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Aflatoxin M1 levels in Surk samples, a traditional Turkish cheese from southern Turkey
Osman Aygun1, Dinc Essiz, Hisamettin Durmaz
1Suleyman Demirel Keban Vocational School, Programme of Food Technology, Firat University, Keban/Elazig, Turkey. oaygun@firat.edu.tr
Abstract:
In this study, aflatoxin M(1) (AFM(1)) contamination was investigated in Surk cheese, a traditional Turkish cheese consumed particularly in southern Turkey. For this purpose, 120 Surk cheese samples were collected from different retail markets and analysed by enzyme-linked immunoassay. The level of AFM(1) varied from 16 to 1,043 ng/kg in 72 of the Surk samples (60%), 16 of which (13.3% of 120 samples) contained AFM(1) amounts exceeding the maximum tolerance limit (250 ng/kg) established in Turkey. The results indicated that the occurrence of AFM(1) in Surk cheese samples may be considered as a possible risk for consumer health.
