Occurrence of aflatoxin M 1 in yogurt of five countries in west Asia region: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

AbstractDespite the considerable importance of dairy consumption, aflatoxin‐M1 (AFM1) contamination can pose potential health threats for these products. In the present study, we systematically reviewed and conducted a meta‐analysis on the AFM1 contamination in yogurt samples of West Asia region. In the present study, electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, and web of Science were comprehensively searched for papers published from April 2006 to February 2020 in English language. Of a total of 356 articles found in the initial search, 25 studies were included in our meta‐analysis. All eligible studies were attributed to five out of the 20 west Asian countries. The mean AFM1 concentration in yogurt samples (in ng/kg) was as following: Turkey 137.76 (95%CI: 61.48, 214.04), Lebanon 86.70 (95%CI: 0.00, 217.72), Pakistan 38.43 (95%CI: 9.05, 67.80), Qatar 31.30 (95%CI: 27.5, 35.14), and Iran 28.24 (95%CI: 23.11, 33.36). According to our results, aflatoxin contamination levels in 32.25% of Lebanese, 31.25% of Turkish, 20.95% of Pakistani, 8.27% of Iranian and 0% of Qatari yogurt samples exceeded the European upper limit (i.e., 50 ng/kg). The hazard index (HI) for AFM1 exposure via yogurt consumption was in acceptable range for included countries except for Turkey and Lebanon.