Evaluation of the Presence of Yeasts, Moulds and Aflatoxin M1 in Raw Sheep Milk in Mazandaran, Iran

Introduction: Aflatoxins are among the most important fungal mycotoxins with carcinogenic properties. Aflatoxin M1 can be transmitted to humans through milk and dairy products. This study proposed to appraise the fungal and aflatoxin M1 contaminations in sheep milk collcted from different farms in Mazandaran province. Methods: During July to September 2020, 70 samples of raw milk from sheep were collected in disparate regions of Northern Iran. All of the samples were analyzed in order to presence of fungal agents by culturing the raw milk onto Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) as well as AFM1 by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results: Of the fungal agents identified, the most frequently moulds were related to Aspergillus spp. (38.8%), Cladosporium spp. (22.4%) and Penicillium spp. (13.9%); and yeasts dependent on Trichosporon spp. (47.1 %), Rhodotorula spp. (33.8%) and Candida spp. (14.7%). Of the 70 milk samples, all samples (100%) had AFM1 at condensation lower than the high level specified in European Union (EU) regulations, i.e., 50 ng/L.  The AFM1 contamination levels ranged from 1.15 to 48.50 ng/L with the average of 13.26 ± 4.87 ng/L. Conclusions: Contamination of sheep milk with mycotoxins, especially AFM1, can be a potential risk for the consumer; therefore, raw sheep milk should be checked for these toxins.