چكيده لاتين :
This study was undertaken to determine the presence and levels of aflatoxin M, (AFM,) in powdered milk produced by different plants in Iran. For this purpose, 42 powdered milk samples analyzed, and competitive ELISA was used to determine the presence and levels of AFM,. AFM, was found in 100% of 42 of the powdered milk samples examined. The range of contamination levels varied among different seasons. AFM1 in Spring, Autumn and Winter samples ranged from 51 to 914, 32 to 640 and 32 to 879 ng/kg respectively, while the mean values were 305, 278 and 285 ng /kg respectively. The highest mean concentration of aflatoxin M (AFM ) was registered in Spring samples (914 ng /kg).Also the lowest mean concentration of aflatoxin M was registered in Autumn and Winter samples (32 ng /kg).Statistical evaluation showed that there were not significant differences (p>0.05) between the concentrations of AFM, of powdered milk samples produced in Spring, Autumn and Winter. In other words, AFM1 contents of powdered milk samples produced in Spring were not lower than powdered milk samples produced in Autumn and Winter. Almost 80.7% of the contaminated samples exceeded the maximum acceptable levels (50 ng /kg, EU standard) while 26.9 % of the samples exceeded the 500 ng /kg (Codex alimantarius, Iran). It was therefore concluded that, high occurrence of AFM1 in powdered milk samples were considered possible hazards for human health.
