Seasonal Survey in Content of Aflatoxin M1 and Somatic Cell Count in Collected Raw Milk Samples from Qazvin Province, Iran

The presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and somatic cell (Sc) in milk and milk products is a public health concern; also, it is an important index for evaluating the quality and safety of milk. Therefore, monitoring their level in milk has high health importance. The aim of this study was to determine the content AFM1 and somatic cell count )Scc( in raw cow milk samples in Qazvin province during various seasons (warm and cold). In this cross sectional study, 92 raw cow milk samples (produced by six semi industrial farms) was randomly collected from milk collection centers in Qazvin province (Iran) during the warm and the cold seasons in 2016 (23samples for each season). All samples were examined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and somatic cell counter; the archived data were analyzed using ANOVA and Chi-square test. The results showed that all collected samples were contaminated with AFM1 and AFM1 in raw cow milk samples that were above the maximum residue limits (MRL) (Iran legal limit = 100 ng L-1) in %36.95 samples; in addition, the SCC was above the MRL (Iran legal limit = 500000 cell ml-1) in 45.65 % of milk samples. AFM1 Contamination in warm seasons (%52.17) was significantly higher than in cold seasons (%21.73) (P 0.05). According to the results of this research, comprehensive and careful supervising of the production and supply of milk and evaluation of AFM1 and Scc are necessary.