The Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Exposure to Aflatoxin M₁ in Ultra-High Temperature and Pasteurized Milk in Hamadan Province of Iran

OBJECTIVES: Aflatoxins are a category of poisonous compounds found in most plants, milk and dairy products. The present research was carried out to detect the presence of aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in samples of milk collected from Hamadan province, Iran. METHODS: Twenty five samples of ultra-high temperature (UHT) and 63 samples of pasteurized milk were collected and the amount of AFM₁ was measured by an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay method. In addition, the estimated daily intake (EDI) and hazard index (HI) of AFM₁ was determined by the following equations:(EDI= mean concentration of AFM₁ × daily consumption of milk/body weight; HI=EDI/Tolerance Daily Intake). RESULTS: AFM₁ was detected in 21 (84%) UHT milk samples and in 55 (87.30%) pasteurized milk samples. Seven (28%) samples of UHT and 21 (33.33%) pasteurized milk samples had higher AFM₁ content than the limit allowed in the European Union and Iranian National Standard Limits (0.05 μg/kg). None of the samples exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration limit (0.5 μg/kg) for AFM₁. EDI and HI for AM₁ through milk were 0.107 ng/kg body weight/day, and 0.535, respectively. CONCLUSION: A significant percentage of milk produced by different factories in Iran (84% of UHT and 87.3% of pasteurized milk) was contaminated with AFM₁. Therefore, more control and monitoring of livestock feeding in dairy companies may help reduce milk contamination with AFM₁. As the HI value was lower than 1, it can be assumed that there was no risk of developing liver cancer due to milk consumption.

[Different aspects of mallow [malva sylvestris] and results of new research findings: a review]

Introduction and Aims: Malva [Malva sylvestris L.] is member of the Malvaceae family, native to Iran, which used as food and medicine to treat many disorders in traditional medicine. The present article has reviewed different aspects and new finding about this medicinal plant

Materials and Methods: In this study using Iranmedex, Sid, Web of Science and Science Direct databases, articles on various aspects of mallow was reviewed, with using keywords: "malva" and "pharmacological effect", and "medical plant"

Results: In traditional medicine, M.sylvestris has been used in pain relief, inflammation, wound healing and treatment of kidney disorders, skin problems and efficacy against microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria. Arial parts of this plant are highly valuable for animal feeding. Antioxidant properties of Malva are due to delfinidin, malvidin, beta-carotene, cyanine, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, mucilage and phenolic and flavonoid components

Conclusion: Traditional applications of M.sylvestris in treatment of many diseases and its valuable medicinal and herbal components could provide a context for scientists to develop plant-derived medications such as antibiotics, sedatives and inflammation treating drugs