Abstract:
This study aimed to evaluate the contamination levels of Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk and its products and to compare AFM1 contamination levels across different wards within Katakwi Town council. AFM1, a potent toxin found in milk and dairy products, poses serious health risks including liver cancer and immunotoxicity. A total of 200 samples, comprising raw cow milk, yogurt, ghee, and bongo, were collected from various wards within Katakwi Town Council.
A competitive Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA version V1.2 catalogue-No-ETO-EOO796T/96T*3) was employed to determine the concentration of AFM1 in these samples. A survey was also conducted to assess public awareness of AFM1 contamination and consumption habits. All data was analysed statistically using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23 (Chicago, 1L, USA). Milk from Eastern ward had the highest contamination at 5.60 ppb, while ghee from the same ward showed 4.60 ppb. The Northern wards milk and bongo samples had concentrations of 2.15 ppb and 1.71 ppb, respectively. The survey results indicated a moderate level of public awareness regarding AFM1 contamination, with a mean rating of 3.22 on a 4-point scale. Two-Way ANOVA indicated that the sum of squares for region was 75.32, yielding an Fvalue of 18.52 and a p-value of 0.0002. This strong statistical significance suggests that AFM1 contamination varies considerably across different wards. The findings revealed that
AFM1 contamination levels in milk and its products significantly exceeded the permissible limits (0.005) set by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The study's results are consistent with previous findings that highlighted the pervasive nature of AFM1 contamination in dairy products, particularly in areas with inadequate storage and poor agricultural practices. This aligns with studies by Zinedine et al. (2021) and Routledge et al. (2016). Effective monitoring, public education, and stringent regulatory measures are essential to mitigate the risk of exposure to AFM1contamination. Regular monitoring and testing programs should be implemented, alongside public awareness campaigns and stricter regulations. Further research is needed to explore effective methods for reducing AFM1 contamination in dairy products.
