Aflatoxin M₁in human breast milk in Shahrekord, Iran and association with dietary factors

This survey was conducted to determine the occurrence and levels of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in 250 breast milk samples of lactating mothers, obtained from urban and rural regions of Shahrekord, Iran. Moreover, the association between AFM1 occurrence levels and dietary factors was assessed. AFM1 analysis was carried out using the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique for screening and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC–FLD) for confirmatory purposes. The toxin was detected in 39 samples (15.6%), ranging from 11.1 to 39.3 ng/l, of which 8 samples (3.2%) had levels above the Iranian national standard limit (25 ng/l). AFM1 occurrence and levels in breast milk samples obtained from rural regions were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than those obtained from urban ones. It might be due to the different dietary patterns in these regions. It was found that dietary habits with more tendencies to consume bread, rice and non-alcoholic beer beverage significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) the risk of AFM1 occurrence in breast milk. In addition, higher consumption of bread, olive and traditional cream significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) the levels of AFM1 in breast milk samples. Further investigations should be performed to determine more precisely the association between AFM1 occurrence and dietary factors and also the risk of infant exposure to this mycotoxin.