Occurrence of Aflatoxin M1 in Vacuum Packed Kashar Cheeses in Turkey

Abstract

In this study, aflatoxin M<inf>1</inf> (AFM<inf>1</inf>) levels of vacuum packed Kashar cheese marketed in the Black Sea Region of Turkey were determined during October 2008 and June 2009. The occurrence of AFM<inf>1</inf> contamination in vacuum packed cheese samples was investigated using immunoaffinity column extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. AFM<inf>1</inf> was detected in 144 (97.96%) of cheese samples ranging from 0.015 to 3.774 μg/kg cheese, and mean value of AFM<inf>1</inf> was found to be 0.273 μg/kg cheese. AFM<inf>1</inf> level in 16 (11.11%) of positive samples was higher than the maximum tolerance limit (0.5 μg/kg) accepted by Turkish Food Codex. © 2014 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.