Occurrence of Aflatoxin M-1 in Vacuum Packed Kashar Cheeses in Turkey

Abstract

In this study, aflatoxin M-1 (AFM(1)) 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(1) contamination in vacuum packed cheese samples was investigated using immunoaffinity column extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. AFM(1) was detected in 144 (97.96%) of cheese samples ranging from 0.015 to 3.774 g/kg cheese, and mean value of AFM(1) was found to be 0.273 g/kg cheese. AFM(1) level in 16 (11.11%) of positive samples was higher than the maximum tolerance limit (0.5 g/kg) accepted by Turkish Food Codex.