Aflatoxin‐M1 contamination in cheese of six countries in the West Asia region: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Salman Mohammadi, Majid Keshavarzi, Asma Kazemi, Samane Rahmdel, Mehran Nouri, Ayoob Rastegar, Ali Ghaffarian‐Bahraman
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess Aflatoxin‐M1 (AFM1) contamination in cheese samples from the West Asia region. Furthermore, AFM1 contamination was investigated based on the texture type (hard, semi‐soft/semi‐hard and soft) and the maturation process (matured and fresh) of the cheese sampled. Our results indicated that AFM1 contamination occurs in more than 50% of the cheese samples from all included countries. Our subgroup meta‐analyses showed that the occurrence and the average concentration of AFM1, as well as the percentage of the standard maximum allowance exceeding samples in matured cheeses, were lower than unmatured samples.