dry powdered milk were positive for AFM1 with mean level of 1.81±1.02 ng/Kg. In conclusion, high prevalence of AFM1 contaminated in raw milk produced at the tropical conditions poses the potential risk for consumer health. Strict regulations for mycotoxins levels is not only important in human foods but also in animal feeds with special focus on occurrence of AFB1 in the feed offered to dairy cows.