Survey of aflatoxin M₁ in cheese from the North-east region of São Paulo, Brazil.

In the present study, 24 samples of Minas Frescal cheese and 24 samples of Minas Padrão cheese produced in the North-east region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were analysed for aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) between March and August 2008. AFM₁ was detected in 13 (27.1%) samples at concentrations ranging from 0.037 to 0.313 ng g⁻¹. The mean concentrations of AFM₁ in positive samples of Minas Frescal and Minas Padrão cheese were 0.142 ± 0.118 and 0.118 ± 0.054 ng g⁻¹, respectively. It is concluded that the incidence of AFM₁ in Minas cheese may contribute to an increase in the overall ingestion of aflatoxins in the diet, hence indicating the need for the adoption of a tolerance limit for AFM₁ in cheese in Brazil.