Aflatoxin M1 found in Parmesan cheese

Cheese analysis – a challenge detecting Aflatoxin M1

Cheese is a challenging matrix for aflatoxin M1 analysis, but scientists in Brazil using R-Biopharm AFLAPREP® M immunoaffinity columns have demonstrated that excellent method performance can be achieved.

Felipe Machado Trombete et al., conducted a survey of 30 samples of the 10 major brands of Parmesan cheese sold in Rio de Janeiro. The results have been published in the 2014 March-April issue of the international journal Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 57: 269-273

Have a look at the results here.

This paper shows that cheese should not be neglected as a source of exposure to mycotoxins, as 60% of these Parmesan cheese samples were contaminated and eight samples (26.7%) contained levels of aflatoxin M1 above the tolerance limit of 0.25 μg/kg adopted by the European Commission. The authors conclude that the results of this study indicate that there should be constant monitoring of aflatoxin M1 levels in dairy products marketed in Brazil, especially because the country now has a specific limit for mycotoxins in cheese.