Seasonal variation of aflatoxin M1 level in cow milk from Turkey
Saisonale Schwankungen des Aflatoxin M1-Gehalts in Kuhmilch aus der Türkei
Ezgi Yikici
Department of Food Processing
Ezine Vocational School Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart
University
17600 Çanakkale
Turkey
ezgiyikici@comu.edu.tr
This study aims to determine the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in raw cow milk produced in the center and the surrounding villages of Çorum, Turkey. A total of 200 raw milk samples provided directly from the manufactures during four seasons have been analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). AFM1 was found in 129 out of 200 cow’s milk (64.5%) at levels from 22 to 401 ng/L. Moreover, 87 samples contained AFM1 at levels higher than maximum level of 50 ng/L established by Turkish Food Codex. The contamination of AFM1 level was in the range of 22–289 ng/L in autumn, 29–199 ng/L in winter, 30–177 ng/L in spring, and 26–401 ng/L in summer season. The results show that AFM1 concentrations carry potential risk from the point of consumers.