Occurrence of aflatoxin B1 in dairy cow feedstuff and aflatoxin M1 in UHT and pasteurized milk in central China

Abstract This study was carried out to evaluate the occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in dairy cow feedstuff and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk in central China. One hundred and seventy-four samples of dairy cow feedstuff, 111 samples of UHT milk, and 131 samples of pasteurized milk were collected from different provinces in central China from November 2016 to February 2017. The AFB1 levels in feed were determined by HPLC, and the AFM1 levels in milk were determined by ELISA. Approximately 35.1% of feedstuff samples were positive for AFB1, and AFB1 contents in 6.3% and 2.3% of samples were above the legal limit of 20 μg/kg (in the EU) and 30 μg/kg (in China), respectively. Both peanut cake and maize, compared with other feed material, are susceptible to AFB1 contamination. Approximately 73.6% of milk samples were positive for AFM1, with a mean value of 100.0 ng/L. The AFM1 content was above the EU's legal limit of 50 ng/L in 1.8% of UHT milk samples and in 59.5% of pasteurized milk samples, whereas all milk samples were below the legal limit of 500 ng/L in China.