No abstract

No abstract

Occurring central Italy, 262 unmedicated feed samples and 353 samples of animal tissues and eggs are tested for coccidiostats between 2012 and 2017. A validated multi-residue HPLC-MS/MS method is applied for the simultaneous determination of the 11 coccidiostats licensed in the EU. The dietary exposure to coccidiostats through poultry meat and eggs is calculated for high consumers, and the contribution to acceptable daily intake of coccidiostats is evaluated. The occurrence of positive feed samples ranges from 17.2% in 2012 to 28.3% in 2017, with an average percentage of positive samples of 25%, while 3.8% of feed samples are non-compliant with a concentration ranging from 0.015 mg/kg for diclazuril to 56 mg/kg for narasin. Positive samples of animal tissues, on average, are 34.7%, fully compliant, while 16% of eggs are positive and violative residues are found in 2%. These noncompliant samples show a concentration varying from 2.4 µg/kg to 1002 µg/kg. The contribution of poultry meat and egg consumption to the acceptable daily intake of each coccidiostat is below 1%, highlighting a low direct risk to public health.

No abstract

The fate of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in cow's milk cheese produced from naturally contaminated raw milk was evaluated. Cow's milk, naturally contaminated by AFM1 at levels ranging from 0.020 to 0.148 μg/kg, was used to manufacture a semihard, ripened Caciotta cheese. The cheeses, produced in eight cheesemaking trials, were ripened for 45 days. The enrichment factor (EF) of cheese did not change during maturation from day 7 to day 45 of ripening. The EF of the aflatoxin was established to evaluate the maximum level of contaminants in cheese, according to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006. The EF factor in cheese at 45 days of ripening was between 4.68 and 5.78, with a mean value of 5.16. Moreover, this factor was not affected by the AFM1 level in milk. Pearson's correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between EF and cheese yield (r = −0.811). The regression analysis confirmed that the cheese yield and, subsequently, the milk composition, had a marked impact on EF (P < 0.0003). Cheese yield was identified as potentially influencing the presence and concentration of the toxin in cheese, demonstrating that this aspect, along with the cheese hardness category, contributes significantly to an exact definition of the EF. HIGHLIGHTS