The food safety wing has started prosecution measures following the detection of aflatoxin, a group of mycotoxins produced by the fungus Aspergillus and are potent hepatotoxins, in milk samples in Kerala.
An official statement issued by the office of the Health Minister here on Thursday said that in inspections held by the food safety wing across the State, the presence of Aflatoxin M1 was detected in 10% of the milk samples tested by the department.
Aflatoxin in milk is a direct result of dairy animals being fed with contaminated feed.
According to literature, Aflatoxin contamination of grains, seeds, spices and edible nuts is most prevalent in warm, humid regions of the world where conditions are favourable for the growth of mould. Storage of these food commodities in inappropriate conditions also facilitates mould growth and production of aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin M1 is a hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1. Aflatoxin M1 is produced in the liver of dairy animals following ingestion of high levels of aflatoxin B1 in feed and it may be excreted in their milk. Both acute and chronic exposure to aflatoxin is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.
With 10% of the samples showing the presence of Aflatoxin M1, the food safety wing has pointed out the urgent need to increase awareness among dairy farmers on how feed contamination (improper storage being one reason) can lead to the contamination of milk.
The food safety wing had collected 452 samples of milk from across the State. These included samples collected from large-scale and small-scale dairy farmers, regional dairy farms and vendors.
The official release said the samples were tested on the basis of all parameters of quality and food safety.
