Prevalence of mold growth and aflatoxin M-1 in Kashar and white cheese produced in Western Turkey

Abstract

To evaluate mold growth and aflatoxin M-1 problem in Turkish cheese, a total of 46 commercial samples of the two cheese types were examined with agar plate incubation and ELISA methods. Mean mold growth exceeded maximum tolerable limits (1x10(2) cfu/g) in both groups of cheese (1x10(4) and 2x10(4) cfu/g in Turkish white cheese and Kashar cheese, respectively), although there were no significant differences between cheese types (p=0.34). Kashar cheese samples were highly contaminated with fungi. Total concentrations of aflatoxin M-1 in white and Kashar cheese (0.0998 and 0.1931 ppb, respectively) were lower than maximum tolerable limits (0.5 ppb). However, aflatoxin M-1 concentration of Kashar cheese in 2 out of 13 samples exceeded the maximum tolerable limits. Results indicated that cheese plants should be sanitised properly to avoid fungal contamination and milk should be evaluated for aflatoxin M-1 before it is used for making cheese.