Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in yogurt samples from Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

The present study was aimed to analyse the presence and levels of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), in 177 yogurt samples consisting of 104 samples of ordinary yogurt, 21 of fruit yogurt, and 52 of strained (Torba) yogurt. The competitive ELISA method was used to determine the aflatoxin. The highest AFM1 concentration was 150 ng/kg in strained yogurt, 100 ng/kg in ordinary yogurt as well as in fruit yogurt. The incidence of AFM 1 contamination in yogurt samples were 65.38% (68 samples) of all ordinary yogurt samples, 33.33% (7 samples) of all fruit yogurt samples, and 55.77% (29 samples) of all strained yogurt samples. In addition, 11.53% of ordinary yogurt (12 samples), 9.52% of fruit yogurt (2 samples), and 21.15% of strained yogurt (11 samples) had higher AFM1 levels, than the acceptable levels for the Turkish Food Codex (50 ng/kg for yogurt). The results of this study imply that more emphasis should be given to the routine AFM 1 inspection of milk and dairy products in the Afyonkarahisar region. Furthermore, both farmers and dairy companies should be informed on the importance of AFM1, and the consequences of the presence of the aflatoxin in dairy products.