Determination of aflatoxin M1 levels in human breast milk in province Afyonkarahisar

SUMMARYDetermination of Aflatoxin M1 Levels in Human Breast Milk in ProvinceAfyonkarahisarImportant role of human breast milk in infant nutrition is well known. On the other hand,contamination of human breast milk with AFM1 is considered as a potential risk for childrenhealth.In this study, two hundred human breast milk samples from different hospital inAfyonkarahisar city were collected during 8 months (September 2005 to April 2006) and todetermine the levels of AFM1 in human breast milk from Afyonkarahisar of Turkey.The competitive ELISA was used to determine the presence and levels of AFM1 in200 human breast milk samples were analysed. AFM1 was detected in 21 (10.5%) of allsamples at median concentrations of 8.45 pg/ml (ranging from 5.66 to 12.53 pg/ml).As a result, contamination of human breast milk with AFM1 appears to be a seriousinfant health problem in the city of Afyonkarahisar. The public should be educated aboutstoring food and the hazards of aflatoxin ingestion to reduce the unacceptably frequent ofaflatoxin in breast-milk.Key Words: Human breast milk, Aflatoxin M1, ELISA