Exposure to Aflatoxin M1 through Milk Consumption in Tehran Population, Iran

Milk would be contaminated with Aflatoxin M1 (AFM₁), if it was obtained from lactating animal which fed with feedstuffs containing Aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁). AFM₁ is classified as group 2B, possibly carcinogenic to humans and its exposure to AFM₁ through milk consumption is a public concern. The purpose of this study was to determine the AFM₁ exposure through liquid milk consumption for adult consumers in Tehran. Forty-five samples including raw, pasteurized, and UHT milk samples were collected from markets in different cities of Tehran province in January and February 2017. The AFM₁ was determined by HPLC method after immunoaffinity column clean up. Also, the milk intake was calculated using household budget survey. Finally, the daily intake of AFM₁ through milk consumption was estimated using a deterministic approach. From total 45 samples, AFM₁ was detected in 36 (80%) samples, although none of the analyzed samples were exceeded Iran legal limit of 0.1 µg/kg. On the basis of the average milk intake, the mean daily exposure to AFM₁ was estimated between 0.03 ng/ Kg BW per day (lower bound estimate) and 0.06 ng/ Kg BW per day (upper bound estimate) and the 95th percentile daily exposure was calculated at 0.14 ng/ Kg BW per day. According to these values, it should be expected that the adults of Tehran population are not exposed to a significant risk of Hepatocarcinoma associated with AFM₁ intake through milk consumption.