ABSTRACT
Abstract The objective of this work was to determine aflatoxin M1 in fresh milk from fifty-two small farms in the city of Concórdia - SC, Brazil. Samples from the cooling tanks of each property were collected from November 2014 to January 2015. The QuEChERS method was used for the extraction of aflatoxin M1, and quantification was performed in UHPLC-FL. 40.4% of the analyzed samples (eg, 21 samples) showed contamination levels by aflatoxin M1 above the maximum limit allowed by the Brazilian regulation, which is 0.5 μg L-1. These results suggest the importance of implementing Good Practices in obtaining feed for dairy cows, since the contamination of milk by aflatoxin M1 occurs through the biotransformation of aflatoxin B1, after the ingestion of feed or silage contaminated by the animals, posing risk to the animals themselves, as well as to consumers of milk and dairy products.