Application of Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup to Aflatoxin M1 Determination and Survey in Cheese.

ABSTRACT

Milk products such as cheeses may be contaminated by aflatoxin M1 when manufactured with milk from dairy cattle that have consumed aflatoxin B1-contaminated feeds. The usefulness of immunoaffinity columns to determine aflatoxin M1 content in many kinds of cheeses with very good recoveries is demonstrated. The analysis of aflatoxin M1 in a 1990 to 1995 limited survey in France shows that the occurrence of this mycotoxin in cheeses is rather infrequent. With the exception of samples from 1989 to 1990 when aflatoxin B1-contaminated maize meals were incidentally imported to supplement dairy cattle feed, very few samples were found with above 0.200 µg of aflatoxin M1 per kg of cheese, the maximum acceptable level.