Aflatoxin M1 in pasteurized and UHT milk marked in Morocco

Abstract

Milk plays an essential role in a balanced diet for human health. Mycotoxins are among the most toxic compounds found in milk of lactating cows. The purpose of this work was to assess aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels in 67 liquid milk samples (46 pasteurized and 21 UHT) randomly collected during 2019 from supermarkets and dairy shops in four Moroccan cities (Casablanca (n = 27), El Jadida (n = 10), Fez (n = 18) and Meknès (n = 12)). AFM1 was determined in milk by liquid chromatography (LC) after immunoaffinity column (IAC) cleanup. Analytical results indicated that out of the 67 analyzed samples, 9 (13.4%) were considered as positively contaminated, while 58 samples (86.6%) had AFM1 under the detection limit. For positive samples, AFM1 levels ranged between 10 and 77 ng/L, with an overall average value of 4.46 ± 14.09 ng/L. It has to be underlined that only one pasteurized milk sample contained AFM1 at concentration (77 ng/L) that exceeded the Moroccan maximum regulatory limit of 50 ng/L, while 100% of milk samples were below the limit of 500 ng/kg set by Codex Alimentarius standards. Based on the contamination levels found in this study and milk consumption data in the country, the estimated exposure level of Moroccan adults to AFM1 from milk was estimated at 0.88 ng/person/day (0.0125 ng/kg b.w./day). This exposure level is considered higher than the dietary intakes estimated by JECFA for the Middle Eastern and the African diets.