Mycobiota and Aflatoxins B1 and M1 Levels in Commercial and Homemade Dairy Desserts in Aswan City, Egypt

Abstract

Dairy desserts containing cereals are considered a proper medium for xerophilic fungi growth and aflatoxins production. In this study, a hundred fifty samples of different commercial dairy desserts (n=90) and homemade ones (n=60) were examined for total mold count and aflatoxins B₁ and M₁ levels in first day of production and after 3 days of cold storage at 5°C. The results, revealed high total mold count in all examined commercial samples especially Muhallabiah, 11.9 x 10² and 4.7 x10³ CFU/g in 1^st and 3^rd day of storage, respectively. The Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp. were the predominant isolates followed by Alternaria and However, aflatoxin B₁ was detected in 70% of commercial Bellilah samples above the acceptable limits (2 ppb) and Aflatoxin M₁ had exceeded the limits in 10% of each type of samples. In contrast, the homemade samples showed good quality and acceptable total mold count and Aflatoxin B₁ and no Aflatoxin M₁ (according to Egyptian Standard) up to 7 days of storage. In conclusion, using of good quality cereals and good quality milk in the manufacturing of dairy desserts is the keyword to obtain safe healthy dairy desserts for consumers.