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A study on the aflatoxin M1 rate and seasonal variation in pasteurized cow milk from northwestern Iran

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Abstract

Present study aims to assess aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination in 100 samples of pasteurized milk which were conventionally gathered during spring, summer, autumn, and winter from supermarkets located in Maragheh city of northwestern Iran. Samples were evaluated for AFM1 with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and with fluorimetric detection. The results showed that approximately 44% (11.25) of samples in winter, 32% (8.25) of samples in spring, 24% (6.25) of samples in summer, and 20% (5.25) of samples in autumn had AFM1 concentrations that exceeded the limit (0.05 μg/l) set by the European, Codex Alimentarius Commission and Iran standards. According to the statistical analysis of the data, there was no significant variation between the mean content of AFM1 during different seasons (P = 0.076). The results of our study suggest a high level of contamination of AFM1 in pasteurized milk in all seasons which may be due to the fact that milk supply for dairy factories is provided from dairy farms that are low in livestock feed quality. In Iran, pasteurized milk is consumed more than other milk products by all age groups. The total daily aflatoxin intake from contaminated milk and possibly other food products will be a significant risk to public health.

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Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Maragheh University of Medical Sciences for this research under grant number 64/1D/2785.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Fereshteh Ansari

  2. Iranian EBM Centre, A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Tabriz, Iran

    Fereshteh Ansari

  3. Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran

    Hadi Pourjafar

  4. FDA, CDER’s Office of Generic Drugs, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Lane Christensen

Authors
  1. Fereshteh Ansari
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  2. Hadi Pourjafar
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  3. Lane Christensen
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Correspondence to Hadi Pourjafar.

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Highlights

• Analysis of aflatoxin M1 in samples of cow pasteurized milk from was carried out.0

•Cow milk samples exceeded the maximum limit fixed by the European Union standard.

•The pasteurized milk samples in all seasons indicated a high hazard for AFM1 contamination.

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Ansari, F., Pourjafar, H. & Christensen, L. A study on the aflatoxin M1 rate and seasonal variation in pasteurized cow milk from northwestern Iran. Environ Monit Assess 191, 6 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7141-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7141-1

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