AFLATOXIN M(1) IN PARMESAN CHEESE - HPLC DETERMINATION

A method was developed to determine aflatoxin M(1) in Parmesan cheese produced in the Modena area during 1991. The analytical method was based on extraction of aflatoxin M(1) from the cheese by chloroform and clean-up by liquid-liquid extraction. The determination was made by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Of 200 fresh Parmesan cheese samples analyzed, 18 showed presence of aflatoxin M(1) in low concentrations (max. 0.190 mu g/kg). Italian food law does not establish any maximum allowed level for this aflatoxin. The maximum limit proposed by the Swiss Federal Bureau of Health was 0.250 mu g/kg.