Incidence of aflatoxin M1 contamination in milk, white cheese, kashar and butter from Sakarya, Turkey

Abstract The purpose of this research is to determine the incidence and occurrence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in 104 samples of milk, white cheese, kashar and butter in Sakarya, Turkey. Followed by immunoaffinity column (IAC) purification, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorescence detection method was implemented to analyze the samples. Results show that 61.5% of milk, 40% of white cheese, 65.4% of kashar and 29.6% of butter contains AFM1. In 53 of samples (50.96%) are not determined AFM1. The amount of AFM1 in 51 samples (49.04%) ranges from 2.4 to 47.8 ng/L/kg. AFM1 levels do not exceed the limit set by Turkish regulations (50 ng/L/kg). However, the incidence of AFM1 contamination is a potential health risk for customers, particularly for children and infants. These results emphasize the significance of constant monitoring of AFM1 levels in milk and dairy products (MDPs) in Sakarya, Turkey.