Determination of Aflatoxin M1 in raw cow milk, raw camel milk, and heat-processed milk in the North region of Iran

ABSTRACTIn this study, 40 milk samples (10 raw cow milk, 10 camel milk, 10 pasteurised milk, and 10 ultra-high temperature milk) were randomly collected from Golestan Province (including two cities, Gorgan and Gonbad-e Kavus) from December 2021 to March 2022. Aflatoxin M1(AFM1) level was determined by the high-performance chromatography method. AFM1 was found in all samples. The mean concentration of AFM1 in raw cow milk, camel milk, pasteurised milk, and ultra-high temperature milk were 72.81 ± 2.18, 57.10 ± 1.86, 34.73 ± 1.34, and 49.36 ± 1.78 ng/kg, respectively. The highest level of AFM1 was found in raw cow milk (p < 0.05). According to the EU standard of AFM1 level, pasteurised milk is the safest type of milk in Golestan Province.KEYWORDS: Aflatoxin M1milkGolestan provinceIran AcknowledgmentsThe present paper is derived from data in the thesis of the first author for the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. The authors would like to thank Dr Alireza Ahmadzadeh for undertaking the statistical analysis employed in the paper.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).