Aflatoxin M1 in the intermediate dairy products from Manchego cheese production: distribution and stability

Aflatoxins (AFs) are highly toxic secondary metabolites produced by several Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus species in crops and plant products, of which aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most representative (Goldblatt, 1969). If AFB1 is present in the feed of lactating animals, they will excrete aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) into their milk (Allcroft and Carnaghan, 1963; Cupid et al., 2004; Battacone et al., 2005), a toxin classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as class 2B, possible human carcinogen (IARC, 2002). Given AFM1 implications to consumers’ health in relation to milk, the Codex Alimentarius set a maximum recommended level of 500 ng kg-1 (Codex Alimentarius, 2001), although a stricter limit (50 ng kg-1) for raw milk, milk for the Summary