Assessment of aflatoxin M1 exposure from cheese and food safety attitudes toward cheese among adult individuals

This study was conducted to evaluate cheese-derived Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) exposure and food safety attitudes toward cheese in Ankara. In the first phase, AFM1 levels in cheeses obtained through different purchasing methods from three districts of Ankara were determined using the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Subsequently, a questionnaire was administered to a total of 128 individuals aged 21– 63 years, including 39 men and 89 women, to assess cheese consumption amounts and food safety attitudes. Cheese-derived AFM1 exposure and associated health risks were evaluated using the Margin of Exposure (MOE) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) approaches, based on both Turkey Nutrition and Health Survey (TNHS) 2017 data and questionnaire results. The mean AFM1 level in 55 cheese samples was 0.37 µg/kg; although no significant differences were observed according to purchasing method or location, all values exceeded the maximum limit set by the Turkish Food Codex Contaminants Regulation (0.05 µg/kg). The mean daily cheese consumption was 73.2±77.0 g, with significantly higher intake in men than in women (p<0.05). According to TNHS, 2017 data, estimated daily intake (EDI) values for women and men were 0.19223 and 0.19229 ng/kg/day, respectively, while questionnaire-based EDI values were 0.488 ng/kg/day for women and 0.252 ng/kg/day for men. All calculated MOE values were below the threshold of 10,000 and HQ values exceeded 1, indicating that long-term exposure poses a potential public health risk. Approximately 80% of participants reported having no knowledge of the concept of mycotoxins or their health effects. Overall, the findings demonstrate that cheesederived AFM1 exposure in Ankara constitutes a significant public health concern.