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Risk of exposure to aflatoxin M1 through consumption of cow’s milk among children in Magadu, Morogoro

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Abstract

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination of milk affects the general population with particular attention to children who frequently consume milk as part of complementary food. This study determined AFM1 contamination of cow’s milk and estimated the health risk of dietary AFM1 through consumption of cow’s milk among children (6 to 36 months) in the Magadu ward of Morogoro region in Tanzania. A total of 165 mother-baby pairs were recruited and interviewed on child feeding practices with a focus on feeding of cow’s milk in the past 24 h. Alongside the interview, 100 raw cows’ milk samples were collected from subsampled respondent households and were analyzed for AFM1 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that about 35% of the surveyed children consumed cow’s milk in the form of plain milk, incorporated in porridge and/or tea. The amount consumed varied from 62.5 to 500 mls with a median of 125 (125, 250) mls at a frequency of 1 to 2 times a day. All raw cows’ milk (100%) samples (n = 100) were found contaminated with AFM1 at concentrations ranging from 0.052 to 9.310 µg/L and median of 2.076 µg/L (1.27, 2.48). All samples were contaminated by AFM1 at levels above the limits of 0.05 µg/L of raw milk set by the Tanzania Bureau of Standard and the European Union, while 97% exceeded 0.5 µg/L set by the US Food and Drug Administration. Exposure to AFM1 due to consumption of cow’s milk ranged from 0.0024 to 0.077 µg/kg bw per day with a median of 0.019 (0.0016, 0.026) µg/kg bw per day, while the margin of exposure (MOE) ranged from 5.19 to 166.76 and median 20.68 (15.33, 25.40) implying high risk of public health concern. This study recommends that advocacy on consumption of cows’ milk to combat undernutrition in children should consider a holistic approach that considers the milk’s safety aspect.

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Data used in the development of this article can be accessed through the corresponding authors upon a reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Mr. Sylvester Gerald Temba of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) for his guidance on the analysis of AFM1 in milk, the administrative authorities of Magadu ward for their coperation during the implementation of this study, and all the respondent households for their participation in the study.

Funding

This study was funded by the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) of Tanzania.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania

    Anna Peter Mamiro, Haikael D. Martin & Neema Kassim

  2. Department of Training and Capacity Building, Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania

    Anna Peter Mamiro

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  1. Anna Peter Mamiro
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  2. Haikael D. Martin
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Correspondence to Anna Peter Mamiro or Neema Kassim.

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Mamiro, A.P., Martin, H.D. & Kassim, N. Risk of exposure to aflatoxin M1 through consumption of cow’s milk among children in Magadu, Morogoro. Mycotoxin Res 40, 245–253 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12550-024-00523-8

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