Occurrence of aflatoxin M₁ in raw cow milk in the Afyonkarahisar province of Turkey

Aflatoxins (AF) are produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin M-1 (AFM(1)) is transferred to animal milk via biotransformation by consumption of feeds that contain aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)). The aim of this study was to determine the levels of AFM(1) in raw cow milk samples in Afyonkarahisar city (Turkey). In this study, totally 120 raw milk samples were randomly obtained from five different cow farms located in the area of Afyonkarahisar during the year 2006. The analysis was carried out by using immunoaffinity columns and a fluorometer. The results showed that 22.5 % of the samples were above the maximum level of 0.05 ppb. Of the milk samples, 77.5 % were in the range of 0-0.05 ppb and 4.17 % were in the range of 0.11-0.15 ppb, while 0.15 ppb was the highest value measured.