study of aflatoxin m1 contamination in iranian white cheese produced by isfahan dairy factories using elisa technique

background: a flatoxins are one of the most important types of mycotoxins that are produced by aspergillus species such as a. flavus and a. parasiticus on contaminated feed. a flatoxin m 1 (afm 1 ) is excreted in milk of those lactating animals which have ingested a flatoxin b 1 contaminated feed. the aim of this study is to determine the presence and level of aflatoxin m1 in white iranian cheese produced by isfahan dairy factories. methods: a total of 20 cheese samples were randomly collected from five factories and levels of a flatoxin m 1 was evaluated by elisa method. findings: the results of afm1 levels analysis (ng/kg) in fifty white cheese samples showed that concentration of afm1 was between 72-297 ng/kg. 33 out of 50 samples (66%) were contaminated by afm1 and the mean of afm1 level in positive samples was 162.7 ng/kg. also, afm1 level in             6 samples (18.8% of positive samples) was higher than the maximum tolerance limit (250 ng/kg) accepted by the european countries. statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the mean concentration of afm1 in tested cheese samples. conclusion: the human health via consumption of contaminated milk and milk products with afm1 is well known. therefore, food must be evaluated for aflatoxin and be kept apart from fungal contamination as much as possible.