The aflatoxin content of milk and dairy products as well as breast milk and the possibilities of detoxification

Abstract Aflatoxins are fungal toxins produced by Aspergillus species, which, due to increasing temperature and climate change in the temperate zone, appeared in the most important feeding plant and food ingredients. The most toxic of them is aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which hydroxylates to aflatoxin M1 in the body of dairy animals and humans, and excretes in the milk. With the development of analytical methods, researchers are now able to detect toxins with a concentration of ng/kg. It was found that in most countries in Europe both breast milk and cow’s milk may contain AFM1, and therefore increased attention should be paid to the toxin content of milk, and that those above the limit should be excluded from consumption. In addition to cow’s milk, the AFM1 toxin content of breast milk can also be significant, the precursors of which are introduced into the mother’s body with food. Aflatoxins are highly resistant to physical, chemical, and microbiological effects, so the detoxification of foods, especially milk, is almost impossible. The best solution appears to be feeding the animals with toxin-free feeds or feeds containing toxins below the permitted limit, without giving opportunity to the toxins to enter the milk from the feed and from there into the human body.