Screening of Some Dairy Products in Egypt for Aflatoxin-M1 Contamination and Some Heavy Metal Residues.

Abstract

This study sheds a light on the incidence of aflatoxin M1 and some heavy metals in ninety (90) samples of different types of dairy products marketed in Sharkia governorate including kariesh cheese, white soft cheese and plain yoghurt. The obtained result declared that aflatoxin M1 was highly concentrated in white soft cheese samples followed by kariesh cheese with mean values of 3.56± 0.37 and 2.78± 0.45 μg/Kg, respectively, while plain yoghurt samples recorded the least contamination level with a mean value 0.47± 0.05 μg/Kg. Concerning heavy metal results, The highest residual concentrations of heavy metals were found in kariesh cheese samples with mean values 7.03± 0.15, 0.98± 0.60, 1.67± 0.11 and 0.27± 0.04 ppm for iron, lead, copper and cadmium respectively, while the lowest values were detected in plain yoghurt samples with mean values 1.38± 0.063, 0.54± 0.03, 0.80± 0.05 and 0.18± 0.01 ppm for iron, lead, copper and cadmium respectively. The recorded data of the present study declared that, levels of aflatoxin M1 were higher than those set by Egyptian Standard and European Commission Regulation standards. Also, all the detected heavy metal residues exceeded the maximum permissible limits of the values recommended by international dairy federation standard and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Finally, the results of our study indicate the importance of continuous and regular monitoring of chemical contaminant levels in different types of dairy products consumed in Sharkia Governorate, as our results show an alarming situation in these products with respect to all dairy product producers.

Diversity of Toxigenic Molds and Mycotoxins Isolated from Dairy Products: Antifungal Activity of Egyptian Marine Algae on Aspergillus and Candida Species

“…The concentrations of mycotoxins detected were exceeding more than the permissible limits declared by National/ International Standards Organizations 13,16, 42,43 . These values are in accordance with the results reported by other Egyptian researchers who stated that, mycotoxins residues were contaminated milk products samples in various levels more than the permissible limit set by Egyptian and European regulation limits 48,62 . They stated that the highest incidence of mycotoxins recorded in milk products may refer to unhygienic conditions in processing, package or storage which provide favourable conditions for mold growth and subsequently toxin production.…”