Aflatoxin M<sub>1</sub> removal from milk using activated carbon and bentonite combined with lactic acid bacteria cells
Khurram Muaz, Muhammad Riaz, Carlos Augusto Fernandes de Oliveira, Amir Ismail, Saeed Akhtar, Habibullah Nadeem, Shinawar Waseem, Zulfiqar Ahmed
Abstract
This study was planned to explore the AFM 1 ‐reducing potential of various heat and acid‐killed lactic acid bacteria (LAB), activated carbon and bentonite (BENT) in milk contaminated with 0.5 μg/L AFM 1 and their impact on milk composition. A negligible impact was observed on milk composition with AC while exhibiting a higher AFM 1 removal (78.2%) than bentonite (35.8%). Their combination with LAB cells increased AFM 1 decontamination for most of the treatments, with highest AFM 1 removal (97.6%) exhibited by a treatment involving 0.1% AC and acid‐killed cells of L. cremoris . The results of this study indicate that LAB cells associated with the adsorbents tested are highly effective in reducing milk AFM 1 content.