No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) was determined in 254 samples of raw milk obtained from dairy cow farms of Qazvin Province, Iran. Aflatoxin M1 analysis was carried out by using the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique for screening and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for confirmatory purposes. The limit of detection and quantification of the confirmatory method were 0.003 and 0.01 µg/l, respectively. Aflatoxin M1 was detected in 204 analysed samples (80.3%), ranging from 0.011 to 0.321 μg/l, and 144 samples (56.7%) had levels above the Iranian national standard limit of 0.050 μg/l. Considering the seasonal variability, the occurrence and levels of AFM1 in samples obtained in winter were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those obtained in summer. The results of this survey indicate the usefulness of a monitoring programme to supervise food safety for consumers.

During the period from September to November 2014, occurrences of Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) were determined in 76 pepper samples consisting black pepper (n = 40) and red pepper (n = 36) obtained from local markets of Isfahan province, Iran. Aflatoxins' (AFs') analyses were carried out by using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. AFB1 levels in 32 (88.9%) of 36 red pepper samples were higher than the Iranian and European maximum permitted level (>5 µg/kg). Total AFs were detected in 41 out of 76 samples (53.9%) while 25 pepper samples (32.9%) had levels of the toxin above the Iranian and European permitted level, that is, 10 μg/kg. This study shows that incidence of AFs' contamination in red pepper in Iran was significantly higher than black pepper (p < .05) and indicates a serious hazard for human health.