Degradation of Aflatoxin M1 in Milk by Ultraviolet Energy

Ahmed E Yousef1, Elmer H Marth1

  • 1Department of Food Science and the Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.

Raw whole milk was artificially contaminated with 0.5 or 1 ppb aflatoxin M1. Contaminated milk was exposed to UV-irradiation from different sources and under different experimental conditions. In all instances, exposure to UV-irradiation caused aflatoxin M1 in milk to degrade. The magnitude of degradation (3.6 to 100%) depended on time of exposure (2 to 60 min) of milk to UV-energy, volume of treated milk and design of the experiment. Presence of hydrogen peroxide (1%) in milk greatly enhanced degradation (100% in 10 min) of aflatoxin M1 by UV-irradiation.

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