Determination of aflatoxin m1 level in butter samples consumed in erzurum,Turkey [Erzurum'de Tüketime sunulan tereyaǧlari{dotless}lari{dotless}nda aflatoxin M1 düzeyinin delirlenmesi]

In this study; the levels of aflatoxin m1 (afm1) in 80 butter samples were determined. they were obtained from upermarkets in city center of erzurum. the presence and concentration range of afm1 in the samples were investigated by competitive enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (elisa) method. afm1 was found in 66 (82.5%) samples at levels ranging from 10 to 121 ng/kg with mean concentration of 30.4±23.9 ng/kg. the levels of afm1 in 13 (16.3%) samples were higher than the maximum legal limit accepted by codex alimentarious commission (cac). none of the contaminated butter sample exceeded the legal limit regulated by turkish food codex (tfc) for afm1. the results indicated that contamination of the butter samples with afm1 in high level could be a potential hazard for public health.