This study aimed to evaluate aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) level in milk powder and infant milk formulae, in addition to applying innovative methods for AFM₁ & AFB₁ detoxification. Fifty random samples of milk powder and infant formulae (25 of each) were collected from the Egyptian markets for assessing AFM₁ level using ELISA technique. Bioactive components comprising cell free supernatants (postbiotic), acid-dead cells (parabiotic) and the encapsulated-cells of Lactobacillus plantarum RM1 and Lactobacillus paracasei KC39 were evaluated for their antifungal activity against toxigenic mold strains and their impact on AFB₁ and AFM₁ reduction in reconstituted milk powder. AFM₁ concentration in unpacked milk powder was higher than that of packed samples and infant formulae, although these differences were not significant (P > 0.05). About 96.0, 29.4 and 25.0% of the tested infant formulae, unpacked, and packed milk powder were unacceptable in terms of the AFM₁ limit defined by Egyptian and European standards, while all samples were in accordance with the USA/FDA standard. All tested mycotoxigenic strains were sensitive to the different treatments of the probiotics with the highest sensitivity regarding Fusarium strain with L. paracasei KC39 compared to other genera. The degradation ratios of AFM₁ using the bioactives of the L. paracasei KC39 were higher than that of L. plantarum RM1 bioactives. Additionally, KC39 parabiotic manifested the best AFB₁ reduction (60.56%). In conclusion, the positive and highly significant relationship (P < 0.05) between these effective biocompounds mirrors their major detoxification role which gives a safe solution for AFs contamination issues in milk and milk products.

Background and Aim: Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a major fungal metabolite found in milk coming from aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contaminated rations and is subsequently present in milk-based products demonstrating a serious public health hazard. This study aimed to investigate the levels of AFM1 and AFB1 in milk and some dairy products consumed widely by infants and children. Materials and Methods: This study investigated the incidence of AFM1 in 105 samples of processed cheese, Ras cheese, and raw milk (35 of each) retailed in the Egyptian markets. The degree of sensitivity and accuracy was evaluated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method followed by the estimation of the positive samples using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Mold count was determined in the examined samples by investigating AFB1 content using HPLC. Results: AFM1 was found in all investigated Ras cheese, raw milk, and 82.86% of the processed cheese samples with mean values of 51.05±6.19, 40.27±3.996, and 10.77±1.39 ng/kg, respectively. Moreover, there was statistically no significant difference between AFM1 levels in the core and crust parts of the tested Ras cheese. AFM1 contaminated Ras cheese and raw milk samples were 48.57% and 25.71%, which exceeded the European and Egyptian tolerance levels. Results showed an acceptable correlation between ELISA and HPLC methods with no significant difference (p>0.05). Alternatively, none of the examined samples proved to be contaminated with AFB1 despite the presence of mold with mean counts of 3.79±3.29, 4.39±4.34, and 4.84±4.29 log CFU/g in the examined processed cheese, Ras cheese, and raw milk samples, respectively. Conclusion: Therefore, it is urgent to regularly inspect the contamination of animal feeds with AFB1 and apply special measures and novel techniques to protect the feed and food from public health hazards.

Milk production continues to be the main source of income for dairy producers, and mastitis continues to be the major health challenge for dairy cows worldwide. The objective of the current study was to describe the different management practices implemented in Egyptian dairies, which may influence mastitis and improve milk quality. An in-person survey was completed with herd managers and owners of 20 Egyptian dairies selected using a stratified random sample from four of Egypt’s milk sheds. The questionnaire included 80 questions that inquired about herd demographics, mastitis status and control, milking practices, and management practices of the study dairies. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, multiple factor analysis (MFA), and hierarchical clustering to identify the important principal components and different dairy clusters. Of the surveyed herds, 69.50% had less than 500 lactating cows, with Holstein as the main cow breed. The reported average milk production on the study herds was 31.1 (SE ± 1.10) Kg/cow/day. Housing of lactating, dry, and close-up cows was in open lots. The majority of the dairies milked cows were three times per day (90.63%), the remaining milked cows four (5.00%) or a mix of four and three times per day. Furthermore, herringbone parlor design was the most common parlor design (66.79%) in the study dairies. The most common disinfectants used for both pre- and post-milking teat dip were iodine-based, 90.0% and 95.0%, respectively, while 52.16% of the dairies reported that their milkers wore gloves during milking. The reported mean annual percentage of mastitis was 52.3%, as a percent of the milking herd. The study dairies reported the inspection of udder health through either visual inspection (95.00%), udder hygiene score (86.88%), teat end score (71.88%), and/or using CMT (54.91%). Contagious mastitis pathogens were reported in 45.2% of the study herds. More than 50% of the study herds relied on importing pregnant cows or pregnant heifers as replacements. Multiple factor analysis identified 20 questions and represented 5 components of variability related to mastitis on dairies. The current survey of Egyptian dairies described the herd demographics and different management practices related to mastitis control and prevention. All the study dairies relied on the blanket intramammary antimicrobial drugs at dry off when current research elsewhere has identified selective dry cow therapy as an integral component of antimicrobial stewardship on dairies. Further research is required to identify the association between different management factors and the occurrence of mastitis.

Risk Profile of Some Food Safety Hazards Associated with Ice-cream Sold in Egypt