Determination of Aflatoxin M1 Levels and Antibiotic Residues in the Traditional Turkish Desserts and Ice Creams Consumed in Burdur City Center

Abstract

Aflatoxins display an insufficiently recognized risk to human health. Aflatoxins M1 and M2 are oxidative metabolites of aflatoxins B1 and B2 in milk. They can be found in a variety of food items and are not destroyed by normal industrial processing or cooking. Also, foods from animals may contain residues of antibacterial drugs. In this study, totally 47 traditional milky dessert and ice cream samples including sutlac, gullac, muhallebi and ice cream were investigated for aflatoxin M1 by ELISA and for antibacterial drugs by bacterial growth inhibition methods. Aflatoxin values of the 8 samples exceeded 50 ng kg(-1) and among them only one sample exceeded 250 ng kg(-1). Thirty-one of the 47 milky dessert samples were positive. According to the results, antibiotic residues were detected in 32 out of 47 samples of milky desserts (68.1%). The milky desserts including aflatoxin M1 and/or antimicrobial drug residues are potential risk for public health. Prevention of the contamination of aflatoxin B1 and B2 in the animal food may prevent formation of aflatoxin M1 in animal products. Also, the farmers should be educated for the prevention of antibiotic residues in milk.