Occurrence of aflatoxins B-1 and M-1 in milk powder and UHT consumed in the city of Assomada (Cape Verde Islands) and southern Brazil

The occurrence of aflatoxins M-1 (AFLAM(1)) and B-1 (AFLAB(1)) was evaluated in 112 milk samples (whole, skimmed, semi-skimmed liquids and powders), collected at a local commercial establishment in southern Brazil and Assomada City, Cape Verde. AFLAM(1) and AFLAB(1) were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. For the 62 milk samples from 41 supermarkets in the city of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, 68% were contaminated by AFLAM(1) (range, 40-3670 ng L-1) and 16% were contaminated by AFLAB(1) (range, 40-600 ng L-1), with contamination found only in liquid milk. Among the 50 samples from Assomada City, AFLAM(1) was detected in 76% of the samples (range, 32-2896 ng L-1), at values below the current Brazilian legislation for the maximum permitted level in milk powder (5000 ng L-1) but higher than that recommended by the European Commission.