Aflatoxin M₁ contamination in grated parmesan cheese marketed in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to determine the occurrence of AFM₁ contamination in the samples of grated parmesan cheese marketed in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro -Brazil. Thirty samples representing 10 major brands marketed in the region were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) after purification with immunoaffinity column. The method showed recovery values within the range of 70-90%, with RSD lower than 15% and limits of detection and quantification below the maximum level allowed by the European Commission for the presence of AFM₁ in cheeses. The mycotoxin was identified in 18 (60%) of the grated cheese samples tested. The highest value corresponded to 0.69 ± 0.02 µg/kg and the mean for all the analyzed samples was 0.16 µg/kg. All the samples were lower than the limit established by the Brazilian legislation (2.5 µg/kg) for AFM₁ in cheeses in general. However, eight samples (26.7%) presented AFM₁ levels above the tolerance limit of 0.25 µg/kg adopted by the European Commission. These results indicated that AFM₁ levels in the grated cheese consumed in Rio de Janeiro -Brazil were relatively high and it could provide a potential hazard for the public health.

Key words: mycotoxin, dairy products, HPLC-FLD

Full text is available here > http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-89132013005000015&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en "Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology"

or here:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-89132013005000015 

Authors: Felipe Machado Trombete^I,*; Izabela Miranda de Castro^II; Alessandra da Silva Teixeira^II; Tatiana Saldanha^I; Marcelo Elias Fraga^III

^IDepartamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; Seropédica -RJ -Brasil
^IIEmbrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos; Rio de Janeiro -RJ -Brasil
^IIIDepartamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia Veterinária; Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; Seropédica -RJ -Brasil